Crews monitoring hotspots from brush fire in Platte, Buchanan counties
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Strong winds blew a brush fire from Buchanan County into Platte County Thursday afternoon.
The fire burned areas along Missouri 273/45 Highway along the Buchanan and Platte County line, near Lewis and Clark Lake.
One firefighter was treated for smoke inhalation. One home was damaged and a car was destroyed.
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A red flag warning went into effect this afternoon just about the time a fire started in a dry lake bed near Sugar Lake in Buchanan County. It quickly got out of control with winds gusting up to 60 miles per hour.
“With getting pushed with the wind it doesn’t take long to get that burning with all the fuel the dry leaves the brush that type of things,” Buchanan County Sheriff Bill Puett said.
The fire spread South into Platte County as deputies in Buchanan and Platte Counties and troopers with the Missouri State Highway Patrol knocked on doors evacuating dozens of homes.
“They did an excellent job today to make sure that they were putting themselves in a place to make sure they protected and served our citizens and kept them safe,” Puett said.
All as volunteer firefighters from at least 10 different departments worked to keep the fire heavily wooded bluffs and railroad tracks as it engulfed the highway and crept into the backyards of homes.
“We had one house that caught on fire that they were able to get put out pretty quickly. It wasn’t a total loss,” Puett said.
Things finally got under control before 6 p.m. as they were able to reopen first the railroad then the highway and allow people back into their homes. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
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Fire crews will continue to work throughout the night to put out hotspots.