Track fire at old 66 Speedway in Joplin

Yesterday afternoon Jasper Country received calls of a fire at the old 66 Speedway track just west of Joplin. Joplin fire, Galena fire, Carl Junction fire, and Jasper county sheriff’s deputies arrived on the scene to assist with efforts to put out the fire.

It is estimated that 20-25 acres burned in a relatively short time due to the high wind speeds. Because of the joint effort of the multiple departments the fire was put out with no injuries reported. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time. Preliminary reports suggest the cause of the fire could have be accidental caused by mowers in the area. An investigation is on going at this time.

This comes in a recent wave of fires in Joplin and the surrounding areas. Last week an abandoned building on 7th street caught fire leaving a hauled out structure. There was also the duplex fire that took place in Joplin two weeks ago as well as the infamous Carnegie Library fire that happened just three weeks ago. The cause of these fires are all under investigation.