Grass fire forces evacuation of town

Grass fire forces evacuation of Kansas town By the CNN Wire Staff STORY HIGHLIGHTSNEW: Residents allowed to return to their homesNEW: Three homes are damagedA large grass fire was sparked Sunday (CNN) -- A large grass fire prompted authorities in Satanta, Kansas, to briefly evacuate the town's 1,200 residents as the blaze damaged at least three homes, a spokeswoman for Haskell County Emergency Management said.

The fire began about noon Sunday and burned about 12 to 15 square miles, emergency management spokeswoman Misti Hall said.

No injuries were reported. Residents were asked to seek shelter at a nearby high school as emergency workers worked to contain the fire.

Residents were allowed to return to their homes Sunday night, though some roads remained closed "due to continued fire flare-ups."

Weather conditions Sunday were described as "extremely windy" by Sharon Watson of the Kansas Division of Emergency Management. Watson said similarly windy conditions last month fueled a grass fire that consumed 38,000 acres.

CNN's Greg Morrison contributed to this report

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