Two grass fires in rural Douglas County burned almost 200 acres and temporarily closed part of Kansas Highway 10 Saturday afternoon. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that smoke from the fires near Eudora backed up traffic on K-10 and led to closing the westbound lane. Several area fire departments Douglas, Leavenworth, and Johnson Counties assisted the Eudora Township Volunteer Fire Department in battling the grass fires. Chief Mike Baxter of the Eudora Township Fire Department said one of the fires reported about 1:00 in the afternoon was at K-10 mile marker 17 near the Winchester Road overpass. The second fire was three miles to the west. Both fires started just north of the highway. Baxter believes they were both started by a spark from the highway. He warns that this is prime grass fire season and to use caution. One fire fighter was treated for heat exhaustion. The only structure involved was a hunting blind.
