Seven fire departments battle weekend field fire near Giltner

GILTNER - The Giltner Fire Department fought a corn field fire most of the day on Sunday.

Giltner Fire & Rescue was dispatched around 2:30 p.m. to the area of 4th and D Roads southwest of Giltner. Fire Chief Brad Consbruck said they immediately called for additional help upon arrival. He said that heavy smoke and winds gusting around 30 mph proved challenging for firefighters. 

The fire jumped a road and caught a railroad bridge on fire. Consbruck said they were able to quickly extinguish the bridge fire. Trains were halted most of the day as crews fought the fire near the tracks. BNSF made the necessary repairs to the bridge and trains resumed on Monday. 

No injuries occurred from the fire. The fire was extinguished around 8:00 p.m. The cause of the fire was from a bearing going out on a shredder in the field.

Consbruck thanked Phillips Fire, Trumbull Fire, Hastings Rural Fire, Doniphan Fire, Harvard Fire, Aurora Fire, & Aurora ambulance. He also thanked the farmers who showed up with a tractor and disk to help contain the fire. 

Consbruck asked the public to avoid any open flames for the immediate future as heavy winds and low humidity have prompted a Fire Weather Watch from the National Weather Service Thursday across south-central Nebraska.