Firefighters extinguish grass fire that burned along Kellogg in west Wichita

Firefighters have put out flames from a grass fire that burned along Kellogg in west Wichita.

The Wichita Fire Department said in a tweet at around 1:45 p.m. Tuesday that several units were responding to a large grass fire along the westbound lanes of the freeway. The blaze was between Seneca and Meridian. Firefighters also reported an injury accident in the same area of the highway.

The Kansas Department of Transportation advised drivers to use caution and slow down when traveling through the area. A video from the agency showed smoke rising from the north side of the highway.

A Sedgwick County dispatch supervisor said that by 2:30 p.m. the fire appeared to have been put out, though emergency crews would stay to monitor the scene for awhile.

The National Weather Service office in Wichita has issued a fire weather watch for Wednesday afternoon and evening in much of south-central and southeast Kansas. Forecasters predict an extreme grassland fire danger due to high winds and relatively dry air.

“Any grass fires that develop will likely spread rapidly and become difficult to control,” NWS officials wrote in the advisory. “Outdoor burning is not recommended.”

This story was originally published January 7, 2020 at 1:53 PM.