Fire danger threat high for Kansas City area

Because of a temperatures near 70 degrees, dry air and gusty winds, the Kansas City region is under the threat of a “very” high to extreme fire danger.

The National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning that is in effect from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. for eastern Kansas and western Missouri.

The warning means that any wildfires could spread rapidly and burn out of control.

The National Weather Service said to avoid outdoor burning Wednesday as the fire danger threat would be quite high.

The Overland Park Fire Marshal issued a burn ban for the city, which prohibits open burning and recreational fires.

Outdoor grilling is permitted, but people are urged to use extreme caution.

Meanwhile, the Kansas City Fire Department and the Southern Platte Fire Protection District were working a large grass fire off of Missouri 92 west of Kansas City International Airport. The highway had been shut down because of the fire.

The Kansas City, Kan., Fire Department also was working a grass fire at 18th Street Expressway and Steele Road.

This story was originally published March 13, 2014 at 3:03 PM with the headline "Fire danger threat high for Kansas City area."