It was a long night for firefighters as they kept vigil over large CRP bale fire south of Preston that started Wednesday evening. Firefighters from Preston, Iuka and Pratt County were called to NE 60th Street and NE 90th Avenue where hundreds of bales and acres of CRP grass were on fire. Strong winds pushed the fire and caused lots of concern about the fire spreading. Pratt County Emergency Manager Tim Branscom said an estimated 500 bales were burning and he didn’t know what had started the fire. Crews quickly got the burning CRP grass extinguished but firefighters were on site all night because of the high wind. A nearby abandoned farmstead was threatened but the fire did not reach the buildings.