Multiple fires in Riley County

Over 35 Riley County firefighters spent most of the afternoon Saturday saving homes and putting out wildfires. Riley County Fire Chief Pat Collins says the first fire of the day was called in at 12:52 PM at 6611 Golden Shores, in the Golden shores subdivision South of Randolph. It only burned about two acres in the cedars around some houses.

While the University Park and Randolph stations were responding to that wildfire, another 911 call came in from 5351 N 48th Street reporting another house in danger from a wildfire south of Sedalia church on US 24. When the first crews arrived from Keats and Tuttle Creek a third call came in from 4670 Harbour Hills Drive in the Harbour Hills sub-division with fire approaching a third house.

The Riley and Blue River Hills firefighters were called and supported by the Konza Valley station and Randolph ,when they were released from the first fire. No structures had reported damage and one volunteer firefighter was taken to the hospital and released later that night. All three fires were the result of people not burning responsibly. Volunteers from Konza Valley, Hunters Island, Tuttle Creek and Zeandale spent a large part of Sunday trying to contain wildfires in the Deep Creek area.

Collins reminds us the citizens of Riley County outside Manhattan depend on the generosity of our volunteer fire fighters. The fire chief adds recently a just few fires have exhausted the volunteer system to the point where if they had another fire they would have no one else to send.