Grant firefighters help fight southwest Neb. fire

Grant firefighters lent their support in the suppression of a large, rapidly-spreading fire in southwest Nebraska last week.
The call was received at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 7, requesting assistance in fighting the Road 739 Fire which started when a dead tree was blown into power lines near the town of Elwood.
Winds had been an issue for several days, with steady winds at 25-35 mph and gusts over 60 mph.
Firefighter Scott Knoles led Grant’s portion of a mutual aid strike team to assist with the fire. A strike team  consists of one vehicle and several firefighters from each department in the region. This leaves most of the crew and fleet of vehicles at home to cover any emergencies that might occur there.
Also included in the strike team Thursday were firefighters from Ogallala, who supplied the command vehicle; Imperial, Keystone-LeMoyne, Paxton, Wallace and Hayes Center.
Joining Knoles in Grant’s contribution to the team were Grant firefighters Travis Ogg and Cassandra Cockerill, and Robbie Grothman from Venango.
Arriving at the site at approximately 10 p.m., the team’s assignment was to control a portion of the perimeter. As Knoles explained, the fire was dying down at that point, as often is the case at nightfall.
The team worked several shifts and returned to Grant by 11:30 Saturday morning. As of Sunday, the fire was said to be 50 percent contained.
Knoles said that assignments like the recent fire helps build experience and credentials that make local firefighters more capable of handling emergencies in their own locations.
The strike team was developed three years ago, and has been helping more and more with large fires in the state.
The hope is that if the time ever comes, other teams will help us, said Knoles.
The Road 739 fire caused damage to fields, farmsteads, homes, and even took one life, Elwood’s Fire Chief, Darren Krull, in a vehicle collision caused by poor visibility due to smoke and wind-blown dust.
Driving the vehicle was Phelps County Emergency Manager Justin Norris, who is still recovering from life-threatening injuries.