Where Is The Fire In Kansas? 2023 - The Trails at the Ridge

Where Is The Fire In Kansas?

Where Is The Fire In Kansas
This blaze may be seen to the east of Hutchinson, Kansas. At around 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, a wildfire was reported to be located east of Hutchinson, Kansas. As a result, evacuations have been ordered. It all began in the 800 block of Willison Road in Reno County, and eventually made its way into Harvey County farther to the east.

Where is the smoke in KS coming from?

Where Is The Fire In Kansas Kansas City smells like smoke. According to the National Weather Service, it might be coming from the wildfires that are burning in the middle part of Kansas, which are seen on this satellite heatmap. It is managed by the National Weather Service. Kansas City smells like smoke.

However, meteorologists believe that the smell is most likely originating from massive grass fires that are now taking place in central Kansas, which are located many miles to the west.
As major wildfires continued to rage to the west of Topeka on Wednesday evening, the National Weather Service reported on Twitter that the smell of smoke was beginning to settle over the metropolitan area.

A big hotspot was revealed by satellite technology and displayed on a heatmap that the government agency shared with the public. It is thought that a succession of powerful storms and high winds that moved through the area on Wednesday were responsible for propelling the smoke towards the direction of the west.

Some of the people who lived in the region became concerned as a result of the smell’s potency.
The Overland Park Fire Department said that its phone lines have been receiving an increased number of calls from concerned citizens who are worried about the prospect of a fire breaking out in the area.
A spokesperson for the department named Jason Rhodes stated in a statement that there were no fires discovered.

On Wednesday, there was at least one grass fire that was recorded in the metropolitan region. A grassy area near I-435 in Kansas City, Kansas started fire at around 5:45 p.m., according to Battalion Chief Scott Schaunaman of the Kansas City Fire Department, who spoke to The Star.

According to Schaunaman, the local grass fire was swiftly put out by fire crews with the assistance of Mother Nature as a flurry of rain rushed across the region.
The first version of this story was posted online at 8:46 PM on December 15, 2021.
Bill Lukitsch writes for The Star on topics related to breaking news.

Before he started working for The Star, he was a reporter for the Quad-City Times, where he covered local politics and government.

Why is there smoke in the air in Kansas?

The smoke was most likely caused by wildfires that were burning in central Kansas, namely in Ellis County, according to the meteorologists from the National Weather Service. All of that smoke is being carried east by the strong winds blowing from the west on Wednesday, and it has even made its way into the Kansas City region.

How big is the Kansas fire?

Outbreak of wildfires in Kansas in 2021

December 15 Kansas wildfire outbreak
Total area	163,755 acres (66,269 ha)
Cost	$2.3 million (2021 USD)
Date(s)	December 15, 2021 – December 23, 2021
Cause	Low-pressure system causing high winds Downed power lines Drought

Where is the smoke in Topeka coming from?

Where Is The Fire In Kansas KANSAS CITY, Mo. — If you go outside in any part of the Kansas City region, you will notice that there is a distinct odor of smoke in the air. However, where exactly does it come from? It is likely due to the big wildfires that have been burning in central Kansas, according to the National Weather Service in Topeka, Kansas.

The robust winds blowing from the west are then causing smoke to move toward the east. The heat detected by the satellite is shown by the black blotches on the map below. (National Weather Service Topeka/College of Dupage) Smoke from wildfires raging throughout northwest Kansas is being carried to the northeast by the wind, which is resulting in haze and smoke in the area surrounding Omaha, Nebraska.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) program AirNow, the air quality in the Lincoln, Nebraska, area is bad for sensitive populations owing to smoke and dust. This includes those who suffer from heart and lung illness as well as asthma.

You really ought to cut down on the amount of time spent outside.
At around six o’clock in the central time zone, the air quality in Hays, Kansas, was deemed to be dangerous.
The Air Quality Index ranges from zero all the way up to five hundred.
The higher the value of the Air Quality Index (AQI), the higher the degree of air pollution and the greater the worry for people’s health.

Because of the extremely dry conditions and the extraordinary wind event that occurred on Wednesday, the NOAA Storm Prediction Center has issued its first “Extremely Critical Risk” of fire weather for sections of the Plains in the month of December. The National Weather Service reports that the “Extremely Critical Risk” fire weather category has never before been assigned in the month of December.

On the spectrum of fire weather outlooks that the SPC produces, this is the greatest danger level that may be issued.
Fire Weather Warnings have been issued for the Southern and Central Plains, which means that a combination of high winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can feed the growth of a fire very quickly.

Warnings of dangerous fire weather for the 15th of December, 2021. (The Weather Channel) The likelihood of record-high temperatures over the Plains and the Great Lakes region contributes to the increased risk of wildfires. Where Is The Fire In Kansas

Why does it smell like smoke in Lawrence Kansas?

According to the National Weather Service, the odor of smoke from wildfires that are focused near Russell County, Kansas, has been pushed east towards Topeka, Lawrence, and the area around Kansas City. The heat map that you see above shows flames in Russell County as the black region with a darker tint.

This picture was provided by the National Weather Service.
On Wednesday night, a violent line of thunderstorms swept over Johnson County, and when the storms passed through the area, there was a heavy scent of smoke in the air outside.
The National Weather Service office in Kansas City speculated that fires that had started earlier in the day in western and central Kansas were the source of the odor.

There is an active wildfire in Russell County, Kansas, which is the source of the smoke you may be smelling and seeing. With the use of this nocturnal microphysics satellite images, we are able to identify hot patches caused by active wildfires. #kswx pic.twitter.com/aX6o375dEn December 16, 2021 from the National Weather Service in Kansas City (@NWSKansasCity) On Wednesday, many communities in and around Russell County in western Kansas were evacuated due to threats from wildfires that broke out on an unusually warm and windy December day.

The flames were the cause of the evacuations.
On its Twitter account, the Overland Park Fire Department discussed the issue of smokiness, which is located rather closer to home.
According to the agency, their investigations have not uncovered any ongoing fires in Johnson County as of yet.
We have been called out to multiple incidents involving the smell of smoke.

Just so you know, local meteorologists have reported that smoke is drifting in with the storm from fires that have been burning in western Kansas. — Overland Park Fire (@OverlandParkFD) December 16, 2021 There have been reports of smoky odors coming from Olathe.

Why does it smell like smoke after a storm?

You’re familiar with the sight and the sound of it, but have you ever taken in its aroma? Lightning, as strange as it may sound, actually has a smell of its own. On the other hand, in contrast to its dazzling brightness or deafening sound, the smell of a lightning bolt is much more subdued.

In point of fact, it’s quite likely that you’ve encountered it in the past. When lightning strikes, it may raise the temperature in the atmosphere to 50,000 degrees! The sonic boom that results from the fast expansion of the air is what you perceive to be thunder. On the other hand, at the molecular scale, chemical changes may modify the environment on a very small level and leave an odor in their wake.

Nitrogen makes up 78 percent of the air, whereas oxygen only makes up about 20 percent. In normal circumstances, neither nitrogen nor oxygen can be found in the atmosphere in their elemental forms. Instead, two of each team up to form nitrogen dioxide or oxygen gas.

When the lightning warms the air, it causes the bonds between the molecules to break, and this is what makes it possible for random Ns or Os to start hopping around. When the air is allowed to cool, the vast majority of the atoms form new pairs. But some rearrange. Some of the oxygen atoms react with the oxygen molecules to form ozone, often known as O3.

It is rather rare to see high quantities of ozone so close to the earth’s surface, and it has a very particular odor. It is immediately obvious once a bolt of lightning has struck. In the month of June, Ryan Long, age 20, had this experience for himself in Oxford, Alabama.

Long stated, “I was working in an ancient structure that was perched on a hill in the cemetery.” He recalled that all of a sudden there was a blindingly bright white flash of light.
A bolt of lightning struck only a few yards distant.
He remarked, “It shot a jolt of electricity up my arm.” “It smelled like something inorganic was burning, like wires or plastic,” one person said, while others have said the stench smelt like chlorine, cleaning products, or, not unexpectedly, electrical sparks.

There is a good chance that you have experienced ozone that was created by lightning at some point. You know how the air just before it rains in the spring smells all fresh and clean? That sums it up well. Even if there is just a little amount of lightning, there is still a small amount of ozone and nitrogen dioxide in the air that was formed by the lightning that is dispersed throughout the storm.

You are able to detect its odor prior to its being “scavenged” to the ground by the rain if the wind front of a storm pushes it out in front of the rain.
The average human nose is sensitive enough to detect ozone concentrations as low as 10 parts per billion.
That is similar to three tablespoons of water being present in a swimming pool of Olympic proportions.

It’s possible that you’ll even smell it when you’re doing the clothes. The small static sparks that occur between the clothing as they exit the dryer function like little lightning bolts, creating exactly the right amount of ozone for you to be able to smell it.

Why does the weather say smoke?

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Where are the Nebraska wildfires?

GERING, Neb. (WOWT) – There is still an active wildfire being battled by crews in the western part of Nebraska. The huge fire, according to the Nebraska State Patrol, is located south of Gering and Scottsbluff. There were four separate ignition points for the fire on Saturday night.

Lightning is suspected to be the root of the problem. Late Saturday night, state police were assisting individuals in evacuating the neighborhood where they lived. Just to the south of Gering, the Carter Canyon area is now undergoing mandatory evacuations. Since Saturday night, more than one thousand acres have been consumed by fire.

As of Sunday afternoon, there has been no progress made at putting out the fire. At this time, at least twelve different fire departments are responding. According to Nebraska Game and Parks, various regions in the Panhandle that are located southwest of Gering have been blocked in order to provide assistance to firefighters who are working to contain the fire.

All public access has been prohibited to the Cedar Canyon Wildlife Management Area, the Montz Point Wildlife Management Area, Carter Canyon, Montz Point, and both halves of the Platte River Basin Environments.
The general populace is requested to avoid entering the area.
They also want to keep the roads clean so that residents who live there may remove their personal things and relocate their livestock to a safer location.

How big was the starbuck fire?

Within the last 21 years, Kansas has seen six of the greatest fires ever recorded in the state’s history; yet, Mother Nature has begun to mend the burned swath of land that can be seen from space. Since the start of the Starbuck fire on March 6 and its subsequent destruction of 662,687 acres throughout Kansas and Oklahoma, it has been more than 100 days.

According to Mark Goeller, who is the chief of the fire management and field operations section of the Oklahoma Forestry Service, there have been a lot of fires recently.
The Starbuck fire, which has burned over 460,000 acres in Kansas, is the biggest fire in the state’s recorded history.
It only took a year to beat the previous Kansas record that had been established during the Anderson Creek fire, which began on March 22, 2016, and burnt a total of 367,619 acres, of which 278,672 were in Kansas.

The previous record had been set during the Anderson Creek fire. According to Goeller, Starbuck began in the county of Beaver, Oklahoma, and happened when severe winds brought down a power line. The storm then moved on through the counties of Meade, Clark, and Comanche in the state of Kansas.

According to Goeller, the inferno that started in Woods County, Oklahoma and spread to Anderson Creek was caused by a car. The fire began there. The blaze spread to the northeast, traveling into Barber and Comanche counties. The wildfires that occurred in Kansas in 2016 and 2017 are the first fires with an acreage total in the triple digits that have ever been documented in the state since fire records were first established in 1965.

All of the biggest fires that have ever been documented in the state of Kansas have taken place over the previous roughly 20 years. According to Michele Steinberg, who works for the National Fire Protection Association, Kansas is not the only state seeing fires of a bigger size.

The manager of the wildlife division said that the nationwide trend could be attributed to ecosystems being primed to burn, with tall prairie grass serving as fuel and flammable invasive plants such as pine trees, shrubs, and bushes. Additionally, the manager said that the tall prairie grass could be a contributing factor.

“It seems like we are going into a cycle in a lot of places where circumstances are more vulnerable to flames than not,” she added. “It seems like we are entering into a cycle in a lot of areas.” Both of Kansas’s most destructive fires were exacerbated by the blazes that were started by invasive red cedar trees.

Steinberg acknowledged that she did not know everything about the flames in Kansas, but she did cite a few elements that may have made the situation worse.
According to Steinberg, the lack of access to roads and water, as well as the absence of mutual help due to the fact that Oklahoma was battling its own fire, were potential factors.

In addition, she stated that attempting to preserve properties that may not have been there fifty or sixty years earlier might have diverted resources away from the effort to contain the flames. The Kansas Forest Service first began recording information on fires in the year 1965.

In spite of this, State Forester Larry Biles stated that reporting fires was “more than a courtesy,” but it was not a “very rigorous” law. According to him, a significant number of fires were not recorded. Biles explained his reasoning by saying, “Partially because at that time it was telephone or letters.” “The reporting process is made much simpler by the technology.” In addition, the fact that the majority of fire departments in Kansas were and still are staffed by volunteers was not helpful, according to him, because the majority of the volunteers had other commitments to attend to.

The Kansas Office of the State Fire Marshal took over responsibility for monitoring fires in 1996. When submitting a report to the United States Forest Service for consideration of federal funding, the forest service relies on the numbers provided by the fire marshal.

Although the regulations requiring fire departments to keep track of fires and report them to the fire marshal are not strictly enforced, fire departments who do keep track are eligible to seek for funding from either agency to assist them in paying for resources and equipment.
Due to the fact that there have been more fires in recent years, rural departments could require such additional resources.

“The last two years have been the perfect storm,” said Biles, “dry, high winds and low humidity.” 1. March 6, 2017: Meade, Clark and Comanche counties, approximately 509,000 acres — The largest fire in Kansas’ history, known as the Starbuck fire, began in Beaver County, Oklahoma, as a result of a downed power line brought on by strong winds.2.

March 6, 2018: Meade, Clark and Comanche counties, approximately 500,000 acres — The fire that was known The winds pushed the fire in a northeasterly direction across the counties of Meade (46,000 acres), Clark (426,00 acres), and then Comanche in the state of Kansas (37,000 acres). In the state of Kansas, the first call for fire help came in at one in the afternoon in Clark County.

Damage: The disaster management agency of Clark County estimates that the county sustained a total of $44,650,000 worth of damage as a result of the storm. The destruction of fence accounted for $41 million of the estimate, while the loss of 21 occupied dwellings generated $1.28 million, and damage to electricity poles and cables cost an additional $1.3 million.

In addition, nine vacant dwellings with a total estimated value of $71,000 were destroyed.
Comanche County witnessed the destruction of a residence with an estimated value of $52,420.
In Meade County, three residences that were vacant at the time of the fire were destroyed.2.
The 22nd of March, 2016, in Barber and Comanche counties, encompassing approximately 313,000 acres — It is estimated that around 272,000 acres in Barber County and another 41,000 acres in Comanche County were consumed by the Anderson Creek fire.

A car was the cause of the fire that broke out in Woods County, Oklahoma, and it was started there. At around 6:16 in the evening, Kansas firefighters responded to their first call in Barber County. According to the department of disaster management that serves Barber County, the county sustained damage to the tune of $21 million only from the destruction of its fencing.

There were no further numbers that could be obtained from the county. Comanche County saw the destruction of a mobile home with an estimated value of $6,000.3. The 22nd of March in 2011, in the vicinity of 38,000 acres in Stanton County — At around 11:23 in the morning, the Stanton County Fire and Rescue Department responded to a call in the southwestern portion of the county.

It has not been determined what started the fire. Damage: A firm that specialized in automobile restoration was wiped out. Additionally, the siding on two different residences was broken. It was not possible to provide an estimate of the damage.4. The 27th of March in 2002, in Chase County, on about 30,000 acres — It is believed that a burn pile in Chase County, just west of Cottonwood Falls, was the source of the fire.

Around midday, the fire department was summoned out.
Damage: Not available.5.
On February 24, 1996, a burn pile served as the ignition source for a fire that spread across approximately 25,000 acres in Shawnee County.
Firefighters arrived to the blaze at 11 in the morning.
The damage includes the destruction of two residences as well as many other buildings.

According to a report provided by the Kansas Adjutant General’s Department, the amount of damage to property was calculated to be $250,000.6. On March 12, 2006, over 18,000 acres of land in Meade County — Both a power line and a crop baler were destroyed in the fire.

How many acres burned in Kansas?

(KWCH) – The Kansas Forest Service recently made an announcement with an update to the total acreage that was lost in the wildfires that occurred the previous week. Instead of the first stated figure of 400,000 acres being consumed by fire, the KSF estimates that the true quantity of land lost is closer to 163,000.

The Kansas Forest Service has made available an updated map that depicts the areas that were really consumed by fire on December 15.
The heat, the dust, and the smoke in the air all contributed to the acreage being off.
After the smoke had lifted, the satellite technology provided an accurate depiction of the overall acreage that had been consumed by the fire.

How many acres burned Starbucks fire?

On the morning of March 6, 2017, Bernie Smith, a rancher, was rushing to go somewhere. Along the Kansas-Oklahoma state line, Smith and one of his sons were moving livestock from one wheat pasture to another along the boundary between the two states. However, the spring cleaning was taking place on one of those days that requires Smith, who is also the fire chief in Englewood, Kansas, to remain vigilant.

Since a severe ice storm in January, the expansive prairie had not gotten any precipitation since then. The grass had lost its moisture. Temperatures of 80 degrees Fahrenheit were forecasted, which is approximately 25 degrees higher than average for this time of year. Wind gusts of up to 60 miles per hour were also anticipated.

Within the Barby Ranch, which is located in the southern part of Clark County, Kansas, there is a creek. The Starbuck Fire that started on March 6, 2017, was responsible for the total acreage loss. (Photo for the Journal taken by Amy Bickel.) This time of year, rancher Bernie Smith checks the forecast every single day like he does all year long.

In the latter part of February, Greg Gardiner and his brother Mark are seen here standing in their sale barn. During the Starbuck Fire that started on March 6, 2017, approximately 43,000 acres of the family’s 48,000-acre ranch in the western part of Clark County, Kansas, were destroyed. In addition to the loss of almost 600 heads of cattle, Mark and his wife, Eva, also had their home destroyed.

(Photo taken by Amy Bickel for the Journal.) In the southern part of Clark County, Kansas, the Barby Ranch has recently gotten some new fence installed around its boundaries. The Starbuck Fire was responsible for the loss of all of the land. (Photo for the Journal taken by Amy Bickel.) Allen Barby and his daughter Kristen Carmen pose next to the grader that Allen was riding in when he was attempting to save his livestock from the Starbuck Fire on March 7, 2017.

How did Kansas wildfires start?

Where Is The Fire In Kansas On Wednesday, several wildfires broke out as a result of strong winds and dry weather in the western part of Kansas. At least a dozen houses were destroyed in the fire, and at least three individuals were sent to the hospital. Sheridan County, Trego County, Ellis County, Russell County, Osborne County, and Rooks County all had reports of fires.

In addition, fires were recorded in some additional counties.
Wildfires also wreaked havoc on Wednesday for ranchers in the states of Oklahoma and Texas.
As firefighters fought wildfires on the outskirts of Guymon, Oklahoma, on Wednesday afternoon, some of the city was forced to be evacuated.
At least five separate wildfires were reported in Texas on Wednesday.

Is it illegal to smoke with a child in the car in Kansas?

A law that would have prevented older children from being exposed to the dangers of secondhand smoking has been scuttled by a congressional panel. It was decided by a vote of 5-3 in Subcommittee No.1 of the House Courts of Justice Committee to indefinitely postpone discussion of, which aimed to make it illegal to smoke inside of a motor vehicle that had children less than the age of 16.

At the moment, it is against the law to light up in a vehicle if there are any children younger than 8 present. The three Democrats on the panel voted against the motion to kill the legislation, while the other five Republicans on the subcommittee voted in support of the motion to kill the measure. Elizabeth Guzman, a Democrat who represents Prince William, was the bill’s primary sponsor.

In a news statement she sent on January 7 when she submitted the measure, Guzman stated, “As a mother, it came as a huge surprise to find that children over the age of 8 might be exposed to secondhand smoke in automobiles.” “Virginia is in need of revising its code in order to take into account the findings of evidence-based medical investigations.” The American Lung Association reports that exposure to secondhand smoke is responsible for more than 41,000 fatalities annually and that around 37 percent of youngsters in the United States have been subjected to such smoke at some point in their lives.

The legislation proposed by Guzman would have extended not just to the use of tobacco but also to the use of electronic cigarettes.
She stated that “children less than 16 years old should also be safeguarded from the smoke that is derived from vaping.” “Right now, it’s really well-liked in secondary schools.” The laws that are now in effect in this state do not include provisions for the protection of minors from the nicotine vapor that is produced by the use of electronic cigarettes.

Guzman, who is a mother of four and works as a social worker, has stated that safeguarding children is her top concern. She stated that adolescents aged 16 and older have the right to speak up or exit a vehicle in which the driver or other passengers are smoking.

Guzman said that younger children do not possess this same level of strength. The regulations governing exposure to secondhand smoking have been revised in certain other states. It is against the law to light up in a car that contains a kid who is under the age of 14 in Kansas, and under the age of 13 in Louisiana.

She believed that if the legislation was changed, it would lead to fewer people smoking. According to Guzman, in the year 2011, there was a smoking prevalence rate of 27 percent among people in the state of Kansas. As a direct result of the passage of this law in 2016, the percentage of adults who smoked dropped to 23 percent.

Guzman said smokers “need to comprehend the significance of the fact that passive smoking is the most hazardous kind.
In addition, it is not right that children have no voice and that they are unable to defend themselves or speak out for themselves.” Legislators in Virginia will have another opportunity to review the matter, despite the fact that Guzman’s measure is probably going to be defeated for the session.

A bill that is quite similar to Guzman’s is being sponsored by the Democratic delegate from Roanoke, Sam Rasoul. According to Rasoul’s suggestion,, it would become unlawful to light up a cigarette inside of a moving car when underage passengers are present.

Why does the weather say smoke?

Is vaping indoors illegal in Kansas?

Kansas LAWS & TAXES The Clean Indoor Air Act in the state of Kansas has not been updated to include a provision prohibiting the use of vapor products in areas where smoking is restricted. On the other hand, vaping is not permitted either within or on the grounds of the Department of Corrections.