by BECKY GOFF
Little Apple Post
RILEY COUNTY - Just before 7pm on Friday, April 5th, crews from the Manhattan Fire Department were called at to 200 Waterbridge Road on the report of a grassfire on a rural property adjacent to the City of Manhattan.
When MFD crews arrived they found a grass fire had started on a neighboring property, got out of control and then ignited the unoccupied home on Waterbridge on fire.
Due to the steep terrain and narrow dirt roads, crews from Manhattan Fire Department were unable to reach the fire.
MFD did not have an adequate water supply to extinguish the structure fire.
Riley County Fire District #1 was dispatched to the scene at 7:15pm and took over command of the scene. RCFD #1 and MFD worked together to extinguish the grass fire.
The home is considered a total loss. Owners of the damaged property are listed at Stanley Ward Morgan, Jr Trust and Brenda K. Morgan Trust.
“Fortunately, the Morgans had performed their own approved, controlled burns on their property earlier in the week which likely prevented the fire from spreading to additional homes in the area. Anyone performing outdoor burning is required to follow procedures, including notifying emergency personnel before the fire is started and after it is extinguished. When fire danger is high, outdoor burning is not allowed, even for permit holders,” explained Russel Stukey, Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director at Riley County.
The State Fire Marshal and the Riley County Police Department are investigating the incident.