Regional News
Kearney Fire Chief: rekindled tree piles likely fire cause
Published Tuesday, March 24, 2009 at 08:18 PM
Kearney firefighters say they've got a couple of ideas on what caused Monday's huge grass fire that burned a large swath southeast of the community. Kearney Fire Chief Jerry Thompson says the first theory is that the fire originated from material that caught fire after open burning by the Nature Conservancy. The Nature Conservancy was issued a burn permit about March 12th for some tree piles. A lightning stike is the second possibility, says Thompson. Another theory is that the fire started in another area and was carried by the wind. Tuesday afternoon, Thompson put a halt to all burning permits until the area receives a measurable amount of moisture. The fire broke out near the Minden interchange along the interstate Monday afternoon, and central Nebraska firefighters returned to the scene of the fire Tuesday morning to monitor hot spots. Authorities shut down all four lanes of the interstate between Minden and Kearney on Monday as thick smoke cut visibility to almost nothing. The Nebraska Youth Camp lost two cabins in the blaze. No injuries have been reported.
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