Chase County firefighters had to scramble to handle a trio of grass fires Thursday.
Fire Chief Steve Fillmore says the most significant fire by far was one that developed near Road 190 and YY Road, just west of the Lyon-Chase county line, a few minutes before 1 pm. Numerous fire agencies across Chase County were called to respond. Fillmore says the blaze burned close to 3,000 acres and took close to six hours to extinguish.
In the meantime, additional fire departments had to battle separate fires near Bazaar and Matfield Green.
Fillmore says the only department not called into action Thursday was Cedar Point. He says the firefighting efforts, both Thursday and recently, have been significantly hampered by the drought. Stock ponds, a normally reliable source of water for firefighting, have largely dried up at a time when fires are already more difficult to put out than normal due to the ongoing dry conditions.
