Grand Junction fire crews say lightning sparked the football field size Saturday night fire at the Mesa County Landfill.

The blaze sparked at about 8:30pm Saturday and grew rapidly before firefighters could get a handle on it. No structures were burned and no injuries were reported.

Officials say an entire hillside of trash was scorched.

It took about five hours for fire crews to put the fire out. They were able to extinguish the blaze so quickly because of help from the staff at the dump using bulldozers to cover and suppress the flames.

The fire was spotted by a local police offer and was officially put out early this morning.

"We consider it a good fire if we walk away with no major property damage and no injuries or loss of life," firefighter George Kornfeld said.

Previously Released:

According to emergency radio traffic and dispatchers, the blaze was about the size of a football field burning a hillside of trash.

Firefighters were dispatched to the scene after a local police officer spotted the fire.

Emergency responders say no structures were threatened as they arrived Saturday evening and none burned.

Crews are investigating whether the fire was caused by lightning rolling through the area.

KJCT News 8 will continue to follow this developing story and provide updates as soon as new details emerge.