Fires

[Marilyn]

I don't believe our home would be in danger from a brush fire. There is a brushy field across the street from our subdivision, but there are two streets between us and the field, no homes, but the fire would have to jump both streets. The golf course behind us is dry, but they do run the sprinklers some, so all we get is the smoke from fires in the area.

There are farmers and ranchers who do controlled burns every year, but we've been under a burn ban for months, and unless we get some rain, they won't be able to burn this year. They do it on a not so windy day, so the smoke goes pretty much straight up. With the winds we are having, if there is a brush fire, whoever is down wind is gonna get the smoke. The city was downwind from both the fires on Saturday, so we all got a good dose.

This is nothing like the fires in California. Since we are on relatively flat land, you don't get the same wind effects that they do in California to start the huge raging fires, thank goodness!!

[DianaB]

This is from the National Weather Service for our area......

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL KANSAS...
SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS AND SOUTHEAST KANSAS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THE GRASSLAND FIRE DANGER INDEX WILL CLIMB INTO THE HIGH CATEGORY
THIS AFTERNOON...FROM THE FLINT HILLS WESTWARD ACROSS MOST OF
CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS. VERY HIGH FIRE DANGER IS
EXPECTED FOR AREAS TO THE WEST OF HIGHWAY 14...OR GENERALLY WEST
OF A LINCOLN TO LYONS TO ANTHONY LINE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

VERY HIGH FIRE DANGER IS EXPECTED ON TUESDAY AFTERNOON...FROM THE
FLINT HILLS WESTWARD ACROSS ALL OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL
KANSAS. HIGH FIRE DANGER IS EXPECTED ON TUESDAY AFTERNOON ACROSS
SOUTHEAST KANSAS.

HIGH FIRE DANGER IS EXPECTED ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA ON WEDNESDAY
AFTERNOON...WITH HIGH TO VERY HIGH FIRE DANGER EXPECTED ACROSS
MUCH OF THE AREA ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY.

Hopefully we won't have someone go and burn their trash or burn off a pasture, or worse yet, just start a fire for the fun of it, which unfortunately does happen. We've had these warnings all winter which is really unusual.

[Janet]

Is there any rain at all in the forecast Diana?

[gja1000]

There were 25 homes and 12 businesses destroyed by the fires near Austin over the weekend. Very very bad and very scary. We are so dry here in central Texas, I fear this won't be out last bout with fire!

[Marilyn]

There was another fire in our county yesterday afternoon. So far over 2000 acres have burned. Thankfully only one house has been destroyed. There were some barns lost, and one rancher lost 35 head of cattle. So sad!!!

It wasn't as windy today, so hopefully things will settle down a bit. Two of the fires were attributed to people burning trash. You'd think they would be more careful.

Diana, you take care and keep that yard watered!!

[DianaB]

Originally Posted by Janet

Is there any rain at all in the forecast Diana?

No, no rain. It's been like this all winter and when we have had a forecast for rain we've gotten just a trickle. I sure hope that this isn't what summer will be like. My son is coming back to farm with us and all of us really need a good crop.

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick...Field2=-95.824

Marilyn and Gayle, I hope for all of our sakes that we get a really good rain shower and end all of this fire worry.

[judy]

This is so scary! Just be safe! How awful for those who lost their homes and got hurt.