Wildfires in Nebraska, Kansas char more than 150,000 acres

Wildfires in Nebraska, Kansas char more than 150,000 acres

Multiple wildfires have burned more than 130,000 acres of agricultural land in a pair of Western Corn Belt states.

“It’s going to be very difficult to raise a crop where this fire touched for the next several years.”

Southwest Nebraska farmer Jan TenBensel says one started in Kansas and moved north into Nebraska Friday night burning about 130,000 acres – including 2,000 acres of his property. “I’ve lost a little bit of equipment and some irrigation equipment and maybe a couple of pivots.  I’ve lost just a few things, but other guys have lost it all.”

Photo Courtesy of Jan TenBensel

TenBensel says the wildfire originated near the Kansas/Nebraska border around Cambridge in Furnas County before the winds shifted on Saturday, pushing the fire east.