Firefighters say a grass fire that started near Lyon County’s Chicago Mound Cemetery is suspicious in nature.
Hartford-Neosho Rapids District 5 Fire Chief Craig Andrews tells KVOE News the fire that was officially reported in the 1800 block of Road 130 actually started along 130 between U and V. District 5 crews were called out around 8:50 pm, with Emporia and Olpe crews dispatched almost immediately afterward.
Originally, the call was for a roughly 100-acre fire, but Andrews says around 550 acres of wetland was totally burned. Andrews says nobody was around when the fire started and no evidence is apparently left, automatically making the fire’s origins suspicious. The unnamed landowner told authorities he did not want to burn those acres.
No injuries were reported. Andrews says two deer stands were in the area, but their condition won’t be known until after sunrise. No traditional structures were affected.
If you have information that can help solve this case, call the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office at 342-5545.
10:45 pm Sunday: Several area fire departments battle grass fire near Lyon County cemetery
Details are pending after a notable grass fire started Sunday night southeast of Emporia.
Hartford-Neosho Rapids crews were first called to the 1800 block of Road 130, or near the east edge of Chicago Mound Cemetery, shortly before 9 pm. Those crews then reached out to Emporia and Olpe fire departments with an estimated 100 acres on fire.
At one point, the fire line was close to a mile long and the glow was visible from Kansas Highway 99, seven miles to the west.
Firefighters have not released a cause, origination point or damage estimate. We’ll keep you updated on KVOE and KVOE.com.
Photos by Chuck Samples/KVOE News
{gallery}Grass Fire 042819{/gallery}
