Grass fires have been put out both in rural areas and in the Emporia city limits Thursday, and the fire danger will likely stay in the extreme to critical categories through Friday afternoon.
One grass fire happened in downtown Emporia during lunch. Firefighters went to the 400 block of Market shortly before 12:30 pm and kept the fire away from a house and nearby fence. A cause is under investigation.
The fire near Emporia Fire headquarters followed a fire that got into Olpe’s Pleasant Ridge Cemetery and a brush pile fire on the northeast side of Olpe Jones Lake as well as a small oven fire at 115 South Union near downtown Emporia. Click here for coverage of the Olpe-area fires.
Emporia Fire Acting Battalion Chief Ben Lienneman says it won’t take much to get a fire started with the high winds and dry conditions. He says local firefighters have been planning ahead and are in contact with nearby fire departments just in case.
Wind gusts have already topped 50 mph at the Emporia Municipal Airport and above 40 mph several times in Coffey and Osage counties. Near the KVOE listening area, El Dorado has reported a 60-mph gust.
Stay with KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media for updates.
