LARNED — Early Wednesday morning, the gymnasium floor at the Larned Community Center was covered with sleeping first responders.
They’d earned their rest; they’d put in an extended day of firefighting in southern Pawnee County since early Tuesday.
They weren’t alone.
With National Weather Service red flag warnings issued from the Wichita office, scattered wildfires erupted across southern portions of the Golden Belt Tuesday.
Help from mutual aid agencies from surrounding areas and local firefighters in Kearny, Hodgeman and Seward counties were battling blazes soon after the day began. As the day wore on, blazes in southern Pawnee and Barton counties and northern Stafford County were added to the list.
While the balance of the blazes were under control by about 2 a.m. Wednesday morning, firefighters and their assisting agencies returned to burn areas to check for smoldering fires and hot spots that could be rekindled by high wind weather conditions later in the day.
Vehicle fire suspected
in Hodgeman blaze
A vehicle fire in a pasture south of Hanston is believed to be the cause of the Hodgeman County fire, which was reported by a 911 call around 9:55 a.m. Tuesday. According to Hodgeman County Sheriff Jared Walker, Hanston and Jetmore units were paged to the scene, where the fire was spreading rapidly. Mutual aid calls were made to Pawnee, Edwards, Ford and Ness counties, along with the Southwest Kansas Wildland Task Force for assistance. Jemore and Hanston EMS units were also placed on standby, Walker said.
The blaze, which was then observable on weather radar, resulted in evacuation of rural residents east and ahead of the burn with assistance from sheriff’s deputies from Pawnee and Ness counties. An evacuation shelter was established at the Presbyterian Church in Hanston, where the local health department was also deployed.
By around 4:45 p.m., with assistance from mutual aid responders, the blaze was declared contained.
Cause, damages being
assessed in Pawnee County
Meanwhile, the cause of the Pawnee County fire between Garfield and Larned is as yet undetermined. High winds contributed to the fire as it spread from its beginning at about 2:30 p.m., growing to between 7-12 miles long in a little more than an hour as reported by the Dodge City NWS.
No injuries were reported; however, the fire claimed a residence and several outbuildings, with a number of lost livestock, shelter belt stands and round bales. Midwest Energy reported a power outage to areas affecting about 1,500 customers in and around the Larned community due to burned transmission lines. Crews were able to restore power to many by 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, but on Wednesday 894 customers remained without electricity.
With Pawnee County’s volunteer force split among other burn sites, assists from 15 area departments at the blaze near Garfield included Barton County and the Kansas Forest Service in the form of an air tanker.
The tanker, designated T-95, is a Grumman Aerospace S-2 air tanker owned by Bill Garrison, owner of Ag Air Service, Nickerson. The tanker can carry up to 800 gallons of water.
According to Great Bend Municipal Airport Manager Martin Miller, Garrison has a contract with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to fight fires in Kansas. The plane arrived at the Great Bend Airport Tuesday afternoon. On Tuesday, Garrison flew five sorties to the Pawnee County fire site and was refilled between flights by the Great Bend Fire Department utilizing a fire hose and hydrant owned by the airport. He returned to Hutchinson Tuesday night, Miller said.
In Larned, support centers were established on the first floor of the Pawnee County Courthouse and the Larned Community Center gymnasium and volunteers mobilized.
No fires were visible as of 2 a.m. Wednesday; however, firefighters determined to return to the scene later in the day to search out hot spots suspected in wooded areas, with the possibility of utilizing heavy equipment to turn over potential fuel sources. The firefighters agreed to establish shift schedules to continue operating throughout the day. A flyover by the Kansas Highway Patrol to locate possible flare-ups was also planned for Wednesday.
Other fires reported
A large grass fire threatened the community of Macksville on Tuesday. Responding fire crews were at work to contain and extinguish the fire at about 6 p.m. The Pawnee County Sheriff’s Office also responded to a fire report at 40th Ave and Rs Road southeast of Pawnee Rock in Barton County at approximately 3:52 p.m.
