Highway closed in Flint Hills as new wildfires hit Kansas

Howling winds fed a fresh round of grass fires in Kansas on Friday, with smoke prompting the closure of the Kansas Turnpike in the Flint Hills.

Grass fires broke out in Butler, Reno, Barber and Kingman counties Friday afternoon, their plumes visible on radar as strong west and northwest winds sent flames racing. Wind gusts reached 62 miles an hour at Cheney, 61 at Garden City and 57 miles an hour at Wichita's Eisenhower National Airport.

Butler County Emergency Management reported that wildfires in the area are not under control, and the Kansas Turnpike Authority confirmed fires have jumped over the turnpike in two locations near El Dorado. Winds out of the northwest were blowing smoke and flames across the turnpike, prompting authorities to divert turnpike traffic at Cassoday and El Dorado.

An estimated 100 grass fires have broken out around the state since Monday, according to the Kansas Adjutant General's Office. Four Black Hawk helicopters and 16 Kansas National Guardsmen were sent to help fight fires in Kiowa and Rice counties on Friday.

Each helicopter is equipped with a Bambi Bucket that can disperse 660 gallons of water over the fire.

Blowing smoke obscured visibility on the turnpike in Sumner County for a while on Friday, and officials in Harper County south of Wichita urged residents to avoid driving in the Corwin area because of thick smoke from a grass fire on Friday afternoon.

Officials warned Saturday could offer more windy conditions before a frontal system brings much-needed rain to much of the state Sunday and early Monday.

This story was originally published March 16, 2018 at 5:35 PM with the headline "Highway closed in Flint Hills as new wildfires hit Kansas."