By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post
A fire more than two weeks ago that started in Ness County and spread into neighboring Ellis and Trego counties burned approximately 14,000 acres, according to the Kansas Forest Service.
Ellis County Fire Chief Darin Myers told the Ellis County Commission on Tuesday that officials estimated nearly 10,200 acres of grassland were burned in Ellis County in the Oct. 23 fire in the southwestern portion of the county.
According to Myers, the fire started at an oil tank battery site just off Highway 4 northwest of McCracken.
Ellis County crews were initially asked to help crews in Ness County fight the fire just before 3:30 p.m., but Myers said by the time crews arrived in the area, it had spread into Ellis County.
Myers said they believe an electric spark or malfunction at the site ignited the fire that spread northwest into southwest Ellis County fueled by dry conditions and wind gusts of more than 60 mph.
“It grew all the way north to Antonino Road and east all the way to 150th Avenue,” Myers said. “The fire was just about 10 miles long.”
Myers said that no homes were damaged or lost in the fire, although a metal building along Ellis Avenue was destroyed in the fire.
“I can't explain what it's like to be out there,” Myers said. “When you have zero visibility, not just from the dust but from the soot. The smoke and an orange glow coming at you, and you can feel the heat — but you can't see the fire, and you're trying to put it out.”
Trego County Emergency Manager Kathleen Fabrizius estimated between 1,000 and 1,200 acres of grassland burned in the fire in Trego County, but no structures were damaged.
Trego County crews were pulled off that fire to help fight a second fire in Trego County that day.
Fabrizius said seven homes were evacuated as a result of the fire south of WaKeeney that burned approximately 200 acres. No structures were damaged or lost in that fire.
Ellis County Public Works lost a piece of equipment in the fire along Ellis Avenue. Public Works had several road construction and maintenance vehicles in that area preparing for construction work on the southern portion of Ellis Avenue.
Ellis County crews spent about 12 hours fighting the fire and remained on scene well into the next day to monitor for hotspots.
Because the fire was in such a remote area of the county, Myers said it made it challenging for crews to gain access to the fire.
“By the time I went from one part of the county to get to the fire on completely the other side (of the county), because it is in an open range portion of the county where there are no county roads, it took 16.3 miles for me to get around it from one side to the other,” Myers said.
Myers also told the county commission Tuesday he was grateful for all the help received from not only Ellis County EMS, sheriff’s office, Public Works, Ellis Police and Hays personnel but also from the farmers and businesses in the region.
“The farmers that were out there with their plows and their discs and their tractors is another great benefit that we have that they're out there willing to help,” Myer said.
There were some farmers who had equipment damaged by the fire while helping to work the fire line, according to Myers.
It was the second largest fire Myers said he has seen in the seven years that he has severed with the Ellis County Fire Department apart from the Four County Fire last December.
The county fire department will take part in a meeting later this month that will act as an after-action review.