A man burned while trying to flee an out-of-control pasture fire southeast of Winfield has died as a result of his injuries, according to a spokesperson at Via Christi-St. Francis.
Shawn Gose, who is believed to be in his late 30s or early 40s, died around 6 p.m., officials said. A second man, Chip Chisholm, was listed in fair condition late Wednesday.
Both men were in a pickup truck ? monitoring a controlled burn being managed by Ranger Tree Service ? when the fire shifted due to the wind, Cowley County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Skov said. The fire had originally started east of 141st Road but had gotten out of control and jumped the road to a pasture on the west side where Gose and Chisholm were working to contain it.
The men had driven their vehicle through a barbed-wire fence hoping to escape the blaze when the truck’s tire became stuck on the bottom wire.
Fire quickly overtook the vehicle and while Chisholm was able to escape, Gose remained inside the truck until a firefighter could pull him out. The incident unfolded around 2 p.m. on a day when the sky in Cowley County was thick with smoke from controlled burns.
Reports at the scene indicated Gose suffered burns to 75 percent of his injuries. Gose was treated at the scene for some time before being transported to the hospital by EagleMed and Chisholm was taken to Wichita by ambulance.
Fire crews stayed busy even after the two patients left the scene, as fires continued to burn and close some sections of rural roads.
The accident occurred about a mile south of the intersection of 212th Road and 141st. It was not clear who owned the property.
The approximate area is marked on the Google map below:
