Merced firefighters train for grass fires

A Merced City Fire Department crew trained to fight grass fires in a field at Childs Avenue and Canal Street on Tuesday.

Fire Capt. Jim Evans said the annual training takes place this time of year because the rainy season is over and tall grasses dry out.

Along with working with live fire, the crew practiced clearing vegetation before fire reaches it.

This story was originally published May 10, 2016 at 3:32 PM with the headline "Merced firefighters train for grass fires."