Motorists traveling north on Interstate-29 in Minnehaha county were treated to a show on Monday afternoon.

Drivers were able to watch multiple fire crews battle a series of blazes that had broken out in neighboring ditches along the interstate.

According to Dakota News Now, the grass fires first sparked up around noon on Monday, (March 24) along I-29 between Baltic and Dell Rapids.

Get our free mobile app

The fires are believed to have started after a truck throwing up sparks helped to ignite dry grass inside the ditches along the interstate.

Thanks to the diligent work conducted by fire crews from both the Baltic and Dell Rapids Fire Departments, the blazes were contained before they were able to spread to surrounding fields in the area.

It's not uncommon for South Dakota to see a number of grass and wildfires each year in the state.

A large number of these blazes can be traced to human error. Things like discarded cigarettes, unattended campfires, burning debris, equipment malfunctions, etc.

However, weather phenomena, such as lightning strikes can also play a significant role in grass and wildfire cases in the state.

The largest wildfire in South Dakota's history happened back in August of 2000.

The fire known as the "Jasper Fire" burned over 83,000 acres of land in the western Black Hills. Over half of the forested acres west of Jewel Cave National Monument in the Black Hills burned up in the tragic fire, which was believed to be started by an arsonist on August 24th of that year.

Source: Dakota News Now