By TRIBUNE STAFF
news@gbtribune.com
A large grass fire broke out near Quivira National Wildlife Refuge late Thursday night, drawing an emergency response from fire departments across four counties and keeping crews on scene through the early morning hours.
The blaze ignited at approximately 9:30 p.m. Thursday short after a Red Flag Warning for Barton County was set to expire. Wind gusts picked up and thunderstorms with significant cloud-to-ground lightning moved through Pawnee and Stafford counties. Lightning is believed to have sparked the fire, which was initially reported south of Ellinwood. The glow from the blaze was visible from just south of Great Bend.
Ellinwood Fire was first on scene, with Great Bend and Claflin fire departments responding for mutual aid. As crews made their way to the scene, they discovered the fire had pushed further south toward the Barton-Stafford County line, eventually pinpointing it near 130th Avenue and 170th Street in Stafford County, inside Quivira National Wildlife Refuge. Departments from Stafford, Rice, and Reno counties also joined the response as the scope of the fire became clear.
By 11:15 p.m., crews from all responding agencies were still actively working to control the blaze. Crews remained on scene for approximately five hours through the night. By 6 a.m. Friday, all Barton County units had returned to their stations, though the fire remained somewhat active inside containment lines.
Now, forecasters are warning that dangerous fire weather conditions are not over. The National Weather Service in Wichita has issued a Red Flag Warning in effect from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. CDT Saturday for central and portions of south-central Kansas. Southerly winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 40 mph and relative humidity dropping as low as 17 to 18 percent are expected. Fires that develop under these conditions will likely be extremely difficult to control.
Residents are urged to monitor the latest forecasts and avoid any activities that could spark a fire. Barton County officials extended their sincere appreciation to all mutual aid agencies who responded and worked through the night to protect the refuge and surrounding areas.
