By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY
Salina Post
Fireworks tossed off to the side of the road are thought to have sparked a wind-whipped fire that burned approximately 300 acres east of Salina Thursday evening.
Saline County Sheriff's Captain Jim Hughes said this morning that multiple 911 calls just before 7:45 p.m. Thursday indicated that a grass fire near the intersection of S. Simpson Road and E. Magnolia Road was rapidly growing in intensity. The fire quickly spread to the north on the east side of S. Simpson Road.
According to National Weather Service data from the Salina Regional Airport, wind gusts were in the 30 mph range at that time. Additionally, the weather service had earlier warned of fire danger due to the winds and dry conditions.
Firefighters from Rural Fire District No. 5 initially responded to the blaze, however, they quickly called for assistance, and firefighters from districts 1, 2, and 7 also responded. Additionally, the Kansas Highway Patrol provided traffic control.
The fire was called under control at 9 p.m., however, firefighters remained in the area for several more hours.
While an estimated 300 acres of grass, wood, and brush burned between E. Magnolia Road and E. Cloud Street, there have been no reports of livestock killed or structures damaged, Hughes said. As of this morning, four property owners were known to have had land burned in the blaze.
According to Hughes, the fire was so large that personnel from Salina Regional Airport could see on radar the pattern of the fire burning.
Source of the fire
Hughes said that while emergency personnel were being sent to battle the blaze, the dispatch center also took a call from a person who reported seeing someone toss fireworks from a car in the vicinity of the S. Simpson Road/E. Magnolia Road intersection.
Hughes said deputies went to that area and located the remains of a firework under some power lines. He described the debris as being from a large, canister-style firework.
He said the location of the firework debris appeared to be where the fire originated.
Firefighter response overwhelming
"The responders that came out were incredible, and they put it out very quickly and protected our house immediately," said Melissa McCoy, Saline County public information officer, who lives close to where the fire burned.
McCoy said four homes are in the area.
It became clear early on that firefighters had the fire under control near McCoy's house, so her husband, Casey, and others went to the neighbors' house to make sure they were going to be okay, she said. Even so, firefighters stationed a unit near the McCoy home to make sure the fire didn't make its way back toward the property.
"I was overwhelmed by the number of people who responded because a lot of those are volunteer firefighters, so they're at their normal jobs this morning, tired because they were protecting my property last night," McCoy said.
Firefighters were at her house until midnight, she said.