It was a twister with a twist.

We came to Kansas to cover tornadoes. And at least one tornado touched down in the state.

But in Hutchinson, a town of 40,000 about 50 miles northwest of Wichita, a twister touched off as many as 18 fires. Authorities aren't completely sure if the fires were caused by downed power lines or lightning strikes, but at least 5 homes were heavily damaged.

An estimated 5,000 acres in Reno County, Kansas, were scorched, and hundreds of people were evacuated from their homes.

We spent the late-night and early-morning hours with lifelong Hutchinson residents Marty and Linda Morgan. They used hoses to try to protect their home from flames.

Marty and Linda's storage shed right next to their house was burned to the ground and the flames continued to burn after the sun came up. But they succeeded in keeping the flames away from their house.

The fires in Reno County were frightening, but one cannot overlook the good news that nobody was hurt.