While it may be several days before officials release details on the number of homes and buildings damaged or destroyed in the Cottonwood Complex fire, Hutchinson Fire Chief Steven Beer said the count will be “well over” what was lost in the Highland and Blue Spruce fires of March 2017.

Officials, meanwhile, reported the body of a missing person has been found. No other details were released pending positive identification.

A specialized team made up of firefighters from across the state conducted a grid search of where the individual was believed to have been, in an area off of Fourth Avenue and Victory Road.

A second person who had also been reported missing was found safe, Beer reported after receiving a text after the conclusion of a press conference Sunday morning. The two individuals were not related.

Fire crews continued to battle hotspots within a fire area that encompassed some 12,000 acres, spread across a dozen square miles. Beer said the fire is “not remotely close to being under control,” though he didn’t have a percentage of containment.

However, it’s no longer spreading.

The concern now is for another wind shift expected to occur on Tuesday or Wednesday.

“The cottonwoods in there are massive,” Beer said. “Some will burn for months.”

Beer estimated at least 25 vehicles and 40 firefighting crews were in the area on Sunday. While most roads in the area are open, due to the high number of firefighters and the continued search for the missing individual, Beer asked that people who did not live in the area stay out.

More:Fires under control, but winds shifting multiple times created challenge for firefighters

Reno County VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters) is seeking financial donations to assist the fire victims and accepting calls from those in need of assistance.

 Financial donations can be mailed or taken to the United Way office, 924 N. Main, Hutchinson, 67501, or donated through the United Way of Reno County website:  https://www.unitedwayofrenocounty.org/

Anyone with questions or to seek assistance can call 2-1-1.

Some homes continue to burn, he said, so even residents who lost homes aren't being allowed back in yet.

Two Black Hawk helicopters were expected in Hutchinson Sunday morning to make airdrops of water. However, one of the helicopters was having mechanical issues, so just one had responded by noon and then was grounded by weather after about an hour. A second Black Hawk helicopter arrived in the afternoon. 

Due to the aircraft working in the area, air space, including for drones, remains closed from Obee Road to Burmac Road, and from 30th Avenue to U.S. 50. If any drones are in the area, it will shut the air operations down, Beer warned.

The county has implemented a burn ban that will be in effect for the next several days. By mid-week, the fire danger was expected to be elevated again, so the ban could be extended.

The cause for the fire remains under investigation, but “we are getting closer to making a determination,” the chief said.

More:Kansas wildfires damage homes, cause injuries east of Hutchinson in Harvey County

There were several differences between this weekend’s fires and the Highland and Blue Spruce fires, which occurred March 4 to 6, 2017, destroying a dozen homes, damaging 11 others and charring 6,000 acres, Beer said.

There were three significant wind shifts on Saturday, pushing the fire in different directions as firefighters battled to control it, versus two wind shifts that occurred in 2017.

From 2017:PHOTOS, VIDEO: Firefighters keep large fire in Highlands area from significantly damaging

The fire started south of Fourth Avenue and then crossed to the north. Then a west wind pushed it eastward, across Buhler Road, and it spread rapidly through the Cottonwood Hills Golf Course, Operations Chief Doug Hanen said on Saturday. Winds then shifted to the west, creating at least three fire fronts.

More:Reno County wildfires damage two homes and a shed Tuesday

The area of Saturday’s fire is also more densely covered in trees than the Highland area, with even more challenging terrain.

There are also several dead-end roads in the subdivisions involved in this fire, which made it difficult to get into some places, and for residents to get out, making some homes “almost indefensible,” Beer said.

“When you have winds changing, the fire can get behind you,” Beer said. “You have to make tactical decisions where to move. If you look at the Victory Road area, a lot of those are deadended. You only have one way in and the same way out… It’s almost like a suicide mission driving in there. If you drive in, you can become trapped.”

“We were in there doing a lot of rescues of people,” Beer said. “Lives were saved. There are actually two or three cars on Victory Road that are burned up, where they abandoned their cars after they started on fire when they were trying to get out.”

That's also where most of the homes were damaged or destroyed, he said.

“The core area is around Victory and the three dead-end roads, but there are some sporadic ones too,” Beer said.

More:Reno County fire near Hutchinson prompted evacuation of several dozen homes on Fourth Avenue

The fire was so intense the heat damaged one of the department’s brush trucks.

“The emergency lights on top of the truck melted,” Beer said. “A tail light melted. On a pump on the back, some of the wires melted. The fire hose melted. Our guys were in some terrible conditions yesterday. To come out of this, with hundreds of firefighters working the last couple of days, with zero injuries is a testament to good communication and a good command post.”

“Firefighters on the line said it looked like a thundercloud, with the smoke going straight in the air and forming a big top,” Beer said. “There was so much heat it created wind in itself. And fires were spotting a half-mile to a mile ahead of the main fire.”

Related:Track wildfires near Hutchinson

While no firefighters were injured, several residents did suffer burns. Those injuries were thought to be minor, though two people sought treatment at Hutchinson Regional Medical Center, he said.

As a result of the weekend fires, Beer said he will be seeking changes in county ordinances and site planning.

“We need help,” he said. “With the type of fires we have, sometimes it feels like going into a gunfight with a knife. We also need better equipment and stuff like that… I definitely foresee changes in the city and the county. We have a laundry list we’re going to present to the county board.”

Beer again praised the assistance of the sheriff’s office, emergency management, public works and the Red Cross.

“Our men and women do a heck of a job, but we can’t do it without their help,” he said. “When we give an evacuation order, sheriff’s deputies go house to house to clear it out, so we can stay focused on firefighting.”

He also praised the public, who have stepped up to assist both firefighters and those who lost homes.

Reno County VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters) is seeking financial donations to assist the fire victims and accepting calls from those in need of assistance. To donate drop them at the United Way office, 924 N. Main, or online at https://www.unitedwayofrenocounty.org/ 

Anyone with questions or to seek assistance can call 2-1-1.