Kansas is burning

[elcheapo]

Several communities have been evacuated, in central Kansas, north central kanas, southwestern kanas. I-70 is shut down with

fire going across it at several locations....report now in that a firefighter is down.  Wind gust from 40 to 60 mph

. 

[elcheapo]

UPDATE....fires still burning.....now we have tornado's on the eastern part of the state now......hail up to 4 inches now being

reported........

"just another day in paradise"

[roarintiger1]

Yikes!   I think Dorothy is re-thinking "There's no place like home."     

[elcheapo]

any reports from our field reporters ?

[elcheapo]

West of Topeka, something different. Fire crews
We're battling a wild fire, and a tornado
Warning was issued
Fire fighters had to take cover in nearby homes basements.
Odd looking pictures with orange glow in the
Background of a tornado.

[elcheapo]

sounds like some of the worst is in southwest ks, clark co has over 136,000 acres burned

30 some "structures" also burned there.

the small town of Ransom in Ness co lost 5 homes.

Current fire burning in Reno co, prompting 5,000 people evacuated, so far 6,000 acres.

This is just north of the city limits of Hutchinson.

Houston calling SW........are all system ok ??

[elcheapo]

i'm sorry, I've been busy doing other things, and just have been listening to limited area, local news.  Things have been as bad, or

worse in Tx and Ok.  Many more people killed down there, than up here.  Example of how the media works.....they kept talking

about certain things here, but no mentioned about things in tx and okla.  The largest, which is reported to be over 500 square

miles, is only 5% contained in the northern tx panhandle.

we need to keep all those being impacted by the fires and tornado's in our thoughts and prays.

[sw363535]

Just getting back to the keyboard.....

Bad one started next to 83 highway north of Liberal, burned SE and spread out up to 4 miles... got 6 homes moving so fast that some barely got out and left everything... saw one place where two cars were still in the garage, nothing left except two bumpers and rubble...  Friends, Ben & Jane Nix of rural Liberal were lucky a daughter was staying with them and she woke them up to get out.... Saved their medicine..... that's it.

Even some irrigated wheat ankle high had burned because there were some year old corn stocks down below... humidity went to sub 4% with 60 mph gusts and big crp grass, no til corn stalks,  carcoal dirt now.... even hedge post fences were burnt it the ground... REA poles just hanging onto the wires and only 4-6 feet of pole left above ground...  Fire truck got stuck and burned.

Bigger areas east around Englewood to Coldwater area... had several fires going....

Same area had towns evacuating.....I have heard Protection and Coldwater...

Big 40.000+ acre one between Woodward Okla. and Buffalo Okla. area ..... tis would be sw of the area that had the big ones in Ks last year....... Story is.,,,,,,Young couple in their 20's were cutting fences ahead of it trying to save cattle and were overtaken and killed....  Not the only deaths in that area... 

[sw363535]

You can learn to love most everything about this area in a couple of years but the March wind you will never accept....

[sw363535]

Cheapo, 

I just got a call from a friend touring the Monday burn southeast of Minneola to Coldwater that nearly got Ashland, Ks.... Coldwater is his hometown.  

He said he saw a friend today ,,,, that was working with a fire crew from Colorado who was still trying to get spots out, but the fire itself was contained..... 

his friend said the fire was so fast that they followed it monday and shot cattle on fire until they ran out of shells......."

That is some of the best pasture/cattle country in Ks.   West of the area that got burned out last year...

the area that burned last year got their fences replaced but restocking is expensive and takes time.... There are some remarkable pastures for sale in those areas that haven't changed hands in 75 to 100 years.