Riley County Fire District #1 responded to 18 out-of-control prescribed field burns on March 20-21. The fires varied in size, ranging from a small amount of smoke to one that led to the evacuation of six homes.

The blaze that prompted the evacuations started on March 20 near a Fort Riley military installation and Wildcat Creek Road. Doug Russell, Deputy Fire Chief of Riley County Fire District #1, said the day’s dry and windy conditions and a lack of resources were the primary reasons the fire became uncontained. 

“[There were not] quite enough resources to manage what they were trying to burn,” Russell said. “It got away from them and got in some very, probably some pretty extreme conditions of cedar trees, overgrown, pasture ground and everything. The conditions were unsafe, and … it was very wind-driven fire, super low humidity. … So very unpredictable, very hard to extinguish because the fire will just keep going.”

Russell said the fire had the potential to spread toward an area with multiple houses surrounded by cedar trees, which is why the department decided to evacuate the six homes. Additionally, due to the high number of out-of-control fires that day, members of the Kansas Wildfire Task Force had to assist in controlling the blaze.

“Our resources were stretched, and we didn’t have anybody else available,” Russell said. “The crews had already been out Thursday and all day Friday, and so the state provides it [the task force] to [be] a relief for the local departments.” 

According to a wildfire update posted to Riley County’s website at 5:30 p.m. on March 21, the department monitored the fire throughout the day, and had “ no major concerns.”

Though 18 out-of-control fires may sound like a large number, the majority of prescribed burns during the two days were done safely.

“There was close to 100 burns that were going on, smaller ones, bigger ones, all in varying sizes,” Russell said. “But these out of control burns are a small number of those. … So there is a lot of people doing it correctly and properly. It’s just those small instances where it just gets out of control a little bit too quick and [there are] maybe not enough resources to contain it.”

Depending on its size, a prescribed burn can require large amounts of personnel and resources, like large tanks of water, to keep it contained. Russell said ensuring there are enough resources and being mindful of weather conditions is essential in keeping a prescribed burn from growing out of control.

“The biggest thing is [to] have adequate resources and just be mindful of the current conditions,” he said. “Mindful of the conditions, know that it’s going to be very dry and slightly more unpredictable to handle. So the more resources you could have on that control burn, the better.”

Russell said the best thing to do if someone suspects a burn may be out of control is to call 911.

“They keep a map and a list of all the fires that are currently active,” he said. “So if somebody would see a fire, they’re welcome to call dispatch. They’ll tell them if it is or isn’t [a prescribed burn]. And if they say, hey, it’s really large and heading for a structure or they’re concerned, they can call the person that’s in charge of the control of the burn. And then verify, ‘hey, is everything okay?’”

Riley County residents can stay up to date on local wildfires at rileycountyks.gov.