ATHOL - Dry and breezy conditions Friday and a homeowner torching weeds accidentally set in motion a fast-moving wildland fire that burned roughly 50 acres.

Just before 3 p.m., crews were called to the fire, which was located north of Highway 54 and west of North Clagstone Road. No injuries were reported.

"When the crews came on scene it was moving quick," said Jim Lyon, fire inspector for Northern Lakes Fire Protection District. "No structures were involved, even though several were threatened."

Structure protection is a priority once crews arrive on scene. Lyon said homes and outbuildings were threatened.

"This is the fifth grass fire or wildland fire we've had in two weeks," he said.

Lawrence Broe, who lives on Briar Court and watched as the fire burned in a northwest direction directly behind his home, said he and other homeowners were feeling anxious.

They hoped the wind didn't change direction and start blowing toward the east, which would have sent the fire directly into several homes.

"That's very heavy thicket over there," Broe said, pointing toward dense timber to the west. "If that gets a head of steam, that could be a real problem... Hopefully they get that knocked down before we lose daylight."

Firefighters controlled the blaze before any of the tall timber was torched. The fire was officially declared contained shortly after 4 p.m.

A field that was burned was cleared a few months back for cattle, Broe said.

Fire personnel from Northern Lakes, the Idaho Department of Lands, Coeur d'Alene Fire Department, Kootenai County Fire and Rescue, Timberlake Fire Protection District, Spirit Lake Fire Protection District and Sagle Fire District responded.

Separately, on Friday morning, a "frightening" grass fire that quickly blew out of control was a stark reminder of how dry North Idaho's winter has been, firefighters said.

Homeowner Arlain Hickman said he just started to burn grass stubble on his property at 26900 Jacka Loop west of Silverwood Theme Park and north of Brunner Road when a wind kicked up the fire.

"It was dead calm, then the wind took the fire out," Hickman said. "It's going to be an unusual year. People will want to be extra careful."

The fire came within approximately 20 yards of two homes and extended onto three properties.

"It was frightening," said Mike Mather, a division chief for Northern Lakes. "This is highly unusual for this time of year. It's dry and the winds picked up, so that was a perfect combination for things to get out of control."

An east wind took the fire across an open area and away from the structures into a wooded area.

Mather said even though Hickman "was doing everything right," including having a water source nearby, it was an example of how conditions are ripe for wildfires even though it's early March.

"The minute he started the fire, it took off," Mather said.

Bill Steele, a volunteer training chief for Timberlake Fire, said most of the fire spread consisted of small flames, but they reached approximately 4 feet in some areas.

Hickman burned grass on his property, but it spread to land owned by two neighbors.

"If one of the neighbors hadn't mowed about a week ago, we wouldn't have been able to catch it nearly as fast," Steele said.

The mowed property also prevented a nearby propane tank from becoming a major concern, Steele said.

The fire was originally reported as a structure fire that had spread into trees. However, there was no damage to structures.

Other fire agencies that responded included Sagle Fire and Spirit Lake Fire.