MEDICINE LODGE, Kan. (AP) — The Latest on wildfires burning across parts of Kansas and Oklahoma (all times local):
2:20 p.m.
The Kansas Forest Service says a wildfire that crossed into the state from Oklahoma earlier this week is considered the largest in Kansas history and one of the largest ever in the U.S.
The wildfire has burned at least 620 square miles in Oklahoma and Kansas.
The service said officials are looking at the damage in Barber County, Kansas, to determine if it meets the threshold for a FEMA disaster declaration, which would provide public assistance for damaged public infrastructure.
In Oklahoma, officials said in a release Friday there’s been very little growth in the wildfire near the town of Alva, thanks in part to “exceptional firefighting” combined with lighter winds and lower temperatures.
10:15 a.m.
A Kansas livestock official says the wildfire that scorched hundreds of square miles in Oklahoma and southern Kansas has displaced cattle and destroyed miles of fencing.
Todd Domer, spokesman for the Kansas Livestock Association, said Friday the most immediate problem for Kansas ranchers affected by the fire in Barber and Comanche counties is locating cattle that escaped when fences burned. He says ranchers are also working to figure out how many cattle may have died.
The KLA is raising funds to help replace the fencing, which he estimates covered tens of thousands of miles. He says hay donations have been so swift and numerous there’s no longer a need.
Domer also says there would also have been a lot of newborn calves this time of year that may have either been separated from their mothers or been killed in the fire.
——
Meteorologists say the weather conditions could make it hard for crews to make headway against a wildfire that has scorched sparsely-populated areas of Oklahoma and Kansas.
The National Weather Service says wind gusts of up to 30 mph are expected to last from Friday morning through the afternoon.
Meteorologist Bill Turner says the big challenge will be keeping the fire from spreading again once the south wind picks up. He says the wind could blow sparks onto unburnt land.
The blaze has consumed at least 620 square miles since starting Tuesday in Oklahoma and spreading into Kansas. Kansas Incident Management Team spokeswoman Kathleen Fabrizius says officials plan to fly over the area Friday to evaluate the damage.