Fires that began March 4 took an especially hard toll in Kansas, in what Kansas Division of Emergency Management called the largest single fire in recorded history.
Another string of fires in the Texas Panhandle claimed five lives, including three ranchers in Gray County who were working together to save cattle on a family operation in Franklin. The ranchers were identified as Sloan Everett, 35; Cody Crockett, 20; and Sydney Wallace, 23.
Other Texas fatalities were reported in Lipscomb and Ochiltree counties, with two other fire-related deaths reported in Kansas and Oklahoma.
Livestock officials in the affected states could not place an early number on the total cattle lost. But in Kansas, more than 500,000 acres have burned in Clark and Comanche counties alone, and total acreage burnt hit 650,000 acres on March 8.
In the Texas Panhandle, total acreage burned reached 440,000 acres, with 400,000 acres consumed in Oklahoma and another 30,000 in Colorado.
Among those operations affected was the Gardiner Ranch, one of the oldest and largest in Kansas. One of the owners, Greg Gardiner, told the Wichita Eagle that he estimated at least 500 cows were killed, most of them with unborn calves.
“This isn’t the first catastrophe we’ve faced, but I think it’s going to be the biggest speed bump we’ve run into for the ranch.”
In the Texas Panhandle, Danny Nusser, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension regional program leader in Amarillo, said Livestock Supply Points were being established to help producers in several counties hit with losses.
“We know there are animal death losses, and the Texas Animal Health Commission and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality will take care of those issues; however, we also know there are those people who need help with their live animals right now,” Nusser said.
“We have livestock that are displaced and don’t have forages available to keep them fed. We are setting up two Livestock Supply Points to collect and disperse feed, hay, fencing, vet supplies and other donated items.”
Kansas Department of Health and Environment encouraged ranches with livestock lost in the fire to contact them at (785) 296-1121 for assistance disposing of dead livestock. Likewise, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality recommended Texas producers call (800) 832-8224 for disposal concerns.
Additional relief efforts were established among livestock and cattle industry groups to assist ranchers. The Kansas Livestock Association has asked for hay and fencing material donations to go to affected areas. Call (785) 273-5115 or go to the group’s foundation site (Kansas Livestock Association donation form) for additional donations.
In Oklahoma, donations can go to the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s foundation (Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association fire relief fund).
In Colorado, where fires have taken 30,000 acres, the immediate need was for hay, feed and fencing supplies and trucking services. 
Kay Ledbetter of Texas AgriLife assisted with this reporting.
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David Cooper
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