SOUTH HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Area fire crews were busy Thursday with at least three calls.
The first was a 911 call made for a grass fire in the ditch at Parallel and Broadacres at 9:45 a.m. Due to the extreme fire conditions on Thursday, the fire quickly spread into tall dry grass. 19 trucks from Pretty Prairie, and Fire Districts 4,8 & 9, along with a command truck and support truck from Reno County Emergency Management responded.
The fire burned approximately 100 acres and was just under one mile in length. Crews were assisted by the Reno County Sheriff’s Office, Pretty Prairie EMS, and Hutchinson-Reno County 911.
Due to trees and brush burning, crews used fire to their advantage and conducted a burn out operation to remove dry fuels that were close to these areas to avoid a rekindle. Crews in Reno County often use fire as a tactical tool to help mitigate wildland fires and conduct back burns.
A second call was at 12:08 p.m. to the Tyson Foods plant in South Hutchinson, the third to a grass fire south of the city of Hutchinson.
Tyson plant employees were being allowed to return as of 2:40 p.m. The temperature Thursday was in the mid 80s with sustained winds around 30 mph. Firefighters from Hutchinson, South Hutchinson, Buhler and Pretty Prairie responded to the Tyson fire.
An additional afternoon grass fire to the south of the city stayed north of Highway 50, and south of Siemens Gamesa and was quickly contained. Hutchinson Fire is responsible for that area.
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