More than 100 fires burned under 16,800 acres this week

The Kansas Division of Emergency Management tracked more than 100 wildfires in the state from Wednesday to Friday — mostly in the south-central region.

Those fires burned fewer than 16,800 acres. As of Saturday afternoon, there were no active fires in Kansas, a news release from KDEM said. There was one controlled fire in Elk County.

No deaths have been reported due to fires, but one person was treated for smoke inhalation and two firefighters have been treated for minor burns.

The State Emergency Operations Center in Topeka will remain staffed through the weekend. There is moderate to extreme fire danger across the state.

An elevated fire weather condition remains in effect for far southwest Kansas as humidity falls to 20 to 25 percent Saturday afternoon with winds increasing to 15 to 20 mph, according to the National Weather Service in Wichita.

There's a significant risk for fire weather on Sunday and an elevated risk through Tuesday.

Kansas Army National Guard Black Hawks with Bambi buckets will remain on standby through the weekend to assist local jurisdictions with aerial fire suppression. Each bucket can disperse 660 gallons of water over the fire.

Additional aerial support will be provided by the Nebraska National Guard through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact.

Local disaster declarations were made by Barber, Butler, Kiowa, Labette, McPherson, Montgomery, Reno, and Rice counties.

Grass fires and heavy smoke led to the closure of the Kansas Turnpike in the Flint Hills on Friday afternoon. Flames had jumped over the turnpike in two locations near El Dorado, authorities said.

Sunday could bring some relief with afternoon showers, though the weather service said it's not a drought buster. Wichita could see less than an inch of rainfall. There is the possibility that some of those storms will be severe, with 60 mph winds and 1-inch hail possible.

This story was originally published March 17, 2018 at 7:25 AM with the headline "More than 100 fires burned under 16,800 acres this week."