KEARNEY — Around five acres were burned after a semi caught fire on Interstate 80 near the Minden interchange during the afternoon hours of Tuesday, Nov. 12.
At 1:30 p.m., the Kearney Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched to mile marker 279, just west of the Minden interchange, for the report of flames that were coming from underneath the cab of a semi that had been westbound.
On scene, Kearney firefighters found black smoke pouring from a semi that had been hauling a cattle pot pulled over to the side of the interstate with visible flames toward the near of the semi.
The fire had also spread into nearby ditch and was quickly spreading east and west, fanned by winds from the south that were blowing at 25 mph with gusts up to 37 mph, according to data from the Kearney Municipal Airport.
Jason Whalen, KVFD Fire Administrator, said KVFD responded to the scene with four grass rigs and three tankers. The Gibbon Volunteer Fire Department was paged to provide mutual aid and provided two grass rigs and one tanker.
Whalen said the flames spread to a field with standing corn to the north and began burning paths through the corn, fanned by the strong south winds.
The Kearney Police Department responded to the scene with their drone that they used to hunt for hot spots, as the flames were not always visible under the corn, Whalen said.
Whalen said wind was creating dust devils that was carrying embers into different parts of the field, but the situation could have been worse. Recent rains have helped dampen recently dry fuels.
Whalen said that around five acres were burned in total and the KVFD was able to leave around 3:30 p.m., having been on scene for two hours.
The cause of the initial fire had been a mechanical fault on the semi.
There were no injuries associated with the fire and no cattle were hurt, Whalen said.
The Kearney Volunteer Fire Department was assisted on scene by the Gibbon Volunteer Fire and Rescue, Kearney Police Department, Nebraska State Patrol and the Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office.
