YATES CENTER — Plans are in the works to rebuild a Yates Center nursing home destroyed in a March 14 grass fire.
Mission Health announced earlier this month that Yates Center Health and Rehab will be rebuilt on the old home’s existing site on the south edge of Yates Center on U.S. 75.
“This is not a rebuild — it’s a fresh start,” Tina Thomas, senior vice president of operations for Mission Health, said in a news release. “We’re designing a beautiful, modern care environment that reflects our commitment to providing excellent care and being part of the Yates Center community for years to come.”
Mission Health owns Yates Center Health and Rehab as well as 43 other facilities across the central and southeast United States. Twenty-nine of the company’s facilities are in Kansas.
The Yates Center facility was destroyed March 14 when a wind-swept fire quickly engulfed the structure.
The Kansas State Fire Marshal’s office announced earlier this month that the blaze most likely was caused by embers from a brush and burn pile maintained by the city of Yates Center near South Owl Lake Campground.
Winds gusting up to 70 mph contributed to the fire’s rapid spread, which burned 130 acres, and caused nearly $4.5 million in damages, including the nursing home.
The Fire Marshal’s report does not assign fault or indicate wrongdoing. According to the report, witnesses had seen a small fire burning at the site that morning, although the person responsible for tending the pile had indicated to the Yates Center Fire Department that all fires had been fully extinguished.
Woodson County was under a burn ban because of the dry, arid conditions, so much so that the National Weather Service said “extreme to catastrophic” fires could arise at a moment’s notice that day.
All 38 residents were safely evacuated from the facility within 12 minutes of employees noting the fire approaching the building.
Mutual aid responses from at least 14 fire departments were a part of the firefighting efforts, as were six emergency medical service departments, and 12 law enforcement and emergency management groups.
Mutual aid responses came from as far away Kansas City and Topeka.
Displaced residents were relocated to other Mission Health facilities or other nearby nursing communities. Roughly half of Yates Center’s 63 staffers have remained within the Mission Health organization. The company plans to announce future job opportunities as the new facility nears completion.
IN A RELATED matter, Johnny Atkin, Woodson County emergency management director and Yates Center City Council member, told the Register Woodson County will not receive reimbursement from the federal government.
The Kansas Department of Emergency Management had filed an application on Woodson County’s behalf for FEMA reimbursement, Atkin explained.
But one of the criteria to qualify for federal funding is a local expenditure of at least $250,000, Atkin said, either through equipment damaged or personnel expenses.
