Firefighters from 11 agencies battled a wildfire in southern Kansas on March 25 assisted by two UH-60 National Guard Blackhawk helicopters and a privately owned S-2 air tanker.
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly issued a disaster declaration for the EWB Fire burning in Barber County just north of the Oklahoma border about 18 miles southwest of Medicine Lodge.
“The declaration authorizes the use of state resources and personnel to assist with response and recovery operations in affected counties that meet certain criteria,” the governor’s office explained.
Wildfire Today’s very unofficial estimate of the size of the fire based on satellite detections of heat puts it at approximately 4,000 acres. By the end of the day firefighters had mostly stopped the spread of the fire.
Below is an excerpt from the Kansas Forest Service Facebook page, posted March 26, 2020.
Yesterday afternoon, Air Tanker 95, piloted by Bill Garrison, under contract with the Kansas Forest Service was assigned to the EWB Fire in Barber County. Air Tanker 95 made five drops on the EWB Fire with the support of KFS DFMO Bryce Haverkamp who tied in with the local incident commander. This fire brought back memories for many involved as it followed the burn scar from the Anderson Creek Fire of 2016. The collaborative efforts of many agencies and firefighters across the area prevented a wildfire from becoming what could have been a catastrophic wildfire. With social distancing, it may be a while before you are able to thank your local firefighters for their hard work on stopping the EWB Fire – so be sure to send them a text, give them a call, direct message on social media, or air five to thank them for everything they do to protect our Kansas communities.
Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Matt. Typos or errors, report them HERE.
This just isn’t another air tanker making a drop on a fire. Historic photo of a retired CDF (CalFire) airtanker brought out of retirement to fight fires in the sun flower State. For you radial engine fans, if you listen closely (imagine) you can hear the throb of the Wright 1820s as pilot Bill Garrison advances the throttle to climb. Probably could hear the sound two ranches over. Thanks to the Kansas Forest Service and Wildfire Today for sharing this event.
People are asking: what is EWB? Can you pls explain?
Fires are given names to distinguish them from other fires. The names are often based on a landmark or other feature in the area, and in this case I understand it was the name of a ranch near where the fire started.