Iola firefighters were kept busy Wednesday fighting a series of grass fires in the area, two of which were attributed to fireworks usage.
Deputy Fire Chief Ryan Sell said three other grass fires were extinguished throughout the day.
The two fireworks-related blazes were east of Iola, Sell said.
The cause of the other three fires remains unknown.
All were exacerbated by a prolonged hot, dry and windy weather pattern that has dried up vegetation.
“I think it was just happenstance these fires occurred on the Fourth,” Sell said, recalling one Independence Day holiday in which local firefighters responded to 13 fires. “I would guess this year could be described as an average year.”
Sell noted no fires were reported Wednesday inside Iola’s city limits, even though the city lifted its decades-long fireworks ban this year.
Sell and other firefighters were on hand at Elks Lake south of Iola to monitor fireworks usage Wednesday evening. He said a number of spot fires were reported, most sparked by fireworks, but all were quickly extinguished, either by others at the lake or by the firefighters.
