Hay Donations Needed

Hay donations are being sought for ranchers whose land burned in a massive wildfire in Kansas and Oklahoma.

The Kansas Livestock Association says it’s accepting cash donations and that farmers’ cooperatives in two Kansas communities are collecting hay donations.

Hundreds of firefighters and have been battling the blaze that started Tuesday in Oklahoma and spread into Kansas. As of Thursday, it had consumed 620 square miles of mostly farmland and ranchland in the two states.

Kansas Incident Management Team spokeswoman Kathleen Fabrizius says officials are planning to fly over the area Friday to evaluate the damage.

Smoke from the blaze has been detected hundreds of miles away in St. Louis. At least one home has burned, but no serious injuries have been reported.