BEATRICE – Wind-whipped grass fires were causing problems in Nebraska and Kansas Wednesday afternoon, as a red flag warning was in place for high fire danger.

The Director of Washington County, Kansas 9-1-1 said firefighters were battling four separate fires in the county, throughout the afternoon.  One of them was resulting in extensive smoke, just to the west of Hanover, Kansas.  Jefferson County, Nebraska Emergency Manager John McKee says Diller and Steele City fire units assisted in fighting the Kansas fires.

There were no details immediately available on the location of the fires, or what caused them.  Warm temperatures, low humidity and northwest winds gusting to over 50-miles-per-hour were causing problems.

In Nebraska, two grass fires broke out near Beatrice.  One sent Beatrice Rural Firefighters to a location near South 94th and East Lilac Road, at around 1:25 p.m.  Rural firefighters called for mutual aid from a Homestead National Historical Park fire unit. 

Just before 2 p.m., firefighters were sent to a grass fire just west of the Beatrice Municipal Airport.   Personnel and equipment were dispatched to Southwest 32nd and North Commerce Road.  Help from the Pickrell Fire Department was requested, but later called off when the fire was under control.  It was extinguished at around 2:45 p.m.