By ROD ZOOK
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — While the Highlands fire five years ago and some of the fires in Reno County two weeks ago were large and difficult to contain, Hutchinson Fire Chief Steve Beer says the Cottonwood Complex fire was by far larger than anything previous. That combined with the constant wind changes on Saturday made things even more dangerous for fire crews.
“We really had three different head fires, three different fingers,” Beer said. Beer says the fire was so intense that it practically created its own weather system.
“From some of my experienced firefighters that were on the line, they said it looked like a thundercloud yesterday (Saturday) where smoke was going straight up and then basically had a top on it,” Beer said. “It was producing so much heat and wind by itself compared to what the conditions were here (in the city).”
Beer says the terrain in that area is some of the toughest in the county, which also made things difficult for fire crews. He also noted that crews try everything they can to save every structure, but unfortunately that did not happen on Saturday.
“They try so hard to save everybody's personal property,” Beer said. “Just think of your own home, you have all of your possessions, your family pictures, pictures of your kids or whatever . . . you can’t replace that stuff.”
Beer also noted that they ran into a number of problems with homes where steps had not been taken to keep the property more protected from wildfire.
“Some, personally, are just undefendable when you . . . don’t make a defensible space around your home if you’re going to live in the rural areas,” Beer said. “We ask people to maintain a 100 foot perimeter around their home at all times. That doesn’t mean you have to cut down every single tree, but if you have a whole grove of cedars 20 feet from your home and a fire starts, you’re going to have a problem.”
Beer says that is an educational thing that they have been pushing since day one, but some people choose not to and he says that is why they lost some homes.
Beer says they also found vehicles that were abandoned in the middle of the roads because residents trying to flee the blaze had their vehicles catch fire. He noted that there were at least three such incidents on Saturday.
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