Several area fire departments responded to multiple grass fires that stretched three miles in a line along the Iowa, Chicago & Eastern Railroad line between Austin and Lyle Thursday afternoon.

The cause of the fire, driven by strong southerly winds, is unknown, but firefighters were still battling hotspots into the night.

Several 911 calls reporting the fire came in at around 3 p.m., with calls placing the fires between Mower County roads 4 and 28. Initial responses centered on the Central Valley Co-op along County Road 4, just west of Highway 218.

Employees of the Co-op were seen watering down their buildings and moving several anhydrous ammonia tanks.

According to Rob Bowe, who lives near where the fire swept past, the blaze came on fast.
Freeborn County Sheriff Mark Harig at 7 a.m. today issued a ban on burning because of high winds and dry conditions. Permit usage is suspended, too.

“I saw it on the (east) side of the railroad tracks and was going to call it in when I saw the fire department coming,” Bowe said. “It was just a big wall of flame.”

The fire’s path swept north from around 160th Street to County Road 28.

Austin Rural trucks along with Brownsdale, Rose Creek, Adams, Lyle, Grand Meadow and Dexter firefighters were deployed along the entire line battling the blaze.

The Austin Police, the Mower County Sheriff’s Department, Frosty Miller of the Mapleview/Lyle Police Department as well Mitchell County, Iowa deputies assisted in traffic control.

The spike in air temperatures this week has brought with it an increase in grass fires across Minnesota.

As temperatures topped 85 degrees in the metro area on Thursday, firefighters had to scramble to keep a fire from reaching homes near Plymouth in suburban Minneapolis. The fire was extinguished without any extensive damage.

Other fires were reported in New Prague, Faribault and Mankato.

The Department of Natural Resources said April is the most dangerous month for grass fires. The department employs hundreds of smoke chasers across the state during this month to keep an eye out for fires.