A grass fire slowed southbound traffic on Interstate 65 in Columbus Monday afternoon. Capt. Mike Wilson, spokesman for the Columbus Fire Department, says that firefighters were called to the area of the 67.5 mile marker of southbound I-65 at about 1:20 p.m. after dispatch received several calls about a large amount of smoke and smoldering brush along a hillside shoulder on the west side of the interstate.

Wilson says that firefighters from Engine Companies 5 and 6 were called to the scene and extinguished the flames. Lt. Rick Chatham, commanding officer of Engine Company 5, stated that both engines used most of the water they had available in their tanks, a total of 1,500 gallons. Chatham commended the 9-1-1 dispatch center and the passerby that called in the fire. “ If we would have been notified two minutes later, this fire would have grown substantially, and we would have been on the scene for several hours,” said Chatham. Authorities say that the fire burned approximately one acre of an area west of the interstate and reached the top of the hillside. Indiana State Police officers closed the west southbound lane causing traffic to slow and back up. Firefighters worked at the scene for over 40 minutes.

The cause of the fire is undetermined and no injuries were reported. The Columbus Fire Department advises residents that conditions are dry and that its important to be careful. Wilson says that, while there was no evidence that this fire was caused by to a discarded cigarette, firefighters have seen that discarded cigarettes can create similar fires.