by: Wil Day

Posted: May 14, 2026 / 05:43 PM CDT

Updated: May 14, 2026 / 05:46 PM CDT

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Crews are battling multiple grass fires in southwest Kansas.

There are seven active fires near Rolla in Morton County, according to emergency management.

The Kansas Department of Transportation said Kansas 51 Highway between the U.S. 56 Highway junction in Rolla and the Kansas Highway 27 junction in Richfield is closed due to the fires.

According to Storm Track 3 Meteorologist Jack Maney, the fires started as a dry thunderstorm moved through the area. But the cause of the fires hasn’t been determined yet, as crews are still working to bring them all under control.

In addition to Morton County, there are also reports of wildfires in Ford, Clark, Meade and Stevens counties.

The State Emergency Operations Center has been partially activated to help respond to the fires.

The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks said Meade State Park has not been affected but has warned visitors to reconsider coming due to multiple fires in the area.

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) -Matthew Ho likes to keep a clean car.

“I basically use my car a lot for work, with my multiple day jobs and weekend jobs,” Ho said.

However, on Tuesday, it was anything but.

“I was on 135 going northbound towards Bel Aire,” Ho said, “Right about the exit of 21st st I kind of saw this big mess of pile up that just happened right as I was blinking.”

Ho had no choice but to drive through it. Then the smell came.

“I think it took a little bit just because at first it didn’t seem like it was anything,” Ho said.

The smell continued to get worse and there was nothing he could do about it. It was a 90 degree day, and even with that intense weather he could not use the air conditioning because the air that it used was smelly itself.

“It sticks, and now that we’re downdraft winds you can just smell it all the time,” Ho said.

The company responsible for the spill, No Limit Logistics LLC, said, ‘There was no human waste’. The Kansas Highway Patrol says otherwise.

Ho has tried to wash the smell out of his car multiple times.

“It didn’t work,” Ho said, “Washed the car again, still didn’t go away.”

Now, he is looking for someone to take responsibility.

“I would really like compensations for all the car wash, especially when it was something I didn’t do personally,” Ho said, “A mechanical failure on a truck isn’t necessarily someone’s fault, but someone’s liable for it.”

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – Fire damaged a Kansas City house so extensively it may need to be demolished.

Firefighters responded to a house fire near W. 81st and Summit Street around 1:45 p.m. on May 12.

Firefighters said they noticed smoke coming from the attic when they arrived at the house. They were able to extinguish the fire minutes after they arrived.

No one was in the house at the time of the fire, according to the fire department. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Inspectors are examining the house to see if it is stable and safe enough to remain standing or if it will need to be demolished.