By KARI BLURTON
Hays Post

Ellis County Sheriff Ed Harbin said he and an investigator from the state fire marshal’s office continue to follow leads into the cause of  at least 18 fires occurring in Ellis County in the past two weeks.

Harbin said the leads mostly have consisted of various descriptions of vehicles callers claim to have seen at the scenes.

Meanwhile, Ellis County Rural Fire Director Dick Klaus reported he has accessed the damage of the latest three fires occurring north of  Interstate 70 on March 15.

Klaus said the worst blaze burned 1,200 acres near the 700 block of Homestead.  Another fire destroyed a  trailer house used for storage on the 1700 block of Emmeram Road and a 1-acre blaze occurred on Dean Hill Road.

Klaus said every unit from Ellis County worked fires from 5 p.m. Saturday evening through 4 a.m. Sunday morning.

Fire crews from Trego County also were called to extinguish the fires.

Harbin encourages anyone with information to call the Ellis County Sheriff’s Department at (785) 625-1040.