Tree blown into power line caused grass fire that killed dog in Merriam

Strong, gusty winds blew a tree limb into a power line Sunday afternoon, sparking a grass fire in Merriam that spread to a garage and killed a dog.

The grass fire was reported shortly after 12:30 p.m. in the 4700 block of Knox Avenue in Merriam.

The winds had blown a tree limb into the overhead line, causing the power line to arc and starting the grass fire, according to a release from the Overland Park Fire Department.

Winds spread the fire quickly, causing flames to jump a road and spread about 50 yards in less than four minutes. The fire burned a detached garage.

The fire came on a day when the Kansas City region was under a high fire danger.

The National Weather Service in Pleasant Hill had issued the fire danger alert because of the gusty winds and low humidity. Winds reached about 25 mph with gusts near 40 mph at Kansas City International Airport Sunday afternoon.

At New Century AirCenter near Olathe, winds reached above 30 mph with gusts reaching 40 mph.

The temperature at Kansas City International Airport reached 74 degrees Sunday afternoon, just shy of the record of 75 degrees set in 2000.

Overland Park and Merriam were under burn bans.

This story was originally published March 6, 2016 at 2:09 PM with the headline "Tree blown into power line caused grass fire that killed dog in Merriam."