Dry conditions and high winds created the perfect conditions for a grass fire early Saturday afternoon.

The Saskatoon Fire Department was called to a field south of Merril School Road off Highway 60 just after 2:00 p.m. The fire spread quickly and crews had to battle the blaze from both sides to get it under control.

Gordon Sanders says the fire started when he was out baling hay. He noticed the baler was smoking and the dry grass allowed the fire to spread further than he expected.

"I didn't expect that the wind would whip it up and take a hold of it so fast. I called my wife to come and help me, and then I called 911 to get the fire department out because I didn't want to damage anyone else's property,” Sanders said. “The wind was taking the fire so fast I couldn't stay ahead of it with a shovel."

Winds in the area were gusting at speeds up to 50 kilometres per hour. The fire has been contained and is completely under control. The Saskatoon Fire Department estimates around 10 acres of land was burned.