Emergency preparedness saves the day at Yates Center

When you think of wild fires, you might think they only occur out there on the rolling hills of the prairie.

Think again. Wild fires can reach into towns, too.

On March 14, a wild fire, fueled by extremely high winds, swept across several acres of land near the south edge of  Yates Center in Woodson County.

The wild fire reached and then completely destroyed the Yates Center Health and Rehab facility where 28 elderly residents called home. Luckily, there were no injuries or casualities.

The devastating fire at Yates Center should be a wake-up call for all other rural communities. These kinds of out-of-control fires can become very dangerous, very quickly.

Johnny Atkin IV, director of Woodson County Emergency Management. described the YC wild fire as fast-moving and devastating. 

At 3:23 p.m. that day, Atkin said, staff of Yates Center Health and Rehab nursing facility reported a grass fire was spotted rapidly approaching their facility from South Owl Lake area nearby.

At 3:24 p.m. the Yates Center Fire Department was paged, and at 3:25 p.m. the first firefighters arrived on scene. Mission Health staff at YC Health and Rehab then quickly executed their emergency evacuation plan.

“By 3:37, within 12 minutes, all 28 residents had been evacuated from the nursing home, and the staff were safely moving them to Yates Center High School located at the north side of town,” Atkin said. “A temporary shelter had been established by nursing home staff, EMS crews and local volunteers.”

According to Mission Health Vice President of Operations Nikki Jacobs, a few residents were transported to area hospitals (there is no hospital in Yates Center) to be examined after evacuation. However, no staff or residents were harmed during the fire.

The fire reached the facility at 3:44 p.m., igniting the south wall, according to Atkin.

“Fire crews initially attempted an interior, offensive fire attack,” Atkin said. “But the intensity and rapid spread of the fire through the building forced them to adopt a defensive strategy on the exterior of the building.”

This fire also caused several other fires in town, which Atkin said were controlled by strategic backfires and fire breaks. For many hours, crews continued to contain fires and protect the town of Yates Center. That evening, Mission Health staff began transporting residents to nearby sister facilities throughout southeast Kansas.

“The loss of the Yates Center Health and Rehab nursing facility is a devastation to our community. But we are also incredibly fortunate that no lives were lost,” Atkin said. “The rapid and skilled response of the Mission Health team, our first responders, mutual aid partners and countless volunteers ensured that what could have been a much larger tragedy was contained and controlled.’’

Excellent emergency preparedness by all involved was crucial in containing the safety of the nursing home residents. 

Jacobs said that Mission Health intends to rebuild in Yates Center.

The origin and cause of the South Owl fire is still unknown, according to Atkin. The fire is still under investigation by the Kansas Fire Marshal’s Office. There was speculation early on that a camper caught fire at South Owl Lake.

Note: From 1984 to 1995, my wife Connie and I were owners of the YC NEWS community newspaper in Yates Center. The people quoted in this piece about the wild fire are friends of ours.