Employees at a grain bin at the Pride Ag Resources facility in Cimarron emptied grain late into the night Thursday, after an elevator employee discovered that grain inside the bin had a hot spot,

According to the Kansas Department of Transportation, Kansas Highway 23, south of the U.S. Highway 50 junction in Cimarron, was closed for about five hours Thursday due to safety concerns as employees worked to empty the grain. K-23 was re-opened at approximately 11:30 p.m., according to KDOT.

Some 2,000 bushels of grain were removed by employees from the bottom of the bin by hand, while spraying water on top of the grain to control dust. According to Gray County Emergency Preparedness Director Rayna Maddox, employees finished emptying the bin at about 11 p.m. Thursday. This eliminated any risk of fire or explosion.

According to a press release from Gray County, Pride Ag Resources had scheduled mill rights to work on the south side of a grain bin at their facility Friday, but Thursday morning, Elevator Superintendent Austin Goering noticed the outside of the bin was hot and knew immediately that the grain inside the bin had a hot spot. Gray County Emergency Management was called in as a precautionary measure.

The Cimarron Fire Department, the Ingalls Fire Department and the Gray County Sheriff’s Office were available to provide emergency assistance, if needed. The Gray County Road Department, Gray County Sheriff’s Office, a BNSF Railroad representative and City Council were also on hand.