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TOPEKA – More than 41,000 acres of Kansas has burned since March, making 2012 one of the worst years for wildfire on record, according to the state’s wildland fire prevention and education team.
The fires have caused more property damage than in prior years. Wildfires destroyed at least 26 structures this summer, a sharp spike from the past seven summers when no structures were reported lost, the state announced Wednesday.
Many counties have issued burn bans. The state says people should be extra cautious because the extreme drought affecting most of the state has increased the chance of fires spreading rapidly. Sedgwick County currently does not have a burn ban.
Officials are urging people to equip field equipment, such as brush mowers and hay balers, with fire extinguishers in case the equipment sparks a fire.
