The Hutchinson Fire Department said a wildfire that started east of the city on Tuesday has been 90 percent contained, and a number of homes and structures were saved.
Damage is expected to be limited from the fire that spread along a two-mile area between East 4th and 30th Streets, from Buhler Road to Willison Road. The fire has been named the Albright Fire, and crews worked into the night to deal with hot spots and prevent further spread of the fire. Sedgwick County and Wichita fire units went to the scene to help control the fire.
There were voluntary evacuations Tuesday afternoon, but those residents have returned home.
Fire Marshal Michael Cain said in a press release that the property owner had burned 75 brush piles last Thursday when snow covered the ground. With warmer temperatures and the melting of the snow, some embers caught nearby vegetation on fire.
Hutchinson Fire crews will be conducting controlled burns in the area, and 30th Street will be closed from Buhler Road to Williston Road, and Buhler Road will be closed from 30th to 4th Street.
