SALINE COUNTY —Multiple fire units were called in for a grass fire that started in far western Saline County late Monday afternoon.
Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan said this morning that the fire started near the intersection of Sunnyside Road and Rollman Road. That intersection is located along the west side of the Smoky Hill Air National Guard Range, southwest of Brookville.
The initial call came in at 5 p.m. and the fire was reported to be out at 11:59 p.m. Monday, Soldan said. Firefighters from Saline County Rural Fire Districts 1, 2, 6, and 7, as well as those from Marquette and Ellsworth County responded to the blaze, he said.
At the time, Saline County was under a red flag warning for grassland fire danger. According to reports from the Salina Regional Airport, winds were from the south at 24 to 35 mph, with gusts from 36 to 56 mph during the time of the fire.
A shed was burned, as was a large area of pasture grass, Soldan said.
Because of smoke, Kansas Highway 140 from Brookville west to Kansas Highway 141 in Ellsworth County was close for a time during the fire. The Kansas Department of Transportation reported that the highway had been reopened just before 9 p.m. Monday.