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Brush fire closes Gretna highway several hours

Posted at 11:04 PM, Feb 12, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-13 00:06:29-05
Flames broke out near highway 31 north of the Platte River.  
 
The fire is out but not before a big effort to put it out.  
 
It took firefighters several hours to get multiple brush fires under control, at times there were concerns that flames could reach power lines.
 
It caused highway 31 to be shut down about a mile stretch in rural Gretna.
The fire was reported at about 3:20 p.m. Sunday at Fishery Rd.
 
It took 30 firefighters from Gretna and Springfield to bring it under control as smoke billowed across the highway.
 
Gretna Fire Chief Rod Buethe says the warmer weather conditions made it a challenging fire to fight.
 
"It's warm, the frost is coming up,” Buethe said. The field's muddy. We were having a hard time getting around places because of the soft land conditions."
 
The winter brush fire caught people in Gretna by surprise.
 
It seems kind of odd since the snow just melted and our yard is pretty saturated, especially in that area,” said Karen Teetor, Gretna. 
 
Firefighters continued to put out hot spots into Sunday night.
 
The fire was likely started after a controlled burn was improperly put out Friday, Buethe said.
 
That could have reignited Sunday afternoon. 
 
No one was hurt.