Helena firefighters quickly responded to a small grass fire on the city's western edge Friday afternoon.

HFD Battalion Chief Brad Hampton said the Stuart Street resident was making metal ingots at about 3 p.m. when the fire started. The man had allowed excess metal to cool in a pot. He thought the material was cool enough -- but about 15 minutes after he threw the excess into his backyard, a small fire had started.

The fire was in a residential area, but Hampton said it didn't get very large. He didn't know the type of metal the man was using.