By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
A Red Flag Warning for Barton County was set to expire at 9 p.m. Thursday night, just as wind gusts were set to pick up and thunderstorms with plenty of cloud-to-ground lightning kicked up in Pawnee and Stafford counties. At approximately 9:30 p.m., a large grass fire was reported south of Ellinwood. Two hours later, crews from Ellinwood, Great Bend, Claflin, Stafford County, Rice County, and Reno County were still battling the blaze near Quivira National Wildlife Refuge in Stafford County.
Ellinwood Fire was originally dispatched to the fire, and Great Bend and Claflin crews responded for mutual aid. As crews responded, they discovered the fire was further south near the Barton-Stafford County line. The blaze was eventually pinpointed near 130 Avenue and 170th Street in Stafford County, inside the refuge. The glow was visible from just south of Great Bend.
As of 11:15 p.m., crews from various agencies were continuing to work to control the blaze. This is a developing situation. Watch Great Bend Post.com for more details as they become available.