HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) — The Latest on wildfires burning in Kansas.

4:15 p.m.

A massive grass fire raging in two Kansas counties has set a state record for the biggest involving a single blaze.

Kansas Division of Emergency Management spokeswoman Katie Horner says an estimated 861 square miles of land have been blackened in Comanche and Clark counties as of Wednesday. The 625 square miles charred in Clark County is about 85 percent of that county’s land.

Horner says the previous record came last year, with the Anderson Creek fire consuming 488 square miles of land in Barber and Comanche counties.

Horner says that since Saturday, large grassfires have been reported in 23 Kansas counties, consuming more than 1,000 square miles.

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TOPEKA -More than 659,000 acres in the state have burned so far during the course of multiple wildfires that have plagued Kansas since March 4, causing one death and destroying numerous homes and other buildings.

Clark and Comanche Counties have been the hardest hit, with estimated 351,000 acres and 151,000 acres affected, respectively, according to The Kansas Division of Emergency Management news release. Complete damage estimates may take several weeks.

In addition to property destruction, the fires have killed an unknown number of livestock in several counties. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment Bureau of Waste Management is providing guidance to livestock owners for the disposal of dead animals. For information, go to the KDHE website (kdheks.gov/waste/p_techguides.html) or call Ken Powell (785) 296-1121.

The Kansas Division of Emergency Management urges anyone wishing to contribute to ongoing disaster relief efforts to donate cash to disaster relief organizations rather than donating goods. KDEM recommends Kansans donating to reputable disaster relief organizations of their choice or local organizations within the affected communities.

The State Emergency Operations Center in Topeka will remain staffed 24/7 until further notice. State agencies supporting the emergency response operations include the Kansas Division of Emergency Management; Kansas National Guard; Kansas Department of Agriculture; Kansas Department of Health and Environment; Kansas Department of Transportation; Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism; Kansas Forest Service; Kansas Highway Patrol; State Fire Marshal; and Department for Children and Families. The American Red Cross and Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters are also providing support to fire victims and first responders.

Currently, there are still active fires in Clark, Comanche, Ellis, Ellsworth, Lincoln, Reno, Rooks, and Russell Counties. Regional coordinators and emergency operations support teams have been dispatched by the Kansas Division of Emergency Management to Clark, Comanche, Reno and Rooks Counties. Local fire departments and mutual aid are assisting with fire suppression across the state.

 

The Kansas National Guard has deployed four UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters with collapsible 660-gallon water buckets to Reno County assisting with fire suppression. Two Army Reserve Chinook helicopters from Gardner are in Clark County for fire suppression. Two Black Hawks were assigned to Clark County, but have been diverted to Comanche County to assist with fire suppression there.

Federal Fire Management Assistance Grants have been approved for fires in Clark, Comanche, Ford complex, Highland Area (Reno, Rice and McPherson); Ness, Rooks, and the Wilson Lake complex of Russell, Ellsworth and Lincoln. Additional requests may be made as the current emergencies continue.

FMAG grants are available to states, local and tribal governments, for the mitigation, management, and control of fires on publicly or privately owned forests or grasslands, which threaten such destruction as would constitute a major disaster. The program provides a 75 percent federal cost share.

The National Forestry Service deployed a support service incident management team from South Dakota to support the local incident management team in Reno County.

The Federal Air Administration closed the airspace to all nonemergency air traffic, including drones, in a 10-mile radius encompassing most of Hutchinson and the area north of the city. Airspace closures have also been instituted for areas in Clark, Comanche and Rooks Counties. The closures were established to allow Kansas National Guard Black Hawk helicopters to safely conduct water drop operations in support of ground firefighting efforts.

The Kansas Division of Emergency Management deployed their Communications on Wheels vehicles to Reno and Clark Counties to assist with communication with area residents. KDEM’s Geospatial Information System vehicle was sent to Reno County to provide mapping support for the local incident commander in Hutchinson. KDEM is also providing GIS support to Clark County.

Three shelters remain open: one in Ashland for first responders, one in Hutchinson, and one on stand-by in Coldwater.

There were multiple road closures and openings due to the fires. Current information is available from the Kansas Department of Transportation by calling 5-1-1 or visiting the Kandrive website at kandrive.org.

 

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HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) — The Latest on wildfires burning in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Colorado (all times local):

New estimates indicate Kansas wildfires have burned more than 1,000 square miles, up from 625 square miles.

The Kansas Division of Emergency Management said late Tuesday that the heaviest damage is in Clark County, where 548 square miles have burned. That fire started in Oklahoma before moving into the Kansas ranching community.

Another 235 square miles have burned in neighboring Comanche County, Kansas.

The state says six other counties are battling blazes. Among them, estimates of the burned land range from a single square mile to about 90.

Kansas National Guard Black Hawk helicopters have been assisting with the firefight. They dropped about 138,000 gallons on fires near Hutchinson in Reno County, where 10,000 to 12,000 people voluntarily evacuated their homes.

The Kansas Division of Emergency Management continues to coordinate the state’s response to the multiple wildfires that have cropped up across the state due to dry and windy conditions.

According to a media release form the Kansas Adjutant General, the counties of Clark, Comanche, Ellsworth, Hodgeman, Lincoln, Reno, Rooks and Russell continue to battle active fires. Additional damage assessments will be completed when crews can enter restricted areas.

The Federal Air Administration has closed the airspace to all nonemergency air traffic, including drones, in a 10-mile radius encompassing most of Hutchinson and the area north of the city. The airspace was closed to allow Kansas National Guard Black Hawk helicopters to safely conduct water drop operations in support of ground firefighting efforts.

The four Kansas Army National Guard Black Hawks that assisted with firefighting operations today dropped 230 buckets which is approximately 138,000 gallons of water in Reno County.

Fires in Clark County have scorched more than 351,000 acres of land.  On Wednesday, March 8 two U.S. Army Reserve Chinook helicopters from Gardner will partner with two Kansas Army National Guard Black Hawk helicopters out of Salina and two Forest Service fixed-wing aircraft in firefighting operations in Clark County. Chinooks are larger than Black Hawk helicopters and can drop approximately 2,000 gallons of water per run.

Officials estimate approximately 656,420 acres have burned across the state.  Estimated totals by county are:  Wilson Lake Complex 28,600 acres; Reno County 7,200 acres; Clark County 351,000 acres; Ford Complex 700 acres; Rooks County 5,000 acres; Ness County 3,000 acres; Lane County 57,000 acres; Lincoln 49,920 acres, Ellis County 3,000 acres, and Comanche County 151,000 acres.

The Kansas Division of Emergency Management has deployed their Communications on Wheels vehicles to Reno and Clark Counties to assist with communication with area residents. Reno County has also requested the Geospatial Information System vehicle to provide mapping support for the local incident commander in Hutchinson.

The Kansas Division of Emergency Management is urging anyone wishing to contribute to disaster relief efforts ongoing in Kansas to donate cash to disaster relief organizations rather than donating goods. KDEM recommends Kansans consider donating to reputable disaster relief organizations of their choice or local organizations within the affected communities.

FEMA has approved Federal Fire Management Assistance Grants for fires in Clark, Comanche, Ellsworth, Ford, Lincoln, Ness, Rooks, and Russell Counties. Additional requests may be made as the current emergencies continue.

FMAG grants are available to states, local and tribal governments, for the mitigation, management, and control of fires on publicly or privately owned forests or grasslands, which threaten such destruction as would constitute a major disaster. The program provides a 75 percent federal cost share and the state pays the remaining 25 percent for actual costs.

KDEM has received additional firefighting resources from other states through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact and from the National Forestry Service.

The American Red Cross opened shelters for displaced residents in Coldwater and Dodge City. Current plans call for those shelters to shut down today. The shelter at the Kansas State Fairgrounds, 2000 N Poplar Street, in Hutchinson will remain open until further notice.  An additional shelter has been opened at the Ashland High School, 311 J.E. Humphreys Street.  The shelter can house up to 75 residents.

A shelter also was opened in Jetmore at the 4-H Building on the Hodgeman County Fairgrounds.

There were multiple road closures and openings due to the fires. Current information is available from the Kansas Department of Transportation by calling 5-1-1 or visiting the Kandrive website at kandrive.org.