Grass fires led to the loss of a mobile home in Tonganoxie and roughly 40 acres east of the city Tuesday.

Firefighters were called to a fire about 1 p.m. Tuesday in the 19500 block of U.S. Highway 24-40.

Stranger Township Fire Chief Mark Billquist said the fire started when someone was mowing grass in the field and the lawn mower blade struck a rock.

Billquist said Stranger Township firefighters, with the help of Tonganoxie City and Fairmount Township firefighters, were able to get the fire under control and prevent it from spreading to a nearby home.

In Tonganoxie, another grass fire broke out north of U.S. Highway 24-40 near Smiley Road. That fire started from a flicked cigarette butt from the owner of a mobile home, according to the Tonganoxie City Fire Department. The fire destroyed the mobile home and between 5 and 10 acres of grass, reports said.

Billquist said it was “incredible” how easily fires are starting this summer.

“In my 25 years in fire service, I’ve never seen a summer like this that it’s this dry,” Billquist said.