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Kansas governor says wildfire threat remains a concern

Drought conditions have worsened in Kansas and the state’s top official says the threat of wildfires remain a concern.

Gov. Laura Kelly tells Brownfield…

“I think we’ll be spending some time and effort and resources trying to figure out what more we can do to mitigate wildfires and to bolster our response when they do happen.”

The state formed a Wildfire Task Force in 2022, led by Kansas Ag Secretary Mike Beam. The task force has recommended expanding efforts to reduce fuel loads, improving weather monitoring and increasing resources for local fire departments.

Kelly says most of the state has largely avoided the threat of wildfires this year.  

“The western part of the state hasn’t been hit significantly this year. We just had some pretty substantial damage up in the northeast quadrant. So we know they’re not going away, and we know that with the drought being the way that it is, we need to do more,” she says.

According to the latest U.S. Drought monitor, there was some expansion of severe drought in northeast Kansas and pockets of extreme drought in far southeast Kansas.

The state received some moisture this week and additional rainfall is expected through Tuesday.