4 Fire Agencies Tackling Large Burlington Grass Fire Sparked Possibly By Farm Equipment

By Anna Maria Basquez

BURLINGTON, Colo. (CBS4) – A large grass fire officials say likely was started by farm equipment, is still burning after three hours with four different fire companies from two states fighting it.

"We've been on this for more than three hours," said Kit Carson County Sheriff Travis Belden. "It's not common to have a fire of this magnitude out here. We normally don't have wind like this. We're usually able to shut it down quickly. It was able to travel pretty fast with the wind. We don't have a lot of green crop in this area. All of it's like old crops from last year, dry grass so there's a lot of fuel for it right now."

About 30-40 fire personnel are fighting the fire from Burlington Fire, Cheyenne County Fire, and Wallace County Fire and Kanorado Fire, both out of Kansas, he said. Wheat stubble and cornfield from last year make up most of the burn zone in all farmland area, he said.

The fire was 60% contained as of three hours into it, but winds are not expected to die out until Thursday night, he said. It started at 11:25 a.m. near the area of County Road 56 and County Road R.

"We believe it was started by farm equipment," Sheriff Belden said. "There has been several pieces of equipment that were burned up in the initial start of the fire. We've got extreme wind and we're also dealing with almost zero visibility with the blowing dust."

Fire officials said they believe they'd achieve containment before nightfall. Multiple landowners have property in the burn area, he said.
Officials ask for citizens and travelers to avoid the area until it is under control.