Farmers join fight when flames break out near Amherst

AMHERST — Firefighters have been getting a workout as drought and high winds create a dangerous concoction that's ripe for disaster, should sparks fly from a passing train or someone gets careless with a smoldering cigarette.

Thursday, flames fanned by 40-mph winds created a large threatening range fire near Kenesaw. The prior day, on Wednesday, firefighters answered the call to Loup City, where hundreds of acres were burning.

Early Wednesday evening, Miller Fire Chief Phillip Schroeder called his volunteers to a field of cut corn farmed by Ryan Fischer about 2-3 miles northeast of Miller.

As the blaze spread rapidly, Schroeder called for help from a handful of neighboring fire departments, but he said it wasn't enough.

"Once I pulled up, I could see we would need more help. We called everyone," Schroeder said.

Responding to Schroeder's "all call" were firefighters from Miller, Eddyville, Amherst, Pleasanton, Elm Creek, Kearney, Gibbon and Shelton.

"The more the better," Schroeder said.

Those eight fire departments were making progress, Schroeder said, but the tables really turned against the fire when three farmers arrived with tractors pulling discs.

It was Ryan Trampe, Harrison Trampe and Clarence Bergt. Their 16- to 24-row discs did what the firetrucks could not. They plowed under the corn stalks so they no longer could feed the fire.

Schroeder said the fire might have burned all night, but with the farmers and their discs joining the fight, the eight volunteer departments made it home earlier than they figured they would.

"We started at 8 p.m. but were done and heading home at 10 p.m.," Schroeder said.