Imperial Fire Chief crediting residents for lack of big fires

    Chase County has been either in fire weather watches or red flag zones for several weeks.
    According to the U.S. Drought Monitor in Nebraska, all of Chase County right now is either in the severe or extreme drought designation.
    But unlike some areas of the state, Chase County has not had to battle a major grass fire as the extended dryness continues.
    Fire Chief Doug Mitchell gives credit for that to area residents and their awareness of the dryness and precautions they are taking.
    “Whatever area residents are doing, I say keep it up,” Mitchell said Tuesday.
    “We’ve been very fortunate. Everyone is doing a great job,” he said.
    Mitchell noted that local burning bans have been instituted in several area counties, restricting any type of burning like fire pits, adding to the restrictions from an ongoing statewide burning ban.
    He said he isn’t ready to do that yet here, but said members of the IVFD have discussed it.
    He urged residents to continue being careful by not driving into tall weeds, as an example, while the dryness continues.
    “It’s not going to end until we get some rain,” he said.