Tractor Sparks Fire, 70 Acres Burns

Two local fire departments battled a grass fire that burned almost 70 acres near Oldenburg on Friday, Feb. 28.

Round Top-Warrenton Volunteer Fire Department got a call around 2:36 p.m. reporting a grass fire off SH 237 near the old Oaks Restaurant. Round Top-Warrenton Fire Chief Calvin Krause said the fire was burning on four neighboring properties. Krause said his department called for mutual aid from Fayetteville Volunteer Fire Department. Both departments responded with two grass trucks and a tanker each.

“When we first got there we thought it was about 20 to 30 acres,” Krause said. “But then we got over a hill and saw it was a lot larger than we anticipated.”

Krause said two of the landowners also assisted. Firefighters spent about two hours battling the fire. Once put out, firefighters measured the burn area at roughly 69 acres.

“Luckily, the vegetation was low because cattle were on the property,” Krause said.

Light winds that day also worked in the firefighters favor, he said.

Krause said one of the property owners was shredding with a tractor earlier that day. Krause said he believed the fire started from sparks after the shredder hit a rock or some other debris in the field.