Smoke from Kansas reaching as far north as South Dakota     By ROXANA HEGEMAN Associated Press BELLE PLAINE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas ranchers eager to prepare their land for cattle grazing have mostly brushed off the plea from state ...

National Guard helicopters helping fight the wildfires   MEDICINE LODGE, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas National Guard has sent two helicopters to help local firefighters battle wildfires burning about 20-25 miles southwest of Medicine Lodge in Barber County. The UH-60 ...

National Guard placed on alert for air support   TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The state of Kansas is under a disaster emergency declaration through Saturday because of the risk of wildfires. Gov. Laura Kelly signed the declaration Thursday. Conditions across ...

State forest service needs more money     TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — An audit has found that Kansas doesn’t have money to devote to wildfires. State auditors say state and local officials have had issues coordinating their firefighting efforts. They ...

27 fires burning across the state     TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Officials say a fire that crossed the Kansas and Colorado state line burned about 75 square miles of grassland. Kansas Adjutant General’s Department spokeswoman Katie Horner says about ...

Homes have been swallowed by the fires     By KEN MILLER, Associated Press OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Frazzled residents in a part of rural northwestern Oklahoma paralyzed by days of wind-whipped wildfires expressed fear a blaze could overrun their ...

Fires burn across Oklahoma, Kansas, and Colorado     OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Firefighters are battling massive wildfires that have destroyed homes and other buildings in parts of Colorado, Kansas and Oklahoma. The blazes are fueled by gusting winds, low ...

Dangerous conditions in the Southwest and Southern Plains   (Associated Press)   By KEN MILLER, Associated Press OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Forecasters warned of dangerous, life-threatening wildfire conditions in parts of the Southwest and Southern Plains on Tuesday as firefighters ...

States brace for spring disasters     By KEN MILLER, Associated Press OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Emergency officials in Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas are bracing for two types of disasters as spring gets into full swing: The start of what’s ...

Intensifying drought has resulted in critical fire danger   By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN, Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The amount of moisture received across the United States’ southern high plains since October has been ridiculously low, and forecasters warned ...