Fire officials in Winfield said two businesses are a total loss after a Sunday morning fire. Crews saw flames coming from a building in the 100 block of East 5th Street when they arrived just after 9 a.m. The building housed The Winfield Thrift Store and a hair salon, Hair Tamers. Firefighters had to take a defensive posture, staying outside the building because of heavy fire involvement. Crews from Arkansas City, Udall and Burden helped bring the fire under control and crews were able to protect neighboring buildings. No one was in the building at the time and no injuries were reported. [...]

Crews were battling grass fires Thursday in central and north central areas of Kansas. The Kansas Forest Service Air Tanker and local firefighters battled a large wildfire in Saline County, south of Interstate 70 and east of the Hedville exit.  Strong south winds drove the fire north of I-70, spreading it to Watkins Road.   Some homes were evacuated but crews were able to keep the flames from spreading, and no structural damage was reported. Crews were also battling a large fire in Hodgeman County along Lake Road, east of City Lake.   Some homes were threatened in the area and the Sheriff’s Office was [...]