Mutual aid calls, tractor fires hand IVFD some busy days

    Two mutual aid calls last week, along with a pair of tractor fires, kept the Imperial Volunteer Fire Department busy.
    The IVFD sent several firefighters to separate fires near Elwood and Sutherland as part of the Southwest Mutual Aid strike team response.
    Fire Chief Doug Mitchell said IVFD sent a quick attack unit and five firefighters to the wildfire in Gosper and Furnas counties on two separate shifts Thursday and Friday.
    Extremely high winds up to 60 mph, coupled with very dry conditions, last week complicated the fire that burned 30,000 acres in the two adjoining counties.
    The fire started around noon CT Thursday, about seven miles southwest of Elwood,  when strong winds blew a dead tree into a power line, according to Nebraska Emergency Management Agency officials.
    It eventually destroyed eight houses and 48 out-buildings in the two counties.
    The nearby town of Edison was evacuated Thursday, but the order was lifted Friday.
    Two UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters with crews, a 25-person Wildland Taskforce hand crew and support vehicles from the NE National Guard were deployed to the scene.
    They joined 40 area fire departments from across the state to battle the wildfire.
    Elwood Fire Chief Darren Krull was killed Thursday in a collision with a water truck on Highway 283 between Elwood and Arapahoe. Also injured was Phelps County Emergency Manager Justin Norris, who continues to recover from his injuries.
    Gov. Pete Ricketts ordered flags to be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset Wednesday this week in memory of Krull.
    IVFD Chief Mitchell said firefighters Kelsey Weiss, Greg Dannatt and Wade Courter were on a 6 p.m. to 11 a.m. shift Thursday and Friday.
    On Friday, Mark Bomba and Tyler Oxford from the IVFD were on a shift at the Elwood fire from 4:30 p.m. Friday until Saturday morning, returning here about 9 a.m.
    About 6 p.m. Saturday, three IVFD members responded to another mutual aid call north of Sutherland to a large grass fire.
    Josh Burke, Jake Burke and Sergio Almanza Jr., were on scene from 6 p.m. Saturday until returning at 8:30 a.m. Sunday.
Tractor fires
    A pair of tractor fires, one Friday and one Saturday, called the IVFD to Yaw Farms near Champion.
    Firefighters responded about 3 p.m. Friday, Chief Mitchell said, and on arrival found the tractor fully engulfed in flames, south of Champion at the 733/328 intersection.
    Chad Yaw was operating the tractor when it caught on fire, Mitchell reported. Mitchell said the tractor was a total loss.
    On Saturday, IVFD returned to Yaw Farms when a different tractor was on fire. First Asst. Chief Brad Wheeler said they believe a split in the gas tank may have ignited the small fire within the fire wall.
    There was minimal damage to the Case tractor, Wheeler said.