
CLARK COUNTY —The wildfire in Clark County is out, according to a social media report from the sheriff’s department. The fire burned an estimated 1600 acres west of Ashland. Crews were still on the scene monitoring hot spots overnight. A truck driving in high grass is believed to have started the fire.
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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A wildfire broke out in southwestern Kansas, burning 1,600 acres so far and forcing residents in the area to evacuate.
Clark County Emergency Manager Millie Fudge says firefighters stopped the fire Monday about three miles south of Ashland, but it has broken off toward the east and the fire is not yet contained.
Smoke plume from Ashland fire on dual pol radar products. #kswx pic.twitter.com/xPLR3O48Ph
— NWS Dodge City (@NWSDodgeCity) March 5, 2018
Local, state and Oklahoma firefighters are responding to the blaze on the ground and with an air tanker.
Fudge says the blaze began when a truck caught fire on Kansas 160 outside Ashland, and quickly spread with the help of 20-30 mph winds. By early afternoon the fire was 3 miles long.
Fudge doesn’t know if the fire destroyed any homes. She says the sparsely populated area outside of Ashland, which is most threatened, has been evacuated.