Great Bend Post
Great Bend Fire and EMS thanked other area firefighters and agencies for assisting with a large fire at Doonan Specialized Trailer Saturday evening just east of the intersection of K-156 and U.S. 56 Highways. Those agencies include Ellinwood, Claflin, and Albert Fire, as well as Wheatland Electric, Kansas Gas, the Barton County Sheriff's Office, and the Kansas State Fire Marshal's Office.
At 5:18 p.m. Saturday, Great Bend Fire was dispatched to the report of a building on fire with explosions happening at 36 NE Highway K-156. While en route, heavy smoke was visible from the city limits of Great Bend. Mutual aid was requested from Ellinwood, Claflin, and Albert Fire Departments.
The first crews to arrive found a large fire on the east side of the building. Multiple explosions were still happening and sending debris approximately 30 feet into the air. Crews placed engines on multiple sides of the fire and began to extinguish the fire. Due to no fire hydrants in the area, water was shuttled to the fire from the city.
Crews were eventually able to extinguish the fire. A large number of tires, along with multiple chemicals used at the facility, were involved in the fire. Crews were able to keep the fire contained to the outside of the building, and no damage was caused to the building itself. Crews were on scene for several hours monitoring hot spots. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Kansas State Fire Marshal's Office.