KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -
Neighbors in the Northland are taking action to make sure a grass fire that keeps flaring up doesn't reach their homes.
"You can see how hard the water's shooting, because you can see it coming out the other side," Jennifer Steinfeld, a neighbor watching over the fire, said.
Folks in the north Kansas City neighborhood, north of Missouri Highway 291 and east of Interstate 435, have kept a faithful watch over the field, since a fire first sparked Tuesday afternoon.
"We all have different shifts, so we're constantly monitoring and making sure that the fire hasn't started back up again," neighbor Sarah Wright said.
The shifts even cover overnight as volunteers watch for signs that the fire could reach people's homes.
"I sat out there from 11 (p.m.) to 2 (a.m.)," Steinfeld said. "You can see how close everything came to these back yards and these back fences."
The blackened ground shows that the flames came within feet of back yards.
"These are people that we would consider family. It's scary and that's why we've been working really hard to keep on top of each other and let everyone know what's going on," Steinfeld said.
It's a case of neighbors helping neighbors, an old-fashioned phone tree alerting everyone every time the flames catch again on the dry ground.
"When you're dealing with hay, and with how hot it's been, the hot spots stay underneath there, you can't get to all of them and they just keep popping up," Wright said.
This is the 10th time neighbors said they've counted having to call firefighters back out to the grass area and they said it at least gives their kids a chance to learn how hard the firefighters work.
"I went down there with my little sister, we gave them a card and they really liked that," neighbor Levi Wright said.
The neighbors are hoping after Friday's soaking by fire crews, they'll finally be able to take a break.
"Maybe, cross your fingers, maybe this is the last time," Steinfeld said.
To feel the extremely dry grass and hay in the field is a sign as to why the area has reignited. Fire crews said as they left the scene on Friday that they think this is the last time they'll have to be out of the area and they believe they've got all the hot spots.
Click here to read the original story about the grass fire.
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