MEDICINE LODGE, Kan. — The Kansas National Guard has sent two helicopters to help local firefighters battle wildfires burning about 20-25 miles southwest of Medicine Lodge in Barber County.
The agency says in a news release that the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters from the Kansas National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 108th Aviation out of Salina are equipped with collapsible 660-gallon water buckets. The Kansas Forest Service has also deployed an air tanker to make water drops.
Gov. Laura Kelly has issued a disaster declaration for the fires.
