CLARK COUNTY — Warm, springlike conditions, coupled with gusty south winds, made life treacherous for firefighters across the Sunflower State Tuesday.
A wildfire in southwest Kansas burned 150,000 acres before it was contained, the Hays Post reported.
The fires were exploding so rapidly, Clark County officials issued evacuation orders for residents in Englewood and Ashland.
Both orders were lifted Wednesday as the fire danger subsided.
The wildfire in southwest Kansas is contained but not out, according to Clark County Attorney Clay Kuhns. The fire continues along the Oklahoma-Kansas state line in Clark County. Two injured firefighters were transported to Wichita for treatment, according to Kuhns.
It wasn’t smoke, but rather blowing dust, cited for a multi-car, chain reaction crash along I-70 that resulted in the death of an Oakley man Wednesday afternoon.
The crash forced the state to close a large portion of the interstate in both directions while the wreckage was cleared.
Fire dangers continued Wednesday throughout much of western and southern Kansas, and elsewhere across the Southern Plains.
The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for extreme grassland fire danger, effective through Thursday evening. Wing gusts of up to 40 mph can be expected Thursday afternoon, according to forecasts.
