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2025 Kansas wildfires

2025 Kansas wildfires

The 2025 Kansas wildfires are a series of active wildfires currently ongoing in Kansas.

Background

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Kansas Drought Monitor at its peak on April 15, 2025

Kansas regularly experiences its most active wildfire period during March and April, before vegetation begins to green up. This is due to a combination of dry fuels, strong winds, and low humidity—conditions that foster fast-spreading fires. In 2014, Kansas recorded a record 8,075 wildfires, burning 187,000 acres, following this typical seasonal pattern.[1]

Weather patterns are a primary driver of these outbreaks. Kansas State University meteorologist Chip Redmond emphasizes that short-term, weather-driven events—such as dry frontal passages with strong winds—are far more responsible for Kansas megafires than longer-term drought conditions. These dynamic systems, common in early spring, often produce the ignition and spread conditions that state firefighting resources must scramble to contain.[2]

Recent observations suggest the timing and duration of Kansas’s fire season are shifting. In 2025, early-season activity followed a slow start in winter moisture, but conditions aligned later in March and April for rapid wildfire escalation. Officials forecasted an above-average spring fire season, because fuels—grasses and brush—were drying quickly, despite earlier rainfall.[3]

Land managers also recognize that burning during the growing season (July to September) can offer safer, more controlled outcomes when compared to the volatile dormant-season fires. Growing-season burns are conducted under higher humidity and more predictable conditions, reducing the likelihood of fires escaping control. These prescribed burns serve ecosystem functions such as woody vegetation management and improved wildlife habitat, although they do produce more smoke and must be carefully scheduled.[4]

In recent decades, several large, memorable wildfires have reshaped Kansas’s wildfire narrative. The March 2016 Anderson Creek Fire, ignited by a vehicle spark and fueled by parched prairie grasses and strong winds, consumed some 400,000 acres across Oklahoma and Kansas, becoming the largest wildfire in the state’s history. Its scale prompted massive multi-agency response involving firefighters, helicopters, and national guard assistance.[5]

Similarly, the Starbuck Fire in March 2017 burned approximately 463,887 acres, while the Highlands Fire in April of that year required significant coordination across state-managed response teams. In December 2021, during a powerful wind event, the Four County Fire and related ignitions scorched over 163,000 acres in central and western Kansas—proof that fire danger extends well beyond spring and can appear during unseasonably dry, high-wind pulses.[6]

More recently, Climate Central’s analysis confirms that Kansas is experiencing more frequent "fire weather" days characterized by hot, dry, and windy conditions. This trend is extending the potential wildfire season beyond historical norms and putting added strain on local firefighters and rural communities. Alarmingly, fires caused by human negligence—like unattended campfires or equipment sparks—account for nearly 87% of wildfire ignitions in the state.[7]

List of wildfires

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The following is a list of fires that burned more than 1,000 acres (400 ha), produced significant structural damage, or resulted in casualties.

Name County Acres Start date Containment date[a] Notes/Ref
Doiser Grant 1,651 March 1 March 4 [9]
Lake Wabaunsee Wabaunsee 1,200 March 14 March 20 [10]
170 Rd V5 Lyon 1,100 March 14 March 14 [11]
212 Road Cowley 1,500 March 14 March 14 [12]
South Big Creek Woodson 1,450 March 14 March 14 [13]
Y5 Lyon 1,500 March 14
March 18
 [14]
Map
Perimeters of wildfires in Kansas during 2025 (Red: >1000 acres) (map data)

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Containment means that fire crews have established and secured control lines around the fire's perimeter. These lines are artificial barriers, like trenches or cleared vegetation, designed to stop the fire's spread, or natural barriers like rivers. Containment reflects progress in managing the fire but does not necessarily mean the fire is starved of fuel, under control, or put out.[8]

References

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  1. ^ "Wildfire Awareness Week: Number of Kansas wildfires spikes in spring". K-State Research and Extension. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  2. ^ "Kansas fire season is here, officials say". K-State Research and Extension. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  3. ^ "The 2025 Kansas fire season has arrived". K-State Agronomy eUpdates. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  4. ^ "Fire officer: Consider growing season burns to manage rangeland". K-State Research and Extension. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  5. ^ "Governor's Wildfire Task Force - Major Wildfires in Kansas" (PDF). Kansas Wildfire Task Force Report. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  6. ^ "Kansas Wildfire Task Force Report – Major Wildfires in Kansas (2016–2021)" (PDF). Kansas Wildfire Task Force Report. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  7. ^ ""Fire weather" is happening more often in Kansas and Missouri". Axios. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  8. ^ "What containment and other wildfire related terms mean". Los Angeles: KCAL-TV. September 12, 2024. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  9. ^ "Doiser - Wildfire and Smoke Map". Livingston Daily. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
  10. ^ Newspapers, Treasure Coast. "Lake Wabaunsee - Wildfire and Smoke Map". Treasure Coast Newspapers. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
  11. ^ "170 Rd V5 Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved March 18, 2025.
  12. ^ "212 Road Fire - Wildfire and Smoke Map". pressconnects. Retrieved March 18, 2025.
  13. ^ "South Big Creek - Wildfire and Smoke Map". Record Searchlight. Retrieved March 18, 2025.
  14. ^ "Y5 - Wildfire and Smoke Map". Livingston Daily. Retrieved April 20, 2025.


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