Sedgwick County Fire District 1, Area Departments Implement Burn Ban

(Sedgwick County, Kan.) – Effective immediately, Sedgwick County Fire District 1 (SCFD1), its member cities and the cities of Valley Center, Colwich, Mt. Hope, Cheney, Clearwater and Mulvane, have implemented a burn ban.

This combined effort of fire departments in Sedgwick County is to combat the current dangerous fire conditions and includes the following regulations:

• No outdoor burning is allowed, including any open burning, chimeneas and other outdoor fireplaces.
• Active burn permits will be suspended, and no new burn permits will be issued.
• This burn ban does not include fires used for food preparation such as barbecue grills.

This ban is necessary because of the extremely dry conditions accompanied by higher-than-normal temperatures, low humidity and typical windy conditions. Should a grass fire occur, it will likely spread quickly and pose additional challenges for the fire services in our area. This ban will continue until these dry conditions improve significantly. SCFD1 will evaluate the status of fire weather conditions weekly.

Residents should contact their respective fire departments with questions about local outdoor-burning requirements, as not all jurisdictions are implementing burn bans.

Violations of the burn ban will be taken seriously, and violators could be cited for non-compliance. Please contact your local fire department with questions, concerns and/or to learn more about preventing a wildland fire near your home.

The Grassland Fire Danger Index for Wichita, KS can be found at Kansas Mesonet | Fire Danger or National Weather Service | Grassland Fire Danger Index. To see current drought information, visit National Weather Service | Kansas Drought Information.