Hot, dry weather – with a few fireworks thrown in – is a formula that’s been keeping firefighters and police busy in recent days.

At least five grass fires, some related to fireworks and some not, were reported around Douglas County Monday afternoon.

The biggest was a one-acre fire, reported about 3:20 p.m., which burned hay bales and trees in the 1000 block of East 1900 Road in Eudora Township.

It took fire crews nearly four hours to extinguish those flames, mostly because the hay bales had to be torn apart and soaked with water before they stopped burning. The cause of the fire could not be determined.

Fireworks were believed to be responsible for a small grass fire about 3 p.m. near the basketball courts at Quail Run Elementary.

An officer at the scene was able to stomp out the fire, and no suspects were identified.

Also, around 12:30 p.m., Lawrence-Douglas County Fire & Medical responded to a fire that burned a patch of grass at Meadowbrook Apartments.

A firefighter on the scene found paper and said it appeared to have been caused by fireworks.

About 3:30 p.m. Sunday, someone shot a bottle rocket near the 1200 block of Highway 1055, instigating a blaze that burned multiple hay bales.

Fireworks were also to blame in a fire near Midland Junction around 6:30 p.m.

Chief Rob Cort said he and his crew found firework remnants near the small grass fire, which they put out with a water can.

At 7:11 p.m., a fire broke out in the woods of a trailer court on North Michigan Street. It took firefighters about 30 minutes to extinguish the flames, which Cort said were caused by fireworks.

Grass isn’t all that’s susceptible to fireworks blazes.

On Sunday, an 11-year-old Lawrence boy was playing with fireworks in his driveway when one burned his leg and then started a fire in his family’s garage.

Luckily, the flames caused little damage, and the boy’s injury was not serious.

Lawrence-Douglas County Dispatch reported 21 fireworks-related calls between 2:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Monday.