A fire of a dismantled camper was quickly contained west of Wellington. (Courtesy photo)

By Tracy McCue, Sumner Newscow — Sumner County will continue under a red flag warning alert over the next two days, as winds are expected to pick up again on Tuesday. Avoid outdoor burning if possible.

On Friday afternoon, Sumner County experienced winds of 55 to 75 mph. The National Weather Services office said Wellington had wind gusts of 65 mph.

Wellington Fire Department took in eight fire calls over the weekend – seven of them wind-related. Two were because of electrical lines that blew over.

Two of those fires were notable — an abandoned camper west of Wellington and at the electric transformers next to the main Wellington tower on East 16th St.

A dismantled camper at 198 E. 15th St. (in the picture above) west of Wellington caught on fire at 12:38 p.m. during the high wind gusts. However, it was contained before it could reach any structures. The area had already been burnt the year before, so it didn’t spread.

The water tower fire, resulting from a tree branch striking the transformer, created a small fire on the wooden platform that holds three of electric transformers. Using the assistance of the Wellington electric department that fire was doused at 5 p.m. before any significant damage occurred.

Overall, Sumner County was spared of some of the tragic circumstances that occurred across Kansas and the U.S. Midwest.

For example, near Goodland, there was the tragic 55-vehicle accident that occurred on Friday, killing at least eight people. A grass fire in Cowley County temporarily closed road travel to Arkansas City.

For Wellington people driving north to the Class 4A State Basketball tournament in Salina, there were intermittent spouts of dust storms, which reduced visibility. But nothing that was close to life-threatening.

Perhaps the most visible dust storm on I-35 heading north to Wichita was at the Kansas Star Casino on Exit 33.