Kansas fire officials are asking departments across the state with available brush trucks or water tenders to assist with wildfire operations in southwest Kansas as crews continue battling dangerous fire conditions.
In a statewide notification issued through AlertSense, officials requested that fire departments willing to deploy equipment and personnel for 48 hours or longer respond to the survey notification so resources can be coordinated and assigned where they are needed most.
Emergency management officials emphasized that departments should not self-deploy unless they are neighboring mutual aid agencies that regularly work with affected departments and have been specifically requested by the incident commander.
The request comes as multiple wildfires continue burning in southwest Kansas amid dry conditions, strong winds and elevated fire danger. State officials have urged communities statewide to remain cautious and avoid activities that could spark additional fires.
Governor Laura Kelly on Thursday issued a state of disaster emergency declaration for several southwest Kansas counties to help provide additional state fire suppression resources and support ongoing response operations.