HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Fire Department responded to 5 fire related incidents over the weekend under heightened fire conditions.
The first call came in on Saturday at 11:51 a.m. to the 4600 block of Apricot. An individual was burning a small fire in a recreational burn ring; the fire was extinguished by the homeowner who was not aware of the fire conditions. The second call came in at 1:01 p.m. to the 10500 block of East 4th Avenue. There a very small area was found burnt in the front yard of a residence, with an unknown cause. The third call came in at 3:50 p.m. at Valley Pride Road and Highway 50. Approximately 1 acre of grass was burning along the north side of Highway 50. Fire units controlled the fire quickly. The fourth call of the day came in at 4:15 p.m. to 82nd and Herren Road for an automatic aid response with Fire District 3.
HFD sent 2 brush units and a command vehicle. All units were disregarded enroute by Fire District 3 who was handling 3 separate small fires along 82nd Avenue.
Sunday a structure fire was reported at 4:27 p.m. in the 3300 block of East 56th Avenue. Crews arrived to find heavy fire showing on the outside of the residence with the fire spreading to the surrounding brush and grass. Units contained the brush fire to an acre and the house suffered significant damage. The cause of the fire was determined to be an overloaded electrical receptacle.
The Hutchinson Fire Department would like to thank the community for keeping responses to a minimum during this heightened level of fire danger, by taking preventative measures to prevent fires from starting.
Fire Marshal Michael Cain states “On days that the fire index is very high or above, approved recreational fire pits and chimeneas cannot be utilized. This is a violation of the city burn ordinance.”
The grassland fire index can be located on the National Weather Service page under fire weather and visually indicated at all Hutchinson Fire Stations by a red flag being flown for all days that have a fire danger of very high or above.
HFD would also like to remind citizens with the significant drought conditions that exist, even with significant moisture, fire concerns will continue through the winter months and into the first part of spring.
Please be mindful of weather conditions when conducting any type of burning, not only the day of the burn but ensuing days afterwards.
Please note that all Reno County Fire Districts and the Hutchinson Fire Department have established automatic aid protocols on high fire danger days that bring multiple resources together to help mitigate fires quickly. We appreciate the partnership in protecting Reno County citizens and their property.
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