County extends local disaster declaration after gas release in Fox Ridge; residents evacuated

Harvey County emergency-management staff updated the commission Sept. 2 on an ongoing underground natural-gas release discovered Aug. 22 in the Fox Ridge development near Newton. Emergency Management Assistant Director Lee Miller told the commission that “no injuries or property damage have been reported and there is no immediate threat to the public, but some area residents have evacuated.” Newton Fire is coordinating response and Kansas Gas Service is monitoring crews on site.

The county reported it has paid initial costs to hire firms to investigate the source and said it will seek reimbursement or other funding sources for those expenses. Soil-gas samples are being analyzed to identify chemical constituents and help pinpoint the source of the release. Commissioners voted unanimously to extend the proclamation of a State of Local Disaster Emergency to Sept. 16 to maintain authority for incident actions and cost recovery activities.

Why this matters: the incident required coordinated response between local fire, county emergency management, and gas-utility crews and prompted temporary evacuations. Extending the proclamation preserves authority for emergency measures and for the county to pursue reimbursement for expenses associated with monitoring and investigation.

What comes next: testing results and contractor reports will inform investigation and remediation plans; the county will continue coordination with Newton Fire, Kansas Gas Service and state partners.