A farmer escaped injury after a spark from his combine ignited a wheat field fire on Monday.

According to Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan, emergency crews were sent about 9-miles east of Salina to the 11000 block of S. Amos Road just before 4pm Monday to fight a field fire.

Sheriff Soldan says Ritchie Tarn was cutting wheat on his land when a mechanical problem inside the combine caused sparks to fly. Deputies say about 40-acres of uncut wheat, 20-acres of wheat stubble and a small portion of a neighbor’s soybean field were burned.

Crews from Rural Fire District #5 responded to the blaze.

No one was hurt and the combine suffered no fire damage. Crop loss is still being calculated.