Burn ban extended in Wichita, Sedgwick County through Wednesday

A burn ban has been extended through Wednesday in Sedgwick County, according to Wichita Fire Marshal Brad Crisp.

Rain that was predicted for Sunday didn’t show up, Crisp said Monday, and winds are predicted to be in excess of 35 mph Monday, and more than 15 mph Tuesday. The ban is in coordination with Sedgwick County fire officials, he said.

This is an important time of year for “prescribed burns” by the parks department, farmers and park rangers, Crisp said. Officials are closely monitoring conditions and, if it rains Tuesday, will re-evaluate the ban.

In the meantime, he said, if residents see a fire, they should call 911 even if it doesn’t appear to be an emergency.

“If there is a fire burning out of control or larger than reasonable, we’re going to get units there,” Crisp said. “Then we can make a decision about whether it was on purpose.”

The key, he said, was getting to the fire early.

This story was originally published March 7, 2016 at 12:07 PM with the headline "Burn ban extended in Wichita, Sedgwick County through Wednesday."