Two farmers in south-central Saline County lost parts of their wheat fields to fire Thursday afternoon.
Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan said this morning that deputies and Rural Fire District No. 2 personnel were called to the 9600 block of South Burma Road for the report of a wheat field on fire.
Leon Swanson, 77, had started to cut his wheat and had made a first pass when someone noticed the field was on fire, Soldan said. It is believed that something on the combine overheated and caused the fire, he said. Swanson was able to get his combine out of the field in time, Soldan added.
Twenty acres of Swanson's field burned at an estimated loss of $5,950, he said.
Additionally, the fire jumped into an adjoining wheat field belonging to Matthew Cline, 40, with a loss of 13 acres estimated at $2,210, Soldan said.