Widespread grass fires trigger evacuations

Two grass fires burned across southwestern Lancaster county and northern Gage county on Sunday, Oct. 23. The Lincoln-Lancaster County Emergency Management Agency ordered residents to evacuate the town of Hallam, 20 miles south of Lincoln. Three homes were destroyed, and two firefighters were injured when flames leapt over a ditch they were working in. The cause of the fires is not yet known.

The fires were reported in the afternoon and quickly spread north. Recent dry weather provided fuel for the flames, while wind gusts reaching up to 55 mph whipped the fires into  At 7 p.m., Lancaster County declared an emergency, setting up a relocation center at Lincoln Southwest High School for evacuees. 

According to the Lincoln-Lancaster Emergency Management Agency, the fires were contained by nightfall, but the extent of the damage is unknown. The destruction was seriously mitigated by the efforts of 18 local fire departments and volunteers, as well as by the quick thinking of local farmers.  

At least 100 local farmers turned on their irrigation systems and plowed firebreaks to slow the spread of the fire. At a news conference, Sheriff Terry Wagner said, “It speaks volumes for the volunteers, of the farmers, knowing what to do and just doing it. It wasn't organized at all. But it was well-orchestrated.”

Union College IRR major Jacob Smith served with his fire department during Sunday’s response. He said, “The fires in southwest Lancaster County and Gage county will become historic. Fires of this size, complexity and speed are rarely seen in this region of the U.S. All of the departments came together to stop and control a very complex, dynamic and rapidly evolving wildfire.”

By: Annika Cambigue