Yep, sorry about that, I was busy today and so now just catching up.
Here's the story...
Extreme Winds Fuel Blaze
By MARK DYKES Times-Herald Writer
ALLIANCE - Yesterday at about 8:45 a.m., Alliance Volunteer Fire Department personnel responded to a grass fire two miles north of Alliance. The windy conditions in the area soon kicked up the flames, which spread to both sides of Highway 385 and caused both land and structural damage.
Lieutenant Matthew Broderick said a total of eight fire trucks from Alliance, as well as two from Hemingford and two from Heart of the Hills, were used in a nearly three-hour effort to extinguish the blaze. At one point, Broderick said, the wind caught debris from the fire, which started on the west side of the highway, and blew it to the east side, igniting another fire. There was a little structural damage to a garage, Broderick said, as well as damage to corn stalks and a tree row.
The wind blew smoke and dust across the road as well, creating reduced visibility. Because of the lack of visibility, travel was restricted along the highway.
Box Butte Deputy J.D. Sutphen said barricades were also placed on 25th Street west of Emerson because debris and smoke were interfering with visibility as well. He added that people were still allowed to go north on County Road 61. Alliance Police Chief John Kiss said the street was closed at 10:50 a.m. because visibility had been reduced to zero.
http://www.alliancetimes.com/news.htm#Winds
For more information, please see the Times-Herald print edition.
