Wichita firefighters battle building and grass fires; wildfire danger in Kansas forecast

Firefighters are battling a building fire and grass fire that started Monday afternoon in southwest Wichita.

Fire crews were first called at around 3:07 p.m. to a fire in the 4300 block of West 29th Street South, a Sedgwick County Dispatch Supervisor said. No injuries had been reported as of 5:12 p.m.

Wichita Fire Department officials said on social media that crews have both a building fire and a running grass fire. Additional firefighters were called to help battle the three-alarm fire. Smoke from the flames could be seen from other areas of the city.

The blaze reportedly started at a recycling center, sparking a grass fire that was threatening a mobile home park.

Crews were actively fighting the fire as of around 5 p.m. Department officials said firefighters will stay on the scene for the rest of the day and overnight, even after the fire is out, to watch for hot spots.

The fire offers a warning, as much of the region faces high wildfire potential this week. A hazardous weather outlook from the National Weather Service office in Wichita referred to “extreme grassland fire danger” Monday afternoon and evening, adding that “outdoor burning should be avoided.”

Tuesday and Wednesday will also have a high wildfire potential during the afternoon hours, according to NWS Wichita’s forecast.

Gov. Laura Kelly on Monday issued a State of Disaster Emergency due to the high risk of wildland fires and red flag warnings in several Kansas counties

“It is because wildfires can spring up so suddenly under these conditions that I have put this disaster declaration in place,” Kelly said in a statement. “Placing resources such as these helicopters and other resources on standby help the state respond more quickly if a fire begins to spread.”

This story was originally published March 8, 2021 at 5:29 PM.