Kansas

KC area fire departments rally to combat massive western Kansas wildfires

Published

2 weeks ago

February 18, 2026

KC area fire departments rally to combat massive western Kansas wildfires

ASHLAND, Kan. (KCTV) – KC Metro Fire Departments are mobilizing resources to combat massive wildfires that swept across western Kansas and the Oklahoma panhandle.

Kansas City Kansas Fire sent two chief officers to assist with response and support efforts Wednesday morning, Feb. 18.

Crews go to southwest Kansas to battle wildfires raging in the area.(Facebook/Shawnee Heights Fire District)

The KCKFD chief officers are en route to assist with the State Incident Support Platform response and will work alongside the Ashland Kansas Fire Department and other agencies operating in the impacted region.

“We stand with the Ashland, Kansas Fire Department and all agencies operating in their community, as well as the departments working the numerous fires across western Kansas,” KCKFD said. “Additional resources may be deployed as needed.”

WILDFIRE LIVE BLOG Day 2: Fires scorch thousands of acres, evacuation orders lifted in SW Kansas

In a coordinated response, a Wildland Task Force departed Johnson County Tuesday, heading to central Kansas as part of a State of Kansas pre-positioning assignment. The deployment comes ahead of a favorable fire forecast, positioning firefighting resources strategically across the state.

The Task Force comprises firefighters from Edwardsville, Consolidated Fire District No. 1, Northwest Consolidated Fire District and Olathe, combining expertise and equipment from multiple Johnson County jurisdictions.

The deployment comes after strong winds swept wildfires from the Oklahoma panhandle into southwest Kansas on Tuesday, forcing evacuations in multiple communities. Among the hardest hit areas was Clark County, where residents of Englewood and Ashland were evacuated to communities to the east.

(Facebook/Shawnee County Fire District 4)

“The fire service stands together,” KCKFD stated, underscoring the collaborative response across state lines and agency boundaries.

By Wednesday morning, evacuation orders for Englewood and Ashland had been lifted, allowing residents to return home. However, multiple fires continued burning across Kansas’ western half and into Oklahoma.

The response also highlighted the serious injuries firefighters face in such operations. Clark County Emergency Management confirmed that at least two firefighters were transported from Clark County to Wichita for treatment of burns and smoke inhalation, with additional firefighters injured on both sides of the Kansas-Oklahoma border.

The KCKFD deployment of both chief officers and the Wildland Task Force represents part of a broader mutual aid response mobilized as firefighting agencies coordinate efforts across the region. Officials indicated the situation remained fluid, with additional resources to be deployed as needed.

Wildland Task Force, Johnson Co., Kan.(Olathe Fire Dept.)

Updates on the firefighting efforts continue as agencies work to contain the blazes across Kansas and Oklahoma.

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Kansas

Former Kansas high school wrestling coach charged with producing child pornography

Published

23 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

Former Kansas high school wrestling coach charged with producing child pornography

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – A former Kansas wrestling coach was charged with creating child sexual abuse materials by secretly recording minors showering during an athletic competition.

According to court documents, 37-year-old Ryan Brungardt of Salina is charged with two counts of production of child pornography and one count of attempted production of child pornography.

Brungardt is a former employee at Lakewood Middle School and former wrestling coach for Salina Central High School.

Brungardt is accused of using a cellphone to record three minors while they showered in a locker room during the Tournament of Champions, a wrestling tournament was held at Newton High in January 2024.

Brungardt made his initial court appearance for the criminal complaint on Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brooks G. Severson.

A detention hearing is scheduled for Monday

Investigators are in the process of reviewing additional seized cellphone videos in this case that are suspected to have been recorded at wrestling meets in Newton, Hays, Garden City and Salina during the 2023-2024 wrestling season.

Anyone who believes they witnessed crimes or any suspicious activity at these events is asked to contact the Kansas Bureau of Investigation at (785) 600-8790 or report at www.kbi.ks.gov/sar.

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