SALINA -Fire crews from across central Kansas were busy fighting a number of large and small rural grass fires on Wednesday.

This prompted Saline and other central Kansas counties to suspended controlled burning.

The largest fire on Wednesday was at Sioux Road and 2nd Avenue in McPherson County. Estimates suggest that fire burned from 200 to 600 acres.

Richard Baldwin, captain with the Galva Rural Fire District said his crew was located a couple of miles from the command post.

“One of the biggest challenges was vehicles getting stuck,” he said.  “We were pulling a lot of vehicles out of the mud. The ground is wet in the fields and you don’t realized it until you drive up and sink in.”

Most of the fires were originally controlled burns that became unmanageable. However, Saline County Fire District 5 Chief David Turner said the fire at Simpson Road and McQuary started by a discarded cigarette.

The Saline County fire at Lightville and Hedberg consumed 15-20 acres according to District 2 Chief Jim Preston. “The fire was on the back side of White Cross Hill and we were on the scene for a couple of hours,” he said.

Saline County District 3 Chief Scott Abker was busy Thursday morning getting coordinates to determine the size of the fire at Lightville and Pleasant Hill Road. It was another controlled burn that had plenty of help but the wind caught some by surprise.

There were no injuries reported.