18 April 2023
TOPEKA (KSNT) – April is the height of grass season, and local landowners are burning off last year’s field to make room for Kansas’ famous native grasses. However, such controlled burns can quickly get out of hand.
In addition to property damage, injury is always a concern when fire is involved. Sometimes even the most experienced farmers and landowners find themselves in undesirable situations when setting controlled burns. Kansas wind combined with low humidity levels can cause fires to get out of control, even if it’s unintentional.
Forrest Walter, the fire chief at Mission Township Fire Department, told 27 News that not all departments handle these permits in the same way, but farmers and landowners are supposed to have permission before burning. He also said that no matter how many times someone has set a burn, fire can still be unpredictable.
“Some of these people have been burning for 20 years,” Walter said. “I’ve been here over 25 years, and I recognize the phone number on some of these people because they’re going to burn about every two weeks. So, we do have a lot of people that know what they’re doing, and we have a lot of people that think they know what they’re doing, and then we have people that don’t know what they’re doing. So anything can happen with those three classes of people.”
Walter also emphasized fire safety – for both people and property. Wearing protective clothing is important. According to Walter, his station responded to a controlled burn on Monday where people burned their legs because they weren’t wearing the right clothing.
If you see a fire that seems out of control, don’t hesitate to report it. Concerned citizens can call 9-1-1 or your local fire department non-emergency line.