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Kansas firefighters on alert
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Kansas firefighters on alert

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – Strong winds and dry conditions are the perfect recipe for fire danger, and for the second day in a row Tuesday, crews across Kansas raced to stay ahead of wildfires and avoid the worst scenarios.

“We’re in extremely high conditions right now and on top of that, lack of moisture, dry conditions, tall grass because we’re ending the tall grass season. and then we had high winds today,” Butler County Fire Capt. Judd Gifford said Tuesday.

Due to windy conditions, a red flag warning is in place for several areas of Kansas. Firefighters at the local and national levels recommend measures to ensure safety on days when fire risk is high.

“First of all, make sure everything is tidy in your home. It’s always a good thing to prevent grass fires from entering your home,” Gifford said. “Then when you do outdoor activities (or when) you need to do some sort of burning, try to limit it to something necessary.”

The Butler County Fire Captain reminded people to take proper precautions.

“Just be safe,” Gifford said. “That’s the most important thing: you pay attention to what you do when it comes to fire. I’m not saying don’t have fire pits or anything, but use them appropriately and appropriately.

The Kansas Adjutant General’s Office also issued an urgent advisory regarding the high fire danger.

“The Kansas Division of Emergency Management, the Kansas Fire Marshal and the Kansas Forest Service are urging Kansans to exercise caution this week due to the risk of wildfires,” the state’s office said. adjutant general. “With unseasonably warm temperatures, a very dry south wind, low relative humidity and extremely dry vegetation, the fire risk across the state is very high today and high the rest of the week .”

A news release from the Kansas Adjutant General’s Office includes a message from Gov. Laura Kelly.

“With the warmer weather, lack of rain and high winds, we are at risk of wildfires breaking out across the state,” said Governor Kelly. “I urge Kansans to avoid any outdoor activities that could spark a wildfire.”