Snohomish County firefighters plan to spend the weekend battling a stubborn blaze that is burning on the small island in the middle of Lake Ballinger. The fire has been burning since Wednesday after it was ignited by an illegal barbecue at a makeshift campsite on the three-acre island.

On Friday, a firefighter suffered minor injuries while working on the island and was taken to an area hospital.

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For the past two days firefighters have attacked the fire on the ground using floating pumps to supply hose lines and from a helicopter from the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office equipped with a 200-gallon bucket that can scoop lake water and drop it on the fire, according to Leslie Hynes, public information officer for Snohomish County Fire District 1.

Today, firefighters battled the blaze using hose lines supplied by the floating pumps, which will continue through the weekend. The fire is burning in peat, which is difficult to extinguish, Hynes said.

Firefighters are forced to suspend operations at dusk because of safety considerations, she said.