The scent of smoke was in the air in Lubbock and surrounding communities as high winds spread the haze of a large grass fire in Hockley County.  Firefighters battled the  grass fire spanning several dozen acres throughout the afternoon Thursday.

Hockley county fire officials beleive that sparks from a transformer cause the fire.  The fire began  at around 2:45. Four fire trucks responded to the open field, where high winds and dry conditions made the blaze to spread rapidly.

Highway 114 was temporarily closed for about two hours as smoke impaired visibility in the area. It's the first major grass fire of 2012 on the South Plains.

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