Grass Fire

Lincoln County crews say they've doused a 100 acre grass fire enough it shouldn't reignite. Rod Job, Lincoln County Emergency Manager, says the blaze near Barnard began when a formerly controlled burn rekindled. No one was hurt and no buildings were damaged.  Crews from eight stations helped get control of the fire; including groups from Barnard, Beverly and Lincoln.

Crews put out a grass fire in Reno County Wednesday afternoon. The fire started near the intersection of Yoder Road and Parallel Road, just north of Cheney Lake. Officials say a shed burned down and the fire threatened a home. Cedar trees around the home caught fire but the home itself was saved. There have been no reports of injuries.

At least five fire departments responded to a grass fire in Butler County early Friday afternoon. An emergency dispatcher says the fire started out as a controlled burn in the 12000 block of S.W. 15th Street, north of Hwy 254, halfway between Benton and Towanda. Only 5 to 7 acres were suppose to burn but it quickly spreading, threatening one home. The fire is now out and no injuries are reported. Grass fire danger will be low this weekend.

Firefighters from Harvey County and McPherson have put out a grass fire in northwestern Harvey County. 911 dispatchers say the fire was in the area of NW 36 and North Wheat State Road, about four miles north of Burrton. Close to a dozen emergency units were on the scene. The call of the fire came in around 11:46 a.m. Dispatchers say they don't know how large the fire was but that no homes or structures are being threatened. No injuries have been reported.  

Fire crews spent a good part of Wednesday afternoon working to contain a large grass fire in Butler County at SW 40th & Santa Fe Lake. Several structures were involved in the fire, including three barns of hay that fire crews will allow to burn to the ground. The cause of the fire is not yet known and the officials kept the fire contained at around a half-mile wide.

An afternoon fire burns an area around Wichita's Big Ditch. The fire burned several acrews near I-235 and Central just east of Sedgwick County Zoo. No one was hurt. No buildings were damaged. There is no word how the fire started. Expect updates on-air, online and on Twitter ( http://www.twitter.com/KWCH12 ).

Arkansas City police say a man found in critical condition at a grassfire has died. Police say the 76-year-old Eugene Hoag was found by firefighters who were also battling that fire just east of Arkansas City on Thursday. The man was found with burns to his body. He was rushed to Cowley County Hospital, then to a Wichita hospital where he later died. The cause of fire was determined to be related to a brush pile being burned in the vicinity that got out of control, burning on 6 different properties covering approximately 4 acres.

Hot and dry conditions have meant more work for firefighters in Ford County. Tuesday firefighters there worked to stop at least three fires, including one near Mullinville. Already this month Ford County has dealt with 42 fires. One of those was a grass fire Monday in the Wilroads Garden area. That fire burned around five acres of land and put four homes in danger. The siding on one of those homes was damaged, but fire crews were able to stop it from damaging the inside of the home.

Emergency crews have their hands full with a grass fire in eastern Sedgwick County. Crews from several departments are battling the fire and windy conditions at Greenwich and K-254. The fire burned roughly 30 acres of land, but no buildings were damaged. We contacted several surrounding counties, all of them have dealt with grass and brush fires today. None had any active fires as of right now, though.

At first it was thought to be an oil field explosion,  but now Reno County authorities say the issue was actually a grass fire. The grass fire is out, but for a short time it prompted road closures on Trail West Road from K-17 to Valley Pride.  The roads were closed because of gas lines in the area. It's unclear right now why there was confusion between an explosion and grass fire.  The Reno County Sheriff previously said residents felt the ground shake within a half mile radius.

Dry and windy conditions kept firefighters busy Thursday afternoon as they battled a large grass fire in Wilson County. Click Here for Damage Photos Several outbuildings were destroyed in the area, but no homes were damaged. There are no reports of serious injuries, but two firefighters were treated briefly for smoke inhalation and heat exhaustion. The fire burned rought three square miles of farm land along Highway 400 south of Fredonia.

Firefighters continue to monitor hot spots into the night after a large grass fire started near El Dorado.  "It takes almost nothing to start one of these fires," Butler County Emergency Management Director Jim Schmidt says.  "We've had fires started by lightening the other day--we've had chains dragging.  There's just no moisture. " Thirty trucks from ten departments responded. Four homes were threatened by the flames.  Firefighters evacuated the residents and were able to save their houses from the fire.

Fire crews put out three grass fires in Butler County Monday afternoon. The largest burned about ten acres and a burn near Douglass. No one was hurt. Crews stayed on the scene for several hours putting out hot spots. The fires come as Kansas and much of the country is dealing with record drought. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has declared more than half the counties natural disaster areas, including every county in Kansas.

Crews from nearly a dozen departments battled a fire in Rice County Wednesday afternoon. The fire burned several acres near the town of Little River. Click here for photos from the fire Flames destroyed one house. An abandoned house, a railroad trestle bridge and outbuildings were also destroyed. There are no reports of any injuries. Crews spent Wednesday evneing putting out hotspots and keeping an eye on the wind. The fire started when a piece of farm equipment overheated.

The fire was first noticed by a parent who was dropping their child off at Exploration Place for summer camp there.  Eyewitnesses say the fire started after a man with a weed whacker went by. Check out photos from the scene Firefighters arrived within minutes of the report and quickly put the small grass fire out.  Crews later determined that the device was an edger which can throw sparks if the blade strikes the sidewalk....

The threat for grass fires continue throughout western Kansas, as the extreme heat and dry conditions continue. Click Here to See Photos Emergency Manager Bill Ring says about 1,000 acres burned in Ellis County Wednesday. The canyon is in the northeast quadrant of the county.  He says the area that burned is filled with oil wells and cattle. No cattle were lost in the fire, but Midwest Energy lost a lot of power poles. Power poles also burned in Phillips County Wednesday.

An overheated car is being blamed on sparking a major grass fire in Decatur County. The fire started early Tuesday afternoon six miles west of Oberlin.  The Operations Manager of High Plains Radio Andrew Stossmeister says the overheated car was sitting on the side of the road when it sparked a fire. The fire moved northeast more than ten miles, taking out several out buildings seven wheat fields. He says several buildings were evacuated because of the flames, including his radio station.  He says for about an hour they were kept out. Stossmeister says the radio station was lucky, because the flames didn't jump the highway.  But he says the other side of the highway sustained more damage.

Fire crews battled several grass fires around central and western Kansas Wednesday afternoon. An updated from the Adjutant General's office at 8:30 says the fires have been extinguished or contained. Fire crews remain on the scene of several fires, including one that burned in Phillips County, looking for flares ups. They'll likely remain on duty through the evening. The State Emergency Operations Center in Topeka was activated just before five o'clock Wednesday afternoon.