Two major incidents near Sedgwick on Friday, due to the strong winds in Northeast Colorado

PRESS RELEASE - Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office / Sheriff Koby Quayle - Sedgwick County, CO — A wildland fire that ignited in Sedgwick County was successfully contained and fully extinguished due to the rapid, coordinated response of multiple agencies, fire departments, communications centers, medical services, and community partners from across the region.

The incident occurred late Friday night, January 16th, following a day of strong winds set to continue through the weekend. The fire was near eastbound I-76 at MM 165 between Sedgwick and Ovid.

Emergency response, dispatch, and medical standby assistance was provided by WYCOM, Phillips County, Sterling, and Sedgwick County Communications Centers, along with Sedgwick County Ambulance.

Fire suppression efforts included personnel and apparatus from the Sedgwick, Ovid, Julesburg, Haxtun, Crook, Merino, Peetz, Fleming, Otis, Wray, Yuma, Sterling, Chappell, and Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control (DFPC) Fire Departments.

The Colorado State Patrol responded to assist with evacuations, scene support, and the subsequent investigation.

The Sheriff’s Office also extends sincere appreciation to local farmers, who responded quickly and provided multiple tractors equipped with disks, which were instrumental in establishing fire breaks and helping contain the spread of the fire.

The fire was successfully contained within the boundaries of Interstate 76, Highway 59, County Road 18, and County Road 19. Due to the swift response and effective coordination of all involved, no structures were damaged or lost, and no injuries were reported.

Following containment of the fire, the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office received a tip along with video footage showing a semi-truck traveling eastbound on Interstate 76 near mile marker 165 while dragging the lowered landing gear of the trailer, producing sparks that ignited the prairie fire.

While conducting patrols in search of the suspect vehicle, Chief Deputy Brettell located the semi-truck parked on the eastbound Julesburg on-ramp near mile marker 180. Sheriff Quayle and Deputy Clark responded to assist. After further investigation, the driver was charged in connection with setting fire to the prairie, and the semi-truck and trailer were impounded as evidence.

**There was also another major incident earlier in the day near the same area as, according to another press release from the Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office, at Mile Marker 168 westbound I-76 near Sedgwick, an overturned semi was blocking both lanes. The National Weather Service has issued a High Wind Warning, with northwest winds of 35 to 45 miles per hour and gusts up to 65 miles per hour. The semi was quickly cleared from the interstate within 15 minutes after the sheriff sent out information via social media.