Fire crews from Saline, Ellsworth and McPherson counties all worked several hours to extinguish a wind whipped blaze on Monday near the Saline/Ellsworth county line. Luckily, no major damage is done, however, K-140 Highway had to be shut down while the fire raged.

Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan tells KSAL News that the brush fire started in Saline County near the intersection of Sunnyside Rd. and Rollman Rd. at 5 p.m., Monday. Due to the smoke plum and the fire’s proximity to K-140, the highway had to be shut down for several hours while crews worked to stop the fire.

Saline County Rural Fire Districts No. 1, 2, 6 and 7 all responded to the fire; as did crews from Ellsworth County, as well as the Marquette Fire District out of McPherson County.

Soldan says that only a shed was burnt up in the blaze. No damage estimates have been released. It is unknown at this time how the fire was caused, but extreme windy conditions played a role in the flames spreading.

The National Weather Service in Salina reported a 53 mph wind gust in the 4 p.m. hour and a 56 mph gust in the 5 p.m. hour. Winds continued to gust at over 50 mph at times in the area over the evening hours.

Fire crews officially extinguished the blaze at 11:59 p.m., Monday.