The time is ripe and they have come. The first prairie fire of the season in this county, broke out in the Carthrae pasture 6 or 7 miles south of this city, Monday afternoon between 4 and 5 o'clock. The wind was blowing briskly at the time, which soon fanned the flame into a hugh conflagration and the fire spread in all directions. It did not cross the Avilla road or the railroad fire guards west of town, but seemed to have burned over the most territory south and west of where it started.

The damage to range was considerable. It burned four stacks of hay and completely burned over D. K. Lord's pasture between this city and Protection; E. G. Carthrae's pasture was mostly burned over as was the south end of D. W. Hind's pasture, the east half of Rodger's Bros., pasture, half of John Stokes' pasture and some of the pastures of Overstreet & Cole, south of Avilla. Besides the pastures named, much other territory was left a black waste. The west wing of the fire skirted the Rich place and injured some trees besides burning off much range in that vicinity.

The fire burned all during Monday night and was not stopped until Tuesday afternoon. It was rumored that lightning was the origin of the fire, but THE STAR has failed to find any person that knows positively how it was set out.

Prairie fires do thousands of dollars worth of damage in this county every year. They most always come without warning. They not only destroy much feed and range but impoverish the ground and make the country look desolate.

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Thanks to Shirley Brier for finding, transcribing and contributing the above news article to this web site!

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