Firefighters douse hotspots at site of ‘fire tornado’ blaze near Leavenworth

Firefighters are dousing hotspots at the site of a grass fire near Leavenworth that damaged up to 1,500 acres of land and briefly spawned a so-called “fire tornado.”

Officials say the blaze was largely contained by late Thursday but hotspots likely will continue until the area gets precipitation or colder temperatures. The region is experiencing unusually high temperatures and low humidity.

The fire started about 10 a.m. near the Centennial Bridge, which links Platte and Leavenworth counties over the Missouri River, when a U.S. Bureau of Prisons lawnmower seized up and began shooting sparks.

From there the fire spread, causing the closure of Missouri 92 as far north as the community of Beverly.

Two old outbuildings were destroyed but no injuries were reported.

Onlookers captured photos and video of at least one funnel of flames that looked like a small, orange tornado moving across the site.

More than 100 firefighters from several agencies battled the fire.

This story was originally published February 19, 2016 at 12:10 PM with the headline "Firefighters douse hotspots at site of ‘fire tornado’ blaze near Leavenworth."