Firefighters at the scene of the grass fire near Bertrand, (Loomis Volunteer Fire and Rescue, Courtesy)
BERTRAND — Just after midnight, on March 29, 2026, Phelps County 911 received reports of a large grass fire located roughly four miles southeast of Bertrand.
Multiple fire and law enforcement agencies, from around the area, quickly responded to these initial reports to begin containment and mitigation efforts. Shortly after their arrival at the initially reported fire, further reports were received of numerous additional fires located in both western Phelps County and eastern Gosper County. Additional, fire and rescue units from surrounding counties, soon responded to these additional blazes.
As of this afternoon, Phelps County Emergency Management reports that approximately 1,200 acres of primarily pastureland, located in both Phelps and Gosper County, were consumed by these multiple fires. While various hot spots remain, and there have been some minor flare-ups over the past 12 hours, fire crews believe that the situation has stabilized and are hopeful that any further spread of these fires will be minimal. Fortunately, at this time, there have been no reported fatalities or injuries, loss of any livestock or any structures damaged or destroyed as a result of these fires.
As devastating as these fires have been, the lack of additional losses is undoubtedly attributable to the dedicated and coordinated efforts of over twenty-four (24) different fire and rescue agencies along with assistance received from over fifteen (15) local residents/farmers. In total, over 63 pieces of apparatus and over 150 fire and rescue personnel participated in fighting these fires. Their efforts have been nothing short of extraordinary and are greatly appreciated by our collective offices.
Preliminarily, the Nebraska State Fire Marshal’s Office, in conjunction with both the Phelps and Gosper County Sheriff’s Offices, have determined that these fires are suspicious in nature and warrant further inspection.
As a result, an extensive criminal investigation into these fires has commenced. The investigative agencies involved, as well as the Phelps and Gosper County Attorney’s Offices, are committed to bringing any person or persons responsible for setting these blazes to justice if they are determined to be arson. Anyone who has any information or video evidence that could potentially assist in this on-going criminal investigation are urged to contact either the Nebraska State Fire Marshal’s Arson Hotline at: 1-888-WY-ARSON; the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department at: (308) 995-5692; or the Gosper County Sheriff’s Department at: (308) 785-2420.
Additional details will be provided as circumstances warrant and details emerge from the on-going investigation.
Fire and rescue resources were obtained from the following jurisdictions and/or agencies:
Alma, Amherst, Arapahoe, Axtell, Beaver City, Bertrand, Broken Bow, Buffalo County’s Task Force, Cairo, Edison, Elwood, Farwell, Funk, Holdrege, Loomis, Merna, Minden, Nebraska National Guard, Nebraska State Fire Marshal’s Office, Overton, Oxford, Stamford and Wilsonville-Henley.
On behalf of Gosper and Phelps County, we extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to the brave men and women from each of these agencies who extended a helping hand in our time of need.
