17 March 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Local residents near McConnell Air Force Base may see smoke coming from controlled burns this weekend, officials said on Friday.
A news release says on Saturday, March 18 and Sunday, March 19, McConnell Air Force Base will be conducting controlled burns to remove excess vegetation.
The areas on the base for the controlled burns, along with the dates of those burns, are:
Saturday: A vacant field between Topeka Street and Hutchinson Street.
Saturday: A grass field on the northwest corner of McConnell, just east of George Washington Boulevard.
Saturday: Select grass fields in the southeast corner of McConnell, with one area adjacent to the base’s southern fence and west of Rock Road and 42nd Street.
Sunday: Two areas of grass fields at the south end of the runway and the southwest corner of the base property, all within the base perimeter fencing. Both of these areas border 47th Street and are east of Oliver Street.
The burns will be monitored by the 22nd Air Refueling Wing Safety Office, McConnell AFB Fire Department, and Airfield Management. They are being conducted by the Air Force Wildland Center.
Officials say a burn permit has been issued by the Sedgwick County Fire Marshall Office. The burns are subject to weather and wind conditions.