By: Rachael Witter
rwitter@klkntv.com
A close call for a Lincoln home after nearby grass ignites. Eastern Nebraska is under a red flag warning for extreme fire danger. We saw the warning turn to reality Wednesday in southeast Lincoln, the grass fire started by an individual doing an illegal burn. It didn't do any damage to nearby houses, but it was a close call.
Dry and windy conditions are causing extreme fire danger in Eastern Nebraska. An illegal burn on this property near 80th and Yankee Hill Road in southeast Lincoln caught grass and nearby trees on fire. It was a close call for Varro Clarke. The fire started just behind his property.
"I was worried about it jumping into, we've got a mulberry tree there, and the fire was very close to the mulberry tree and I was worried that the fire would jump to the mulberry tree and be that much closer to the house," Clark said.
It didn't end up doing any damage to any houses, but it was illegal. There is currently a burn ban for the whole county.
"Individual on the county side on the county line was having an illegal burn, he was burning some trees, there's a burn ban throughout the whole county and with 15-20 mile per hour winds it started the tree line on fire and started spreading down into the tree line," CApt. Gregg Fisher said.
The fire was contained to grass and trees on the property and didn't do any damage to nearby houses.
"With as dry as it is out here they're very lucky that the fire didn't spread any faster," Capt. Fisher said.
The property owner was ticketed for not getting a permit to burn.
