Riley County fire officials say a wildfire scorched over 700 acres of land near Carlson and Rosehill Road by Tuttle Creek Lake this past week.
Crews from Riley County Fire District No. 1 were called out Sunday for reports of a large outdoor fire and worked until Monday evening to fully contain it. No structures were lost and no injuries were reported. The burned area was located near Swede Creek and the abandoned town of Cleburne.
The cause of the fire is undetermined and officials says the burned land included both public and private property.
In a release from the fire department, Deputy Chief Douglass Russell thanked volunteer firefighters for their work to maintain the fire line and prevent damage to buildings.
“The thick, overgrown timber and vegetation, combined with the vertical terrain and shifting winds made this a difficult fire to contain,” he said.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, the northern tip of Riley County remains in a moderate to severe drought. The immediate Manhattan area is listed as abnormally dry. Photos below and the above video are courtesy of Riley County Fire District No. 1
