Grassfire outside Glenrock scorches land, property

A grassfire ignited Tuesday beside the Old Glenrock Highway several miles west of downtown Glenrock, drawing  multiple agencies to battle and contain the quickly spreading conflagration.

The fire began in midafternoon, burning through the land until it was contained in the early evening.

Glenrock resident Sheila Gilbert said she called 911 at 3:37 P.M. and reported the fire after a neighbor warned her the fire was close to her property.

“It was right at the edge of our property, but it went around the edge of our house, thank God,” she said. Gilbert was reached Tuesday afternoon as she was in town gathering water and other supplies before heading out to her home.

The blaze destroyed structures, including a home by the North Platte River which locals refer to as “the old Valentine place,” and a few outbuildings.

No one was injured by the fire, Bureau of Land Management Engine Captain Nate Kerschner said at the scene of the fire.

The threat of fire was high on Tuesday, as temperatures in the area surpassed 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

Fire crews dropped water from aircraft, including a helicopter.

As the flames died down in the evening, much of the grass and brush on a several-acre plot of land off the highway were completely scorched.

As of Wednesday morning, the cause of the fire, and the full extent of its damage, is unknown.

Members of the Glenrock Volunteer Fire Department fought the blaze alongside other emergency responders.

Glenrock Fire Department Chief Rob Brewer could not confirm whether the fire caused any injuries, he said at the scene.

Peter Nicolaysen, who’d been working on the land as the fire broke out, said that no one had been hurt.

Any additional information which becomes available will be in the July 15 print edition of the Independent.