Multiple fire units battle blaze at Logan County Shooting Complex on Friday

Sterling Fire Department - At 1:33PM on Friday, January 2nd an off duty Sterling Firefighter reported a grass fire at the Logan County Shooting Sports Complex. Duty crews from station 1 responded and the call was quickly upgraded to a general alarm and county wide mutual aid was requested, including units from Haxtun and New Raymer/Stoneham Fire Departments. On-arrival crews found a two-acre wind driven and fast-Sterling Firemoving grass fire that had started near the rifle range.

Crews anchored in off the rifle range and began working the flanks of the fire. They encountered changing wind direction and strong gusts, reigniting the fire line behind them as they worked to gain control of the head of the fire. The terrain in this area also hindered crews working the fire line as the sand makes navigating the area difficult without getting stuck. Multiple units had to be pulled out with the assistance of a county road grader. As mutual aid began to arrive command was able to add additional units to the flanks and gain a better handle on them, allowing units to access the head of the fire and gain control as the fire burned east to CR 47. A Single Engine Air Tanker (SEAT) was also called in and made multiple drops on the head of the fire, helping to slow it down and allow crews to contain it. The fire was called contained by command at 3:15. Crews remained on-scene working on strong containment lines and mop with the assistance of a tractor and disc.

An exact size is not known at this time but estimated to be over 200 acres.