Fire crews from Lancaster and Cass counties responded to a large grass fire in northeast Lancaster County on Thursday.
At about 11:15 a.m., the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office, the Nebraska State Patrol and numerous rural fire departments were dispatched to North 190th Street and Mill Road for a fire. The fire was started by a combine harvesting beans, Chief Deputy Ben Houchin said.
Houchin said 120 acres of grass, bean and corn stubble were burned along with 20 acres of beans. The combine was a total loss, but no structures were damaged nor were there any injuries.
There was a potential of risk for Greenwood after the fire jumped over the road from Lancaster County into Cass County, according to Cass County Sheriff's Lt. Larry Burke. Burke said Greenwood went into a shelter-in-place status, but no one had to evacuate.
Houchin said there was also concern for a nearby anhydrous ammonia plant. Nebraska 6 was closed from North 148th Street to Greenwood for less than an hour and was reopened before 1 p.m.
"We were trying to get our drone up, but it was so windy we weren't able to do that, hence again why the fire spread so fast," Houchin said.
Listen now and subscribe: | | | |
Waverly Fire and Rescue Chief Ryan Mueller said the fire was in harvested crop. With wind and heavy smoke, Mueller said it was difficult to find the head of the fire, which he said was contained by 1 p.m.
This is the second combine fire this week in Lancaster County. On Sunday, more than a dozen rural fire departments responded to a grass fire near North 80th Street and Branched Oak Road that burned between 250 and 300 acres.Â
In Gage County on Thursday afternoon, firefighters were also battling fires in fields south of Wymore and west of Barneston and north of Beatrice.Â
Several fires started by agricultural equipment burned more than 1,000 acres in Gage County on Oct. 4-5., and a fire Wednesday night near Crete was reportedly started by a hay baler.
Mueller said farmers should be cautious, cognitive of their surroundings, have a tractor and a disc nearby and have access to water. During Thursday's fire, Mueller said there were a handful of tractors with disc implements that helped out.
Houchin said he hadn't heard of restrictions on local farmers and combine usage, despite part of the state being in a red flag warning, which means fire danger is high.
Lincoln is in a red flag warning until 7 p.m. Thursday.