HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say two grass fires have burned about 6,000 acres in central Kansas but no injuries and little damage have been reported. State officials say crews were using two helicopters Monday to dump water on the fires, which are 80 to 90 percent contained. The National Weather Service says dry, shifting winds, with gusts of up to 60 mph will complicate the firefight in Reno, Rice and McPherson counties. About 300 people are being allowed to return to their homes after an area north of Hutchinson that included a golf course was threatened by a fire that burned about 4,800 acres. The smaller blaze burned in a rural area near Hutchinson. Two homes and two outbuildings have been damaged. Governor Sam Brownback has signed a state of disaster emergency.
State of Emergency in Central Kansas as Wildfires Consume 6,000 Acres
