YATES CENTER, Kan. — The Kansas State Fire Marshal’s Office has classified a March 14th wildfire that spread to and destroyed Yates Center Health and Rehabilitation as incendiary, or human-caused.
Although the full report wasn’t able to be released by Woodson County Emergency Management due to state restrictions, Emergency Management Director Johnny Atkin IV did release some key findings in that report.
It most likely originated from embers off a brush-burn pile southeast of the South Owl Lake Campground that was being maintained by the city of Yates Center. Witnesses reported visible fire at the pile earlier that morning, and that the Yates Center Fire Chief had been told by the individual responsible for tending the pile that it had been fully extinguished and out several hours before the fire broke out.
About 130 acres burns in the fire which was spread by winds gusting up to 70 miles an hour. Estimated damage from the fire, including the total loss of the nursing home, exceeded 4.48 million dollars. This report did not assign any fault or indicate wrongdoing.
Atkin said in a statement The Fire Marshal’s findings provide clarity about how the South Owl Fire likely started. But beyond the cause, the story of that day is also about the people who showed up when it mattered most.
“I remain thankful and amazed that every resident of Yates Center Health and Rehab was safely evacuated, and that staff acted with courage and urgency under extreme pressure,” Atkin said, adding, “I remain incredibly proud of our local firefighters, who stopped the fire—likely preventing the loss of a large portion of our town. Their fast, strategic response under fire conditions most of us hope never to face was nothing short of heroic.”
Atkin said he was humbled by the outpouring of support received, not just from local residents but from volunteers, agencies and mutual aid partners across the state who stepped up to held during one of the community’s most challenging days, as well as being steadfast in a belief they will rebuild, stronger, safer, and better prepared than before. The loss was great, but the strength of our community is greater.
His statement concluded by saying, “Let us not be defined by what we lost, but by how we came together in response.”
