Crews battled Shawnee County fires

Firefighters in Shawnee County had to contend with grass fires thanks to dry conditions and low humidity.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Shawnee County fire crews Friday put out one grass fire after another.

Local fire officials thought because of low wind Friday would have been a good day for field burning, which is when Kansas landowners burn fields to help new plant growth. Instead, the dry conditions and very low humidity helped ignite several grass fires.

Mark Engholm, a firefighter with the Shawnee Heights Fire District, said his agency battled six separate grass fires by Friday afternoon and more were reported later. The fires didn’t cause any reported structural damage or injuries.