Dry, windy conditions fueling grass fires

Two grass and brush fires in rural Bourbon County Monday night are among a string of such fires that have kept rural firefighters busy in recent days.

Two calls that came in starting about 9:30 p.m. Monday involved pasture fires - one in the 600 block of 160th Street near Hiattville and another at 565 120th St., south of Redfield. Bourbon County Fire District No. 3 Coordinator Delwin Mumbower said both fires were caused "by people burning trash in their yards."

The size of both fields was "in the neighborhood" of about 60 to 80 acres each. Firefighters were able to get both blazes under control before they spread to any structures, Mumbower said.

"They covered quite a bit of area," he said. "The 30 mph winds made it pretty tough."

Mumbower said the fires "did no real damage" monetarily but did burn some acreage.

"There are some things the landowner will have to replace. There was no big dollars," he said. "They were both in pastures."

Mumbower said firefighters received the first call for the fire on 160th Street and were en route when the call came in for another fire on 120th Street. Firefighters got the blazes under control and their work was finished by about midnight Tuesday, he said.

"We were able to get them under control after about 30 minutes," he said.

A total of about 14 brush trucks, tankers and other fire response vehicles responded to the two fires. Firefighters from Scott Township and the Redfield Fire Department were called for aid, Mumbower said.

Monday's brush and grass fires were just two of six firefighters have had to deal with in the past four days. Of the six grass or brush fires, four were sparked from people burning trash in their yards and the other two started from landowners who had been burning brush, Mumbower said.

"It would be wonderful if they could refrain from that (burning)," he said. "I understand the need. The weather makes it more difficult. We have to take extra measures so stuff doesn't freeze up. It takes longer to get water flowing. It just takes more time, especially when it's really cold. We're trying to get people to think about burning right now."

The rash of recent grass and brush fires has also been a cause for concern among fire personnel, who worry about people conducting burns on their properties, especially with recent cold, dry and windy conditions. Mumbower said he planned to meet today with Fort Scott Fire Department Chief Paul Ballou and Bourbon County GIS Director Shane Walker about possibly running public service announcements to caution area residents about burning given the weather conditions.

"To remind them it's awful windy right now," Mumbower said. "Rain won't make any difference. It will be this way until we start greening up."

Bourbon County is not currently under a burn ban, but Mumbower said the topic could be discussed with Bourbon County Commissioners in the near future.

"I dread a burn ban because people need to burn things from time to time," he said. "We're paying for last year's nice summer."