It was a quiet Tuesday evening for most in the Golden Belt. High winds predicted for the day ranging from 40 to 50 mph appeared in the afternoon and were already dying down by sunset. The Red Flag Warning in effect from noon to 7 p.m. expired without incident.
But those looking to the west noted that the sunset was obscured by a yellow, dusty haze. Further west, it was more than dust, visible for miles.
Wildfire.
Several blazes erupted Tuesday afternoon in western Kansas. Weather radar reports tracked at least three major fires that consumed more than 155,000 acres; forcing evacuations, closing roads, injuring firefighters and endangering livestock. A fourth fire in Rawlins County prompted evacuations of people in Herndon. The order was lifted by 7 p.m. as local fire crews gained the upper hand with assistance by several units from Nebraska as residents took shelter in the neighboring town of Atwood at the Redeemer Lutheran Church. No injuries were reported.
Others weren’t so lucky:
Ranger Road Fire
The blaze named the Ranger Road fire based on its origin in Beaver, Okla., entered southwest Kansas fanned by winds reaching 65 mph and fueled by dry grassland acreage. Clark County emergency management ordered the evacuation of both Englewood and Ashland; patients at Ashland hospital were moved north to Minneola and residents took shelter in Minneola and Pratt.
The fire continued to burn westward, forcing evacuations of Coldwater and Protection in Comanche County. Mutual aid fire crews from neighboring communities, as well as Marion County, Wamego, Pratt and Larned fire departments, joined in to fight the blaze.
By late evening, wind direction had changed, sparing both Clark County communities, but by Wednesday morning the blaze had reached south of Protection. Four firemen were injured on Tuesday. Aviation and additional Kansas Forces were expected to arrive Wednesday morning to assist local fire departments. The fire had burned more than 145,000 acres by Wednesday morning; a local rancher south of Ashland reported cattle lost in the event.
Garden City Fire
Garden City fire crews worked through the night battling a blaze 11 miles long and nearly two miles wide. As of Wednesday morning, the fire was 0% contained and had destroyed one outbuilding. Kansas Forest Service and other state resources are assisting; Kansas City metro departments were expected to arrive Wednesday.
Stevens Fire
The fire originated in Texas County, Okla. and moved northward toward Liberal. Portions of forward progress have been stopped but southeast of Liberal is still burning. The Johnson County Task Force and KFS are assisting as the blaze approaches Meade County.
Statewide disaster proclamation
In advance of Tuesday’s fires, Gov. Laura Kelly on Feb. 16 issued a state of disaster emergency proclamation for Kansas. The proclamation for Tuesday through Thursday, “allows resources to be used to provide state assistance,” a news release from the Kansas Adjutant General’s Department explained.
“Putting resources in place with the disaster proclamation includes the Kansas Division of Emergency Management staffing the State Emergency Operations Center with Emergency Support Function partners from the state fire marshal’s office, the Kansas Forest Service, “and other state agencies to coordinate state efforts and pre‑staging resources to support local counties and local responders if requested,” the release noted.
