A string of small grass fires Saturday afternoon kept volunteer fire departments busy.  Twelve small grass fires ignited in the bar ditch around 4:30pm Saturday afternoon on the east side of Highway 183 N, about 8 miles north of Early.  The fires were located in random locations between Owens and FM 2273.

Volunteer fire departments from Early, Blanket, and May worked to get each fire under control to keep them from spreading to adjacent property or homes.  Each fire was mostly contained in the bar ditch thanks to the quick response of the fire departments, but it kept firefighters busy racing from location to location trying to stay ahead of each fire.

Brownwood Fire Marshal Buddy Preston was looking into the incidences and said that he did not believe any of the fires were started intentionally.

“There was no pattern with them,” Preston said. “It was probably caused by a wheel bearing or a chain being dragged in the road.”

Preston said that he found what looked like pieces of wheel bearing in a bar ditch near the area of some of the fires.

No property was damaged and no injuries were reported.

Photos show the scene Saturday afternoon.