About 40 acres of heavy brush and grass were burned in a field fire that occurred a few miles south of Platte City on Monday afternoon on a February day with temperatures in the upper 70s with some wind.
Troy Miller, chief of the Central Platte Fire District, says the location was a field at the corner of N Hwy. and 120th Street. Firefighters were dispatched at 12:28 p.m. and were on scene until shortly before 6 p.m.
“We did respond back out to check some minor hot spots that were smoldering about an hour later,” Miller said.
The fire chief said the field itself was mostly tall grass but the more complicated areas were riddled with locust or locust-like trees with very large thorns that made it difficult for manpower to get into the thicker brush areas.
“Wind, topography, and long distance to closest hydrant for water re-supply were major factors in bringing the fire under control faster but with the help of six other fire departments we got the job done with no injuries,” Miller said.
Officials have yet to determine the exact source of the cause of the fire but based on the direction of the wind and spread of the fire “we were able to say the fire started in the southwestern portion of the field. It’s common for these types of fires when the vegetation becomes extremely dry, accompanied with rapidly increasing temperatures to be ignited by simply flicking a lit cigarette from a passing car window, or an overheated piece of farm equipment, for example,” Miller said.
Miller said the mutual aid response “was superb and greatly appreciated.”
Central Platte responded with three brush trucks and manpower, one tanker for water supply, and command vehicle to lead the incident command.
Other agencies responding to the request for mutual aid:
South Platte Fire Protection District: two brush trucks, pumper, tanker, additional manpower, assistant chief, battalion chief.
West Platte Fire Protection District: one brush truck.
Smithville Area Fire Protection District: one brush truck.
Camden Point Fire Protection District: two brush trucks.
Kansas City Fire Department: two brush trucks, one pumper, and drone for aerial reconnaissance.