Grass fires miss Imperial district; area communities aren’t so lucky

     A rash of grass fires, fueled by high winds and dry conditions, have plagued area fire departments since late last week.
    While most have been contained, the Road 702 fire that threatened communities in Furnas, Frontier and Red Willow counties continued to burn early this week.
    The Nebraska Emergency Management Agency estimates that fire had burned close to 50,000 acres early this week and was 47% contained.
    Communities threatened in the Road 702 Fire’s burn area, some of which were evacuated, included Cambridge, Bartley, Wilsonville and Indianola.
    The fire has burned mostly in Nebraska, though it started just south of the border in Kansas, according to reports.
    Fire departments in Imperial and Lamar were not called to the Road 702 Fire, but sent trucks and personnel to others.
    Surprisingly, no fires were reported in the Imperial Fire District, which the Lamar fire department also helps cover, said Fire Chief Doug Mitchell.
    However, Imperial sent a quick attack unit to fires in Benkelman and Elsie, and IVFD 2nd Asst. Chief Kelsey Weiss served in relief as Incident Commander near Hayes Center, helping relieve their fire chief there.
    Chase County Emergency Manager Duane Dreiling also responded to Hayes County to assist.
    Weiss, an 18-year IVFD member, said he’s never seen anything like the rash of fires that has hit Nebraska recently.
    He’s fought wildfires in California, and said Tuesday the situation here is beginning to remind him of the soil conditions in California.
    “The dryness isn’t as deep as California, but it has me concerned,” he said.
    Like Mitchell, he said he doesn’t know how the Imperial Fire District had no fires last week.
    Lamar firefighters provided mutual aid at the Hayes Center and Elsie fires, said firefighter Brock Stromberger.
    The Wauneta Volunteer Fire Department had a series of small fires in its own district from lightning strikes that started north of Wauneta about midnight Friday, said Fire Chief Tanner Bardsley.
    Prior to their own calls, Wauneta sent a truck and firefighters to both Benkelman and north of Hamlet, the latter to aid the Palisade department, and then sent help to the Elsie fire, as well, he said.
    Bardsley said he, too, is keeping his fingers crossed as winds were picking up again Tuesday.
    In Benkelman Friday, residents from main street and east of town, north of the railroad tracks, were asked to evacuate to Dundy County High School.
    Imperial EMS was contacted to be on standby for possible help in Benkelman to evacuate the Dundy County Hospital. However, Deb Hayes, EMS president, said the hospital didn’t evacuate so they weren’t needed.
    National Weather Service red flag fire warnings on Tuesday again placed Chase County in the area of concern.
Retired Cambridge
fire chief dies
    Retired Cambridge Fire Chief John P. Trumble was helping firefighters as a spotter in Red Willow County when his vehicle went off the road Friday night due to poor visibility from the smoke and dust, according to KLKN.
    He was then overcome by smoke and fire. His body was found early the next morning.
    At least 15 firefighters have been injured in fires across the state, which have been reported in 14 Nebraska counties since Friday.
    The Nebraska News Service contributed to this story.