Northwest Fire District

07/27/2026

Extreme heat warning continues for the area. Please be very careful today and over the next couple days. Be sure to drink plenty of water and electrolytes, if you must do outside work do it in the morning or late evening when the sun isn’t so brutal. And make sure to take plenty of breaks to cool off. If for any reason you feel like you need to call 911 because something feels off, please don’t hesitate to call.

The Extreme Heat Warning continues for Franklin, Anderson, Douglas, and Osage Counties in the KOFO listening area until 9 tonight and for Miami and Linn Counties (which were brought under the Extreme Heat Warning yesterday morning at 11:36, canceling the Heat Advisory) until 7 tomorrow morning.

07/25/2026

We are deeply saddened to share that wildland firefighter Nathan Matthews, 43, of Lincoln, Nebraska, died Friday from injuries sustained while responding to the Knowles Fire in western Colorado on June 27. Nate had been receiving medical care for burn injuries sustained during the incident.

Nate was a dedicated member of the Rifle Helitack crew out of Colorado and was one of five firefighters involved in a burnover during initial attack operations. Three firefighters – Emily Barker, Nick Hutcherson, and Sydney Watson – died at the scene.

Please keep Nate’s family and the wildland fire community in your thoughts. Information regarding memorial services for Nate will be released at a later date.

https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/fourth-firefighter-dies-following-knowles-fire-burnover-colorado

07/15/2026

Clearly borrowed from another agency page. But it’s a problem we face here as well. We try our best to provide the best service we can at a cost effective level, but it’s getting more and more difficult with the way costs are skyrocketing.

Firefighting has become more and more expensive over the last few years, with cost increases affecting everything from the gear our firefighters need to be safe to the trucks we use to respond.

Personal protective equipment, or PPE is part of the essential outfitting of each of our members, with the costs increasing about 70% over the last few years. None of this equipment is optional - because the safety of our firefighters is not optional.

07/09/2026

While not currently fire season in Kansas, this is still some valuable information as you hear news about fires elsewhere in the country, and for when wildfires return to eastern Kansas.

What Containment Really Means: A Wildfire Isn’t Out Until It’s Out

When you hear that a wildfire is contained or has partial containment, it’s easy to assume the fire is almost out—but that’s not the case. Containment refers to the portion of a wildfire’s perimeter where control lines—such as hand-dug firebreaks, bulldozer lines or natural barriers—have been completed to prevent the fire from spreading. It does not mean that the fire is no longer burning or that it’s safe to return to the area.

Take the Beehive Fire, for example, which recently reached 11% containment from 0%. That indicates that this is the percentage of the fire’s edge that is surrounded by established lines and barriers that firefighters are confident will hold. However, within the interior of the fire, hot spots may still be smoldering and crews remain on scene to patrol and mop up areas of lingering heat to prevent flare-ups. This fire is still actively being fought on multiple fronts, and its potential to spread remains, especially with changes in weather, terrain or wind.

Even when a wildfire is mostly contained, it can stay dangerous until fully extinguished—a process that can take days, weeks, or months. Containment measures firefighting progress, not whether a fire is out. Evacuations may remain, and crews stay on scene to eliminate all heat, smoke and embers, above and below ground, to prevent reignition. Containment progress is encouraging, but the fire isn’t truly over until it’s completely out.

For information on the Beehive Fire, go to: https://bit.ly/Beehive-Fire-2026

07/05/2026

We understand that the Fourth of July is an exciting time, we’re excited too. But excitement doesn’t absolve us of our responsibility to behave appropriately. Please make sure to properly dispose of hot waste; such as fireworks; in a manner that is less likely to start a fire. Inside a plastic trash can is a prime example of how to NOT dispose of fireworks.

07/03/2026

07/03/2026