A tanker departs the scene of a fire near Cessna Road in Buffalo County during the early afternoon of March 28, (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today)
ELM CREEK — Multiple area fire departments responded to a large wildfire that broke out between Elm Creek and Odessa amid Red Flag Warning conditions during afternoon of Saturday, March 28.
Around 12:30 p.m., a wildfire occurred in a field near the intersection of 39th Road and Cessna Road, just north of Highway 30.
The entire state of Nebraska was under a Red Flag Warning for critical fire weather conditions, winds were gusting out of the south at 40 mph, pushing the fire to the north out of a field and toward a residence. The fire appeared to continue through the hills.
Numerous area fire departments were dispatched to the area including Elm Creek, Kearney, Amherst, Pleasanton, Sumner, Eddyville, Miller, Gibbon, Shelton, Holdrege, Bertrand, Overton, Loomis, Lexington and others.
In addition to the firefighters, multiple farmers with tractors and discs were working to contain the fire by tilling up the ground to create a fire break.
Residents were asked to avoid the area, the Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to close roads around the fire.
