Area firefighters were busy in the Hutchinson area Friday afternoon, working first a condominium fire in the Highlands sub-division in the northern part of Reno County. Then they spotted a heavy plume of smoke to west of the subdivision.

The first fire was called around 12:51 p-m, when crews responded to a structure fire at the Highlands. The fire involved a three-plex condominium on Paganica Place just north of the club house. Hutchinson Fire, Battalion Chief Darin Gehring, one unit was a total loss, while a second unit was three quarters destroyed and the third suffered some water and smoke damage, as well as damage fireman caused to put the fire out. He says no one was home at the time of the blaze and no injuries were reported.

No cause has been determined at this point according to Gehring, and no damage estimate was available either.

While all that was occurring, fire officials also noticed the smoke to the west of the sub-division, and units were then called in to work that fire. That included additional units from Hutchinson, as well as Buhler and South Hutchinson.

The prairie fire was the result of control burn on Thursday which flared up again on Friday. This occurring as fire crews were attempting to get the other fire under control.