Hutchinson fire officials have identified the cause of a wildfire that has burned around 12,000 acres in eastern Reno County. The cause was determined to have started from a brush pile that was left unattended.
The Reno County Sheriff’s Office has identified the man who died in the fire as 45-year-old Chadwick Penner. He had been reported missing and his body was found Sunday in a wooded area.
Crews now have the Cottonwood Complex Fire at 85 percent containment, and they have been working on hot spots and burning trees. Fire officials said the process has been going faster due to the snowfall from Sunday.
It’s expected that the fire will be fully contained sometime between Thursday and Saturday if operations go well. Flight restrictions have been lifted for the area. They were put into effect to allow firefighting aircraft to get to the fire scene.
Monetary donations to help people affected by the fire can be made by calling 211, or mailed to the United Way office at 924 North Main in Hutchinson, or by going online to the website https://www.unitedwayofrenocounty.org
The Hutchinson Fire Department also expressed thanks to the community for donations of food, water and other items, saying those donations have helped firefighters and other first responders to continue to fight the blaze.
