HFD

At 1:21 a.m. Wednesday, city of Hays emergency dispatchers were alerted to a building on fire in the 3300 block of Lincoln Drive. The City of Hays Fire Department, assisted by Ellis County Fire Department Company 5, the Hays Police Department and Ellis County EMS was immediately dispatched.

First arriving police officers found a pickup on fire in the 3500 block of Lincoln Drive. Firefighters used one hose line to extinguish the fire. There were no injuries.

The most probable cause of the fire was the improper disposal of fireworks debris in the bed of the pickup.

The last fire crew left the scene at 2:42 a.m.

At the same time as this vehicle fire, firefighters also responded to a large pile of fireworks debris and other trash on fire in the 2600 block of Van Buren Drive. One responding fire crew was diverted from the Lincoln Drive fire to respond to this coincident fire. Earlier in the evening, firefighters responded to a grass fire in the 600 block of East Seventh caused by the use of fireworks.

“Your City of Hays firefighters would like to remind everyone that fireworks debris should be thoroughly soaked in a bucket of water and then placed in a non-combustible container for disposal,” the HFD said in a news release. “Fireworks use is only permitted in the City of Hays from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on July 2, 3 and 4 each year unless suspended by the City Commission for safety reasons.”