Firefighters busy with field fires

Unseasonably warm, dry weather contributed to a series of grass fires over the weekend.

Peabody, Burns, and Florence firefighters spent nearly two hours extinguishing a grass fire ignited by a tractor at 2:46 p.m. Saturday near 50th and Upland Rds.

Corn stalks and a mower on fire at 5:10 p.m. Saturday near Ludwig Trucking just west of Florence on US-50 were contained within 10 minutes by Florence firefighters, who spent an additional 20 minutes mopping up.

Twenty minutes later, Lost Springs, Ramona, and Herington firefighters spent more than an hour extinguishing railroad ties and grass on fire near 360th Rd. and US-77.

Errant reports of additional fires south of that location were checked and found to be unfounded. However, firefighters remained at the fire until 10:56 p.m., monitoring what they said upon leaving could be regarded as a controlled burn.

The next day, Peabody, Florence, and Marion firefighters spent 1½ hours, starting at 6:22 p.m. Sunday, extinguishing a fire in an unoccupied vehicle that spread to 20 acres of grass near US-50 and Sunflower Rd.

On Monday, Peabody firefighters were part of a task force that spent more than six hours battling a large grass fire in Harvey County.