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Fire damages homes, forces evacuation of Satanta
Published 4/3/2011 in Local News
By RACHAEL GRAY & KAMIL ZAWADZKI
rgray@gctelegram.com, kzawadzki@gctelegram.com
Satanta residents were forced to evacuate after strong winds swept a massive grass fire dangerously close to the town Sunday afternoon.
Haskell County Emergency Management has been coordinating the attempt to put out the blaze, just weeks after a grass fire burned nearly 60 square miles in Stanton County.
The Red Cross has been on-hand in both instances to help assist evacuation efforts, establishing an emergency shelter in Sublette High School, according to Carolyn Henry, executive director of Southwest Kansas Red Cross.
"We always help with immediate needs, which is shelter, food, clothing, that type of thing," Henry said. "We're feeding anybody and everybody who's helping with the situation."
Henry said the evacuation had been ongoing throughout the day, and volunteers from Sublette were involved in helping ensure that everyone in Satanta made it out.
Herman Kowalke, Jr. and his family were among the Satanta residents that found food, water and shelter in Sublette, fleeing their home with the few things they could carry and their pets.
"[We took] immediate necessities that we thought we might need to get us by overnight, or maybe even a couple of days, if necessary," Kowalke said.
With volunteers and staff at the high school ready to serve them hot meals and ensure a place for their dogs and cats, the Kowalkes rested and began planning for what's next for them.
"We've had a couple people tell us we could stay at their place, one family in Sublette and another in Garden City," he said. "Other than that we could be pitching a tent here right on the gymnasium floor."
Haskell County officials set up roadblocks at the intersections of routes leading towards Satanta, with drivers being informed of the fire hazard and told to find another way to reach their destinations throughout the afternoon.
A Haskell County Emergency Management press release advised that residents would be able to return to their homes as the fire danger has been sufficiently diminished by 8 p.m.
Continued fire flare-ups kept Highway 56 closed to westbound traffic at County Road FF, however, as fire crews battled wind-swept blazes west of Satanta.
Three homes were damaged, according to the press release, including two trailer houses at Cattle Empire #3 and a home near Miller Feed Lot.
Henry said that the Red Cross would be prepared to step in with assistance to people with damaged homes, once more information would be available.
"That's what the Red Cross is here for," Henry said. "That's what people donate to us for, so that we can help those in time of need."
Be sure to pick up a copy of Monday's paper for an update on the Satanta grass fire and its aftermath.
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