Last Tuesday was a frightening day for many area residents. The temperature climbed into the 80s and wind gusts at the Superior Municipal Airport topping out at 52 miles per hour combined with low relative humidity put the area into what the National Weather Service classifies as a Red Flag Warning because of the risk of fire.
And the fires came. Probably all area fire departments responded to one or more calls. In some instances the fire fighters were called to a location where they had previously fought a fire. That was the case of the Superior department’s first call. The department was called back to an area where they had been on Monday to control hot spots that were flaring back up.
The Courtland department responded to a fire near the Jamestown Marsh. Mother Nature helped to control that fire by pushing into an area previously burned.
Byron and Republic joined to fight a fire there area.
And then there was the big fire that covered perhaps as many as 10,000 acres and stretched from near Burr Oak to near Guide Rock. Some have called it the biggest fire reported in Jewell County since the white settlers arrived more than 150 years ago.
This newspaper has had a hard time getting a hold on the scope of that fire. Perhaps as many as 15 or 16 fire departments joined in the fight. Two or three fire trucks were damaged or destroyed. The dollar loss to the property will be huge when the value of livestock, farm machinery, structures and bridges is tallied. Some reports indicate Jewell County lost nine bridges. One vacant home was destroyed. Fire fighters suffered broken bones, bruises and burns.
The first report of the possible fire was turned into the Jewell County emergency dispatch center by the National Weather Service office personnel at Hastings. The weather service noticed a hot spot on radar northwest of Burr Oak and reported the suspected fire.
Volunteers were soon pouring in from surrounding counties. Farmers were using their discs to create fire breaks. With a blast furnace wind, the fire quickly rolled over roads and highways.
The highway which connects Guide Rock and Burr Oak was closed.
Here in Superior the air filled with smoke and ash began descending upon the town. At the newspaper office we tried to stop the smoke infiltration by hanging wet towels over our doors.
Rather than trying to combine all of the reports into one story, this issue contains several fire stories. We expect a close reading will find conflicting numbers but the stories will give a general feel for what this area experienced last week.
And as this issue goes to press the National Weather Service is warning of a similar if not greater fire potential this week.
Newspaper staff members appreciate the readers who contributed their on the scene photos from the fire zone. Some of the pictures were sent as the fire was approaching the photographer’s home.
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