Medicine Lodge leaders call for voluntary evacuations due to wildfire

Officials in Medicine Lodge are calling for voluntary evacuations because of a wildfire that has burned more than 50,000 acres.

Medicine Lodge has about 2,000 residents. So far, two homes on the north side of town have been destroyed by fire. More than 800 homes and businesses are in danger, according to the Kansas Adjutant General’s Office.

A state of disaster emergency has been declared by Gov. Sam Brownback for the area.

The fire has also caused issues for those traveling in the area. U.S. 160 is closed between Coldwater and Medicine Lodge, and U.S. 281 is closed between Medicine Lodge and the Oklahoma state line. The Kansas Highway Patrol is limiting vehicles in the area that aren’t responding to the emergency.

Two American Red Cross shelters have been established to support Barber County: one at Chaparral High School in Harper County and another in Pratt.

This story was originally published March 23, 2016 at 9:45 PM with the headline "Medicine Lodge leaders call for voluntary evacuations due to wildfire."