There were times officers with the Imperial Volunteer Fire Department (IVFD) wondered if they’d ever be able to stop the spread of a major grass fire Saturday afternoon.
But with the help of 14 other fire departments in Nebraska and Colorado, area farmers and others bringing water tanks to the scene, containment was achieved after about seven hours.
That was after 2,836 acres of grass, cornstalks and some standing corn were burned, and three out buildings lost in southwest Chase County and into Dundy County.
Most of the pasture, grass and unpicked corn burned was on ground of Bob Milner’s, said IVFD Chief Doug Mitchell.
Milner said this week 2,500 of the burned acres were his, and included 30 to 40 acres of standing corn.
The fire had a 12.5 mile perimeter and burned a swath five miles long, he said.