It burned three or four houses including one belonging to Marty Barth.
Calculations figured fire was moving at 60mph.!!
News reported approx. 700
power poles down with about 400 replaced as of now.
Wednesday, December 29, 2021
Authorities determine fire origination.
Thursday, December 23, 2021
DONATIONS
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***FIRE RELIEF DONATIONS***
An account has been established at Southwind Bank for victims of the area fires. Funds will be administered by the Paradise United Methodist Church. Monetary donations are accepted at Southwind Bank locations in Natoma and Russell. Checks may be made payable to Fire Relief Fund. When an electronic giving option is made available, we will share that information along with any other details the fund organizers provide.
If you would like to make a donation to help with fire relief in the Paradise, Kansas area you can give online at https://paradiseks.churchtrac.com/
Please designate your donation to be used for Paradise Area Fire Relief. Additionally, an account has been established at Southwind Bank for victims of the area fires. Funds will be administered by the Paradise United Methodist Church. Monetary donations are accepted at Southwind Bank locations in Natoma and Russell. Checks may be made payable to Fire Relief Fund.
From Janette
"Prayers for our little hometown of Paradise!! High winds and fires have destroyed several of my friends homes in the town and around the farming vicinity including my nephew’s beautiful ranch house built in 1906!! The entire area along with surrounding towns were evacuated this afternoon and no one is allowed to go back to check out damage except through radio transmissions!! Prayers for our good friend, the mayor, Brett Thompson, whose pickup rolled over pinning him inside as the fire engulfed him!! He’s in the burn center at St Frances in Wichita!"
MAYOR BRETT THOMPSON FROM HIS DAUGHTER, BRYNAE THOMPSON
Brynae Thompson
“We are all alive.” The words I have on repeat spinning through my head like a song on repeat. This is the absolute most important thing.
Thank you for all of the calls, texts, posts, and prayers. We appreciate them more than you know.
My dad, who was trapped in the fire and got burnt, was released yesterday. Him and mom are getting settled in at their new “home”, my grandma’s house.
He has 70% loss of eye sight in one eye and 50% loss in the other. His corneas are damaged. We are praying and hoping it comes back in time.
My parents house is completely gone, and all of their vehicles except two. My house, grandmas’ and Paradise Grain are all okay. I have feeling of guilt that my house survived, but my childhood home, where I have the most memories did not.
It’s a somber feeling when you sit and think about how much stuff you have in your house, school papers, documents, sentimental things, and in just a matter of minutes, poof gone. The memories we made in that house we will forever be held in our minds.
Probably the most horrific thing I’ve had to do was yesterday, when we were going through what’s left of our cattle herd. We started the process of moving cattle to one field that survived the fire. Some of cattle that survived had no quality of life, bad burns, blindness, etc, had to be put down. We’ve lost half our cattle herd so far, with possible more to die. It’s a helpless feeling when you can’t help
animals you love and it absolutely breaks my already shattered heart.
My love and prayers go out to all of our dear friends who have lost all their belongings, pets, and their cattle herds as well. We love you guys, and together we will all build back. God doesn’t give us more than we can handle, even though it feels like a LOT right now.
Thank you to everyone who came and helped us yesterday. Thank you won’t ever be enough. I appreciate everyone of you, and my heart is bursting with gratefulness and thankfulness for you.
Thank you to all who are heading the disaster relief. We have ADM coming with bagged cubes, and pellets for cattle. So please check in with us at Paradise Grain. We also have people bringing hay by the office. We thought this was a central place so please grab what you need.
Thank you to the firefighters who are STILL working hard at putting these horrendous fires out. Thank you for your selflessness to put yourselves in harms way to protect others.
Thank you again to everyone. We are all alive, and that is the main thing we have to keep focused on, and continue to press forward.
Brynae sent a message this morning . . . (Dec 23)
"Thank you so much! His eye sight is improving everyday. Thank you!"
MESSAGES FROM JANETTE (ANGEL) ROSS
Fron Janette
"Actually Brett was out in his pickup with the fire department trying to get to his cattle! However the 80-100 mph winds literally blew his pickup over, and the fire engulfed the pickup! Honestly, I cannot understand how the firemen got him out of that situation! No one I’ve visited with knows how they got him out!"
From Jeanette
"My nephew Ryan's home and garage near Paradise that recently burn to the ground in the fires supported by 80-100 mph winds in North Central Kansas!"
From MASON (Gene Angel's son).
"I’ve got a lot of memories in this house! It’s had a lot of trials but has stood tall in the last 115 years! There’s a hole in my heart bigger than the hole in the ground."
From Jeanette
"Please pray for my brother Gene & Lynn Angel and Ryan, they have lost so much this last year starting with the flood of May 16th! The former Worley ranch house that stood for well over 100 years was just being remodeled after the flood! (Ryan, his aunt Lori and others had worked daily to repair the damages!) A friend of ours writes: “The family has so much love and compassion even through the heartbreak!” Ryan’s home was totally destroyed by the fires this week! Gene’s home did survive! He and my brother appreciate all the people who have reached out. Thank you so much for those who have come and helped with the heart wrenching task of putting down the herd that is suffering and burying 85 head of cattle along with 75 calves of Gene and Lynn’s! Can anyone even imagine?"
"This is so heart-wrenching! Our friends, Chis & Susan Pelton, are some of many whose entire ranch was destroyed by fire when the 100 mph winds could not be contained just outside of Paradise this week! My nephew’s home (Ryan) the former 100+ year old Worley Ranch house was totally destroyed."
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Posted on facebook by Tim Maupin
Please continue to pray for all of our loved ones as they go through the stress and trauma in this time of their lives. Onnalee
Mandy A. Peak Raithel is with Pat Comingdeer Stielow and 11 others at Bar S Ranch.
“There is no better place to heal a broken heart than on the back of a horse.” - Missy Lyons
The relief effort continues at Bar S Ranch today in Paradise, Kansas. Cowboys and cowgirls are continuing to gather the cattle that survived the fires last Wednesday night. Most of the herd will be moved to multiple locations willing to care for the cattle until the fire-ravaged pastures of Russell County can be renewed. The Bar S cattle will be sorted into breed groups of Angus, Red Angus, and Charolais.
The outpouring of help by our ranching and farming community is unreal. Thank you so much to the hard-working and generous people who are helping all of those who have been hit hard by this unfortunate disaster.
This photo is on location at Bar S Ranch, just outside of Russell, Kansas. The ruins of a home built in 1919 is in the background."
Also posted by Tim from Todd Haas
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