Photos:Andrew Goff.

For the first time in what seems a long while — especially compared to years past — a brush fire broke out in the Palco Marsh this afternoon, taking out a healthy swatch of vegetation and prompting a large response from Humboldt Bay Fire.

The fire, which took a minute or two to locate, was near the foot of Vigo Street, in the Palco Marsh, once home to a large indigent opulation. It sent up a dark column of smoke that was visible from as far away as the southern city limits.

The first firefighters on scene estimated the fire to be about 50 feet by 100 feet in size at the time they arrived. The area contained a pile of burning debris, which was quickly sized up as the origination of the blaze. Reinforcements showed up and they tackled the fire for a little under half an hour before knocking it down.

Humboldt Bay Fire Battalion Chief Kent Hulbert told the Outpost, on scene, that the fire appeared to be deliberately set. It’s not clear whether this was connected, but a small camping spot with a sleeping bag was located nearby.

The Palco Marsh has been a strictly enforced no-camping zone since about this time last year, when the city and allied governmental agencies undertook a mass eviction of the homeless encampments that once dotted the area.