Report: Wildfire caused $1.3M in damage
Report: Wildfire caused $1.3M in damage
21 July 2006
published by http://www.journalstar.com
The wildfire that struck near Valentine earlier this week caused almost $1.3 million in damage to homes and property, preliminary estimates show.
Ten homes, valued at nearly $1.1 million, were destroyed in the fire that started late Sunday afternoon in a canyon about half-mile north of the city in northern Nebraska.
There was another $80,300 damage to ten homes that were affected by the fire but not destroyed. A total of 21 outbuildings suffered $84,565 in damages, according to Jim Bunstock of the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency.
The figures were drawn from county assessors records and are based on the assessed valuation of properties, Bunstock said. Damage estimates to public infrastructure or government property is still being collected.
Over the next 24 hours, the wildfire raged through the canyon and a city park, igniting houses on the north edge of Valentine before being contained. The temperature at the time was a record 113 degrees with only 9 percent relative humidity.
On Thursday firefighters determined that the fire, which burned about 4 square miles, was contained, Bunstock said.
But there are still potential hotspots, so officials probably wont determine that the fire is controlled until next week, he said Friday afternoon.
National guard, called to help with the fire, went home on Thursday along with the two helicopters used to pour water on the fire from the air.
By the Lincoln Journal star
