Emporia Fire had a busy afternoon and evening Tuesday, battling a pair of grass fires that damaged other property in the process.
Battalion Chief Eron Steinlage says crews went to the 900 block of Road 212, about three miles north of Emporia, after a controlled burn went out of control around 3:15 pm. The fire moved to a 20-foot-by-30-foot shed and destroyed both it and all contents inside. Steinlage estimates around $40,000 in losses.
As crews battled that blaze, additional crews went to 1165 Road 90 around 4:20 pm after a second controlled burn went out of control. The fire only burned five acres, but it got into 75 hay bales and destroyed those, causing an estimated loss of anywhere from $5,600 to over $10,000, depending on the vegetation.
Fire crews then had to battle a small out-of-control burn in the 1300 block of Road D shortly before 5 pm.
There were no injuries reported with any of Tuesday’s fire activity.
The hay bale fire follows a fire in the 1300 block of North Kansas Highway 99 on Sunday where over 40 large bales were damaged or destroyed. The estimated loss is anywhere from $3,300 to almost $5,700.
