Ferocious winds turned small fires into large ones across Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa Sunday, damaging homes and pushing hundreds of volunteer and professional firefighters to their limits. Farmers and law enforcement took stands along county roads and in farm fields parched by weeks of little or no rain. At least one firefighters was reported injured and a second needed medical treatment.One fire threatened the community of Wisner in Northern Cuming county. Another broke out in western Harrison County, Iowa. A fire also forced voluntary evacuation orders in Northwest Montgomery County until it was contained Sunday evening.By far the worst fires were in southern Lancaster County, fanned by winds in excess of 50 m.p.h. In an odd twist of fate, rain fell on the burned fields just after sunset, and firefighters finally felt they had the upper hand.Lincoln-Lancaster County Nebraska emergency management issued an emergency message Sunday afternoon telling residents to evacuate who lived in a ten-square mile area south of Lincoln due to a wildfire.”If you are between 54th and 38th, Firth (Road) to Olive Creek (Road), please evacuate now to the north and east” read the message posted around 3:30 p.m.By 4:15 p.m., officials expanded the evacuation order two miles south to Apple Road.The area is south of Hickman and west of Firth. By 4:00 p.m., emergency managers had widened their advisory again, urging anyone in Southwest Lancaster County to consider a volunteer evacuation. And by 4:30 p.m. the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office told people to stay off Saltillo Road near SW 12th Street.”Folks please don’t go south of Saltillo anywhere in #LancasterCountyNe,” pleaded toe department in a Tweet. “Please do not drive around barricades!!! Emergency personnel is in the area, we are doing our best to keep everyone safe but we need your help avoiding the area if you don’t need to be there. “Lincoln Southeast High School was serving as an evacuation center for those displaced. Red Cross and Salvation Army workers had been deployed.KFOR radio reported six structures had been damaged or destroyed by fire.Residents in Cortland, Firth, Hallam, Kramer, and Princeton were being relocated Sunday afternoon and the Lancaster County Events Center offered to shelter livestock.Lancaster County emergency managers asked farmers with pivots or water sources please turn them on from SW 72nd to SW 100th from Princeton to Apple. As the sun set, the Lancaster County Sheriff and Nebraska State Patrol were using drones to check for hot spots. And the Sheriff’s Department offered some cautious optimism.”Although things are getting more under control there’s still a lot of stuff with emergency responders needing to get to,’ posted the department on Twitter. “Our main area of interest now is essentially the area of Southwest 100th and West Panama road… The wind has shifted to the west and we basically have a line formed between Crete and Denton along West Panama road.”Winds gusts topped 50 m.p.h. in the area Sunday afternoon, and the National Weather Service continued a Red Flag warning advising any fire could spread rapidly due to the wind and dry conditions.Lincoln Lancaster County Emergency Management is updating alerts on Twitter.Multiple agencies, most of them volunteer, were part of the effort fighting the fire. The Nebraska Forestry Service had been contacted to provide air support. Farmers could be seen on tractors in advance of the fire, doing what they could to create fire lines to stop the approaching flames.
Ferocious winds turned small fires into large ones across Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa Sunday, damaging homes and pushing hundreds of volunteer and professional firefighters to their limits.
Farmers and law enforcement took stands along county roads and in farm fields parched by weeks of little or no rain. At least one firefighters was reported injured and a second needed medical treatment.
One fire threatened the community of Wisner in Northern Cuming county. Another broke out in western Harrison County, Iowa. A fire also forced voluntary evacuation orders in Northwest Montgomery County until it was contained Sunday evening.
By far the worst fires were in southern Lancaster County, fanned by winds in excess of 50 m.p.h. In an odd twist of fate, rain fell on the burned fields just after sunset, and firefighters finally felt they had the upper hand.
Lincoln-Lancaster County Nebraska emergency management issued an emergency message Sunday afternoon telling residents to evacuate who lived in a ten-square mile area south of Lincoln due to a wildfire.
“If you are between 54th and 38th, Firth (Road) to Olive Creek (Road), please evacuate now to the north and east” read the message posted around 3:30 p.m.
By 4:15 p.m., officials expanded the evacuation order two miles south to Apple Road.
The area is south of Hickman and west of Firth.
By 4:00 p.m., emergency managers had widened their advisory again, urging anyone in Southwest Lancaster County to consider a volunteer evacuation. And by 4:30 p.m. the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office told people to stay off Saltillo Road near SW 12th Street.
“Folks please don’t go south of Saltillo anywhere in #LancasterCountyNe,” pleaded toe department in a Tweet. “Please do not drive around barricades!!! Emergency personnel is in the area, we are doing our best to keep everyone safe but we need your help avoiding the area if you don’t need to be there. “
Lincoln Southeast High School was serving as an evacuation center for those displaced. Red Cross and Salvation Army workers had been deployed.
KFOR radio reported six structures had been damaged or destroyed by fire.
Residents in Cortland, Firth, Hallam, Kramer, and Princeton were being relocated Sunday afternoon and the Lancaster County Events Center offered to shelter livestock.
Lancaster County emergency managers asked farmers with pivots or water sources please turn them on from SW 72nd to SW 100th from Princeton to Apple.
As the sun set, the Lancaster County Sheriff and Nebraska State Patrol were using drones to check for hot spots. And the Sheriff’s Department offered some cautious optimism.
“Although things are getting more under control there’s still a lot of stuff with emergency responders needing to get to,’ posted the department on Twitter. “Our main area of interest now is essentially the area of Southwest 100th and West Panama road… The wind has shifted to the west and we basically have a line formed between Crete and Denton along West Panama road.”
Winds gusts topped 50 m.p.h. in the area Sunday afternoon, and the National Weather Service continued a Red Flag warning advising any fire could spread rapidly due to the wind and dry conditions.
Lincoln Lancaster County Emergency Management is updating alerts on Twitter.
Multiple agencies, most of them volunteer, were part of the effort fighting the fire. The Nebraska Forestry Service had been contacted to provide air support. Farmers could be seen on tractors in advance of the fire, doing what they could to create fire lines to stop the approaching flames.
Read More: WInd-swept wildfires force evacuations across Eastern Nebraska, Western Iowa
