Area firefighters continue battling stubborn grass fires that started early Sunday afternoon.
Crews from Emporia, Hartford-Neosho Rapids, Olpe and Flint Hills National Wildlife Refuge went to the intersection of Roads 100 and T a bit before 2 pm. Separately, Greenwood County has been fighting a grass fire that developed near Kansas Highway 58 and CC Road after 1 pm and pushed northeast past 370th and CC Road before it was finally contained.
Causes for both fires are pending.
Shortly after 4 pm, Emporia firefighters were dispatched to the 1300 block of Road 170 for a separate grass fire. Details are pending but the fire was small and was put out relatively quickly.
Emporia Fire put out a small brush fire that started near the Kansas Highway 99 bridge at Soden’s Grove shortly after 6 pm. Damage was limited to the brush near the bridge. A cause has not been determined. Highway 99 traffic was constricted to one lane for about 15 minutes.
Fire officials and the National Weather Service are urging people not to conduct any controlled burns to start the week, given a combination of warm afternoon temperatures, low relative humidity levels, dry grasses and gusty southwest winds. Sunday is supposed to be the worst of the fire danger, but a very high fire danger is expected Monday afternoon. Once red flag warnings end for area counties at 7 pm Sunday, all area counties will be back in a red flag warning from 11 am to 7 pm Monday.
Stay with KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media for updates.
2:15 pm Sunday: Grass fires develop southeast of Emporia; red flag warnings to resume Monday
Critical fire danger is evidencing itself in at least two areas southeast of Emporia on Sunday afternoon.
Emporia, Hartford-Neosho Rapids, Olpe and Flint Hills National Wildlife Refuge fire crews have been battling a fire that developed shortly before 2 pm near the intersection of Roads 100 and T. An estimated 80 acres of grassland is involved with some terrain issues being reported.
Separately, Greenwood County crews are battling what the National Weather Service calls a “large” fire northeast of Madison that started around 1 pm.
Details on both incidents are currently pending. Red flag warnings signaling critical fire danger and extreme fire behavior continue areawide continued for Lyon County and all surrounding counties until 7 pm. Red flag warnings have now been reissued for Lyon, Coffey, Morris, Osage and Wabaunsee counties from 11 am to 7 pm Monday.
Stay with KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media for updates.
