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St Joseph residents awoke Sunday to the smell of brush fires ringing the city.
By Sunday evening, smoke had dramatically reduced visibility in some areas, and prompted warnings to stay away from others. Some homes were evacuated.
A controlled burn in Doniphan County, Kansas is believed to have jumped the Missouri River and spread in St Joseph Sunday.
In a Nixle alert, the St Joseph Police Department notified residents to evacuate at least three homes along Elwood Street near Wyeth Hill. A fire in that area burned most of the day Sunday. Authorities urged you to avoid areas of Wyeth Hill south to the area of River Front Park in downtown St Joseph. The St. Jo Frontier Casino was evacuated.
Over the weekend nearly a dozen grass fires were reported in our area, from Amazonia to the north, to the City Landfill to the south.
The fire across the river in Elwood produced enough smoke before jumping the river to obscure visibility and turn up noses from downtown to northern St Joseph.
“So many of these fires are connecting,” said Captain Neylon. “And they’re producing a lot of embers, and a lot of problems.”
“It’s a logistical nightmare. We have at least one unit from Rosecrans Airport, and three from Andrew County actively fighting fires. City Yards personnel are setting up roadblocks and police are redirecting traffic in some areas,” Neylon said.
Angie Springs with the American Red Cross says they are offering assistance to residents who need it.
Chief Neylon says by Sunday evening, no injuries were reported. He says they’ve asked railroad officials to stop using the tracks along the river as an added precaution.