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    State wildfires now encompass 1,000 square miles

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    By on State News
    A National Guard helicopter picks up water from a small pond near Hutchinson, Kan., Tuesday, March 7, 2017. Fires raged in parts of Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Colorado, and warnings that conditions were ripe were issued for Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska. The fire warning came after powerful thunderstorms moved through the middle of the country overnight, spawning dozens of suspected tornadoes, according to the National Weather Service. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)
    A National Guard helicopter picks up water from a small pond near Hutchinson Tuesday. Fires raged in parts of Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Colorado, and warnings that conditions were ripe were issued for Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska. The fire warning came after powerful thunderstorms moved through the middle of the country overnight, spawning dozens of suspected tornadoes, according to the National Weather Service. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

    New estimates indicate Kansas wildfires have burned more than 1,000 square miles, up from 625 square miles.

    The Manhattan Fire Department and Riley County Fire District No. 1 sent crews to assist with the fires near Hutchinson Monday and Tuesday.

    The Kansas Division of Emergency Management said late Tuesday that the heaviest damage is in Clark County, where 548 square miles have burned. That fire started in Oklahoma before moving into the Kansas ranching community.

    Another 235 square miles have burned in neighboring Comanche County, Kansas.

    The state says six other counties are battling blazes. Among them, estimates of the burned land range from a single square mile to about 90.

    Kansas National Guard Black Hawk helicopters have been assisting with the firefight. They dropped about 138,000 gallons on fires near Hutchinson in Reno County, where 10,000 to 12,000 people voluntarily evacuated their homes.

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