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NEAR EAGLE -- More than 50 fire rigs and around 120 firefighters spent much of Saturday afternoon and evening battling a large grass fire in eastern Lancaster County. Southeast Rural Fire Chief John Porter tells KFOR News the fire burned close to 200 acres of land along 176th Street from just north of Adams Street all the way to "O" Street. Fire crews from Eagle-Alvo, Waverly, Bennet, Hickman, Elmwood, Raymond, Malcolm and the Air Guard were called in to help stop the fire which burned chunks of land over a two-mile stretch. Porter says a hay trailer carrying load of hay caught on fire because it lost a wheel baring coming off of 176th and "O" and shot it out all the way to Adams that caused sporadic fires. Porter says a dozen homes were in the path and one outbuilding was destroyed. Homeowners at several residences saw flames approach and quickly knocked down the flames. Some homeowners evacuated on their own accord, but Porter says no uniform evacuation was ordered. One firefighter was hurt when the vehicle they were in fell into a hole and suffered rib, back and neck injuries. Porter says the firefighter was taken to the Trauma Center at Bryan LGH West Hospital in Lincoln.
Some of the charred land from a grass fire Saturday afternoon along 176th Street north of "O" Street. (Jeff Motz/KFOR News)