Fire departments deal with spate of grass fires Saturday in rural Douglas County

Rural fire departments around Douglas County responded to three grass fires Saturday afternoon, one of which destroyed a small cattle shed in the southeast portion of the county.

Randy DeMersseman, fire chief of the Palmyra Township Fire Department, said his department responded to the fire that destroyed the shed at about 1 p.m. Saturday on East 2300 Road, south of U.S. Highway 56 and north of North 100 Road.

Mutual aid was requested from the Baldwin City and Wellsville fire departments because units from the Palmyra department were assisting with a grass fire in Eudora Township near the intersection of East 1900 and North 1000 roads, which was reported about two hours earlier.

At the time of the fire in the southeast part of the county, the Lecompton Township Fire Department was fighting a grass fire near that north Douglas County community.

It’s a busy time for rural fire departments because the dry conditions at the end of winter allow agricultural burns to easily get out of control, DeMersseman said.

The county’s rural burn policy allows residents to start controlled fires provided they notify the county dispatch center and the local fire department of their intentions and monitor the fire. Burning is prohibited on days when wind speed is greater than 15 mph or when the National Weather Service’s daily rangeland fire index is listed as either very high or extreme. That information can be found on the National Weather Service’s website. Saturday’s rating was “high.”