Equipment from several other states is helping Kansas as the fire danger continues in elevated form through at least Wednesday.
Kansas State Forester Jason Hartman says equipment from Colorado, South Dakota and Wyoming will help to bolster fire departments already stretched thin over the past week as the grass fire season has gotten off to a fast start.
Three engines and a task force leader are coming from Wyoming, while an engine is on the way from South Dakota and two engines are coming from Colorado. These resources are part of the Great Plains Interstate Fire Compact that lets state officials ask for help from other states in times of critical fire conditions. Kansas Forest Service administrators coordinated with the Kansas Division of Emergency Management and other partners in the state’s Emergency Operations Center to make the request.
There is no word on whether any of these resources will be available areawide. The compact involves Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.
