(Riley County, KS – June 17, 2026) Riley County Fire District #1 and the Manhattan Fire Department responded to reports of a structure fire near the Kansas State University Dairy Unit early this morning.
Emergency crews were dispatched at 4:05 a.m. after a passerby reported the fire to 911. As firefighters approached the scene, they observed heavy flames coming from several storage buildings north of the Kansas State University campus.
A total of 42 units responded, including volunteer firefighters and personnel from Riley County Fire District #1, Manhattan Fire Department, Kansas State University Police Department, and Riley County Emergency Medical Services.
No people or animals were injured in the fire.
Several storage buildings and contents were destroyed. A damage estimate is not yet available.
The Kansas State Fire Marshal and Kansas State University Fire Marshal are on scene investigating the cause of the fire.
At the time of this release, grain and feed storage bins continue to smolder. The Manhattan Fire Department has cleared the scene, while Riley County Fire District #1 personnel and volunteers are expected to remain for several hours to fully extinguish the fire and conduct mop-up operations. K-State staff are assisting with debris removal using heavy equipment.
“We are concerned about the high winds today and blowing embers to other parts of the surrounding K-State North Farm,” Riley County Emergency Services Director and Fire Chief Russel Stukey said. “We’ll stay on scene as long as needed to help ensure that doesn’t happen.”
“The university appreciates the prompt and continued response by all emergency services involved,” said Michelle Geering, Kansas State University spokesperson.
About Riley County Fire District #1
Riley County Fire District #1 provides comprehensive fire protection and emergency response services across approximately 500 square miles of suburban and rural terrain, including cities of Riley, Leonardville, Ogden, and Randolph. With support from the City of Manhattan, the district’s 15 fire stations and over 130 volunteer firefighters are dedicated to safeguarding the community from various hazards and disasters.
People interested in volunteering can find additional information online at www.rileycountyks.gov/fire or by calling headquarters at 785-537-6333 during regular business hours.
About Manhattan Fire Department
The Manhattan Fire Department is an ISO Class I, career fire department, serving the City of Manhattan from five fire stations. The department provides fire, emergency medical first response, technician-level hazardous material response, and technical rescue, including vehicle extrication, trench, high-angle, low-angle, surface water, structural collapse, and wide-area search. The department serves as a Type I regional hazardous materials response team under the State Fire Marshal, primarily for 8 surrounding counties. MFD is part of Northeast Task Force 2, a search-and-rescue/water-rescue team with other area departments, and is tasked with covering 23 counties for urban search-and-rescue response.
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