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WILDFIRES - Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas

2K views 8 replies 7 participants last post by  ksbeanfarmer 
#1 ·
Thoughts and Prayers for all those affected by the fires. Some of them dealing with this for a second year in a row. Over 1.3 million acres burned already, over 680,000 acres in Kansas alone (most in state history). 6 people and several thousand head of cattle killed so far. Google "Wildfires" for more info. God Bless Them All. Dave
 
#5 ·
Imagine a fire this size in California, the media would be going crazy!

Anyway, I assume it's pretty dry and lightening started the majority of these fires ? That's a lot of land burnt. I often think about how big these wild fires must of been before any of us were around to help contain them and broke up the Prarie all over. It would have been some kind of scary site !
 
#6 ·
Absolutely massive. When my ancestors homesteaded this country there wasn't a single tree for miles because of regular fires. There is still evidence of fire breaks plowed over 100 years ago. Since the fires stopped this country has bush and bluffs on every undisturbed piece of land. My dad always said if we ever got a big fire going with no black fallow around it would be an epic disaster. So I can only imagine the state of the fires down south.
 
#9 ·
Perfect conditions this year for big fires, lack of moisture, low humidity and 30 mph plus winds. Alot of these areas had above normal rain last year which led to extra grass growth which only added to the fuel this year. Talked to a first responder who just returned home after being out west, he said he'd never seen anything like it. Fires that big create 90 mph plus winds that throw lit embers up to a half mile ahead of the fire line. No word yet on what started these. Doesn't take much to start a fire when it's dry and windy, lit cig butt, wheel rim from a blown tire, fence charger shorted out, safety chain dragging from a trailer, lightning. Heard tonight on the news the fires were 45% contained. Donations of money, hay and fencing have been incredible. Convoys of trucks hauling hay have been headed that way because the surviving herds have nothing to eat, a truck from Battle Creek, Iowa made it to SW Kansas today. Several sale barns are having rollover benefit auctions where someone will donate a head and it will get sold over and over, a Missouri sale raised $23,640 selling a calf. Last year a sale in Pratt, Ks sold a heifer 76 times and raised $92,935 for fire victims. Dave
 
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