Liberal Firefighters Fight Grass Fire

At 12:39 pm Thursday afternoon the Liberal Fire Department responded to a reported grass fire threatening residences behind 1220 Charles St. First arriving units at 12:42 pm found a rapidly spreading grass fire threatening several residences. The Seward County Fire Department provided immediate mutual aid due to report information and wind conditions at the time of the fire. Wind speed at the time of the fire was recorded at SW 20 mph and gusting. The Liberal Police Department evacuated multiple residences in the path of the fire. The fire was declared under control after approximately 20 minutes.

Firefighters remained on scene extinguishing smoldering material until 2:08 pm. This fire is believed to have been started by illegal fireworks. Three juvenile males were witnessed leaving the area as fire crews arrived, but efforts to locate them have been unsuccessful. If anyone has information regarding this fire, they are encouraged to contact the Liberal Fire Department at 620-626-0128 and ask to speak to an investigator.