No outdoor burning will be permitted for portions of the KVOE listening area Tuesday.
A Red Flag Warning has been issued for Lyon and Coffey counties from 11 am to 6 pm Tuesday. A separate warning has been issued for Greenwood County from 11 am to 8 pm.
Red Flag Warnings mean automatic burn bans for all affected counties.
The warning was issued due to the possibility of elevated fire danger, possibly high to extreme, Tuesday due to a number of factors including relative humidity as low as 20 percent, southwest winds of 15-20 mph with gusts as high as 25-30 mph possible and warm temperatures near 80 degrees. Any fires that do develop could become out of control and spread rapidly.
On top of the warning, a wind advisory is also in effect for Chase and Greenwood counties from 1 pm Tuesday to 3 am Wednesday.
10:15 am Monday: WEATHER: With fire danger elevated at minimum all week, firefighters urging landowners to watch weather before deciding on burns
Lyon County firefighters had a busy weekend, and they are hoping landowners take several steps so the fire danger this week doesn’t materialize.
Fire danger will be elevated at minimum all week. Tuesday could see very high to extreme fire danger areawide, and Greenwood County has already been placed in a fire weather watch for the morning and afternoon hours. Blustery conditions will keep the fire danger elevated all the way through the upcoming weekend.
Coffey County is now in a burn ban until further notice. Osage County, which had been in a burn ban from Thursday to Sunday, has not announced an extension.
Emporia Fire Battalion Chief Ryan Conley says landowners have to track the weather when it gets warm, windy and dry, like it will be for most of the week.
Landowners have to pay special attention to wind shifts, especially in the afternoon hours. They also need to have enough manpower and water on hand to put out burns, and they need to report burns to Lyon County Emergency Dispatch. The easiest way is by going online to lyoncounty911.org.
Firefighters from Emporia, Hartford-Neosho Rapids and Olpe dealt with a hay bale fire in the 2000 block of Road 60 on Monday. Details about that fire are pending.
Firefighters from Emporia, Allen-Admire and Americus handled a grass fire near Roads 300 and J on Sunday. That fire was under control until a wind shift.
Crews from Emporia, Allen-Admire, Americus and Olpe battled a destructive barn fire in the 1800 block of Road E-5 on Saturday. An untold number of ducks and chicks died in that fire.
