Cozad firefighters at a staging point near the grass fire near Road 761, (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today)
COZAD — Firefighters from Cozad, Lexington and Gothenburg, along with area farmers, worked together to contain a 150-acre wildfire that occurred amid dangerous fire weather conditions on Tuesday, Feb. 17.
Around 1 p.m., the Cozad Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched to the area of 761 and 424 Road for the report of a grass fire in a field. Additional trucks were immediately paged for more manpower.
Trevor Munster, assistant fire chief with Cozad, said that their department responded with 12 personnel to the site along with two grass rigs and other equipment.
Mutual aid was provided by the Lexington Volunteer Fire Department who responded with 11 firefighters, Gothenburg Volunteer Fire Department, who sent 11 members, Dawson County Emergency Management and the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office.
In addition, there were also 10 to 15 area farmers who responded with tractors and discs and loaders to help create fire breaks. Munster said the fire could not have been contained as quickly without the help of the farmers.
Firefighters and farmers were operating along the stretch of 761 in fields north of the paved road between 424 and 428.
Munster said the cause of the fire was an unpermitted burn on a property that occurred on Monday. The strong winds on Tuesday lofted embers into the nearby field and started the fire.
