Area firefighters battled at least three large fires in wheat fields in Reno County Thursday afternoon.
The first fire, which started in a hay baler and ignited a field of wheat stubble at Pretty Prairie and Avery roads around noon, prompted activation of the regional Fire Task Force because of Thursday's extreme wildfire danger from high temperatures and wind and low humidity.
Some 30 fire units from nearly a dozen fire departments responded, said Todd Strain of the Reno County Emergency Management office.
The baler and tractor were not damaged, but a vacant farm building on the property was destroyed, Strain said. He did not know the total acreage burned.
Responding were units from Reno County Fire Districts 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, joint Reno/Kingman districts 1 and 2, the Cheney, Cunningham, South Hutchinson and Hutchinson fire departments, as well as emergency management and Reno County EMS.
The second fire, at Boundary and Mohawk roads, started in standing wheat from an overheated bearing in farm equipment, Strain said.
All but three units from the first fire responded to the second one, Strain said, with one staying to monitor the fire and two returning to their stations.
As that fire was bring brought under control, a third fire was called in at Arlington and Partridge roads. All of the units on the Mohawk fire moved there, Strain said, and additional District 4 units responded.
Information on what sparked the last fire was unavailable, but it was also in a wheat field.
In all more than 40 personnel battled the blazes for about three hours.
As the last fire was still going, Hutchinson Fire was called out to a fire behind Walmart believed sparked by a train. It was contained in a matter of minutes, said Hutchinson Assistant Fire Chief Doug Hanen.
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