Corteva Donates Grain Bin Rescue Equipment to Blockton FD

On Monday, Corteva, a national ag company, donated a grain rescue tube, a grain auger, and training for members of the Blockton, Grant City, and Sheridan Fire Departments, which will be able to use the equipment if needed.

Farmers can be submerged in grain bins in 10-30 seconds, and it takes about three hours for emergency services to rescue someone trapped in grain bins. 2010 was a record year for grain bin accidents, and 2019 is projected to be close behind. The good news is that whereas previously, 90% of all people trapped in grain bins were killed, with improved awareness and training, over 70% make it out. However, many people killed in grain bin accidents are not the person who was trapped in the bin to start with, but personnel who were trying to rescue them. Out of all people who died in confined space such as grain bins, 60% were people who were trying to rescue someone else. Monday’s training was focused on safe ways to getting to the victim without becoming another victim.

People of all ages have been trapped in grain bins. People as young as one year old and as old as 86 have been killed in grain bin accidents. And people don’t have to be in grain bins in order to be trapped in grain. Dan Neenan of the National Education Center, who conducted Monday’s training, said he knew of one case where a kid was playing inside a grain trailer, the father dumped grain in it not knowing that his son was playing in it, and didn’t discover his mistake until that evening.

There are 3.4 million farms in the US, and there are over 500 deaths each year from farming accidents, including 72 in Iowa alone. Out of those, around 100 are kids; Neenan said there was one such accident in his community that killed four kids. Around 100 farm workers a day suffer some kind of farming-related injury that requires time off of work according to the CDC.

Grain bins are particularly dangerous because they are hotter than outside, there is frequently a lack of oxygen, there are many ways to get trapped, and grain can pull you to your knees in seconds. Frequently, there is no way to contact the outside world from a grain bin, meaning it might be hours before someone finds you. Sometimes, grain may be stuck on the side of bins, only to trigger an avalanche when disturbed.

A 165 pound person who is trapped up to their waist needs 325 pounds of force to pull them out. Someone trapped up to their neck requires 625 pounds of force. And someone who is completely submerged requires 800 pounds of force.

When someone is finally rescued, it doesn’t always mean they are out of the woods. Crush injuries such as swelling, pain, shock, compartment syndrome, and loss of function can occur 15 to 60 minutes after being rescued from a grain bin accident. It is important to seek medical attention immediately, even if one is feeling OK at the moment.

After a dinner at the Blockton Community Building Monday, firemen simulated two rescues of victims trapped in corn, and learned how to use their new rescue tube and auger to relieve pressure on victims and allow them to escape. They also learned how to cut open a grain bin as well.

Blockton was one of only 20 fire departments across the country to get the rescue tubes and grain auger. There have already been 19 successful rescues with the new equipment. Worth County MFA donated the corn that was used in the exercise.

Fire Destroys Home on West End of Sheridan

On the morning of Wednesday, July 4th, fire units were called to the home of Robert Morrow on the west end of Sheridan at around 1 am. More fire trucks came to the scene at around 2 am and remained until 4 am.

However, the fire flared up again in the morning and Sheridan and Grant City units came out and battled the blaze until about 1 pm. They succeeded in getting the fire extinguished. The house was too far gone to be salvageable, and the rest of the structure was brought down in a controlled burn Sunday.

Sheridan Fire Chief Tyler Paxson said, "I'm very proud of the guys on our department; they do good work with what equipment we have. We are able to get done what needs to be done with half the workforce of people it should take. That being said, we are always looking for volunteers. Also, a big thanks for our big brother next door, the Worth County Fire Protection District out of Grant City; if it weren't for them we would have exhausted our little workforce. Thanks to anyone who helped in anyway!”

Grass Fire Strikes Southeast of Sheridan

A grass fire struck southeast of Sheridan Saturday afternoon at around 3 pm east of Vern Mitchell’s home at 170th & Colt. The Parnell Fire Department initially responded to the call, which was in their district. Later, further calls came into 911 and Sheridan and Grant City units responded. Fireman Justin Rush said the Sheridan Fire Department had been supervising controlled burns all morning since 9:00 and had supervised about 250 acres worth when they got the call. The Parnell crew said they were glad Sheridan arrived when they did, because they were nearly out of water. Between 3:30 and 4, the blaze, aided by a stiff south wind and a warm day, jumped 170th road and burned a small area north of the road before being contained. Area landowners were scrambling to move hay out of the area in case the fire spread. The breeze died down later in the day and the extra manpower allowed the blaze to be contained by 4:30.

Sheridan Fire Department to Hold Soup Supper

The Sheridan Fire Department will be holding a Free Will Donation Soup Supper on Sunday, November 6th at 5 pm. Proceeds will go to equipment needs for the Fire Department. Firemen will be going to houses throughout the day to check and replace smoke alarms. Members of the Fire Department will be serving food that night. Dessert will be included.

Fire Destroys Trailer West of Sheridan

A fire destroyed an old trailer west of Sheridan last week. It was located west of Sheridan one mile south of the former June Dowis place, by the Brethren and McLaughlin Cemeteries.

Sheridan Fire Board Undergoes Training

The Sheridan Fire Board members, Sharon Paxson, Kendra Pickering, and Ashley Rush, all underwent required training along with firemen and fire board members from around the area. People from Grant City, Smithville, Ravenwood, Union Township (Pickering), and Maryville were present at the Sheridan Community Building Saturday. The training was conducted by Monte Olson of the Missouri Association of Fire Protection Districts.

The training lasted all day and focused on duties of board members as well as avoiding criminal and legal liability. The treasurer is bonded and is personally liable if money goes missing from the bank account, even if it involves a bank failure. The bonds protect the taxpayers; all money has to be reconciled by the board and not just the treasurer. Olsen said there was one instance where a treasurer stole $1.5 million over 10 years before he was caught; the board had never reconciled bank statements. Finally, the bank started asking questions about his cash withdrawals.

All deposits have to be secured in the unlikely event that a bank goes under. Sometimes, other banks will agree to cover funds that are not covered by the FDIC.

If there is a perception of impropriety, citizens can petition for an audit. The number for Sheridan is 25% of the people who voted in the last gubernatorial election. Since Sheridan's fire department takes in less than $50,000 a year, they do not have to have an auditor. They can get a 1/2 cent sales tax approved, but property taxes would be rolled back by half that. They can charge emergency fees of up to $100 per call or $250 per hour in 15 minute increments for non-resident calls; this is not applicable in cases of mutual aid agreements. If there is a hazardous spill, the spiller pays if possible for removal; if not, the state pays.

No verbal contracts are allowed; all contracts must be done in writing. Olson said there was one case where a board president took out a credit cardin the fire district's name and ran up $7,000 from VISA. A new board came in and questioned the bill; it turned out the president had signed without authorization from the board and VISA agreed to sue the president.

Olson said there were several actions which could put board members in jail. Common violations include appointing relatives; board members can't appoint relations within four degrees of blood. Board members cannot use information obtained from serving for their own benefit or that of relatives even after they have left. Board members can't charge for professional services, and they can't sell goods for more than $500 a transaction or $5,000 total in a year unless it is properly bid and they are the lowest bidder. You can't do business with a company that you have a financial interest in, even if it is indirect such as a 401(k)3.

Most of these rules make perfect sense and are designed to protect the taxpayers from wrongdoing. But not all of them do. Jim Larson said that Grant City had gotten a letter from the USDA saying they could not use labor from Iowa to complete their fire building project, but they could use labor from Guam or America Samoa.

New Sheridan Fire Board Holds First Meeting

The new Sheridan Fire Board conducted their first meeting Thursday night in Sheridan at the Fire House. Board members Ashley Rush, Sharon (Hunt) Paxson, and Kendra Pickering were sworn in Monday by Judge Joel Miller after having been appointed by Judge Roger Prokes earlier that afternoon. Their first order of business was to gain access to the bank account so they could take care of bills that were as long as 3-4 months past due. The next order was to set the tax rate and undergo mandatory NIMS training. Board members are also in the process of getting bonded. The board agreed to have Kenny Teeple bond them for a cost of $150/year. Another item was to set up a procedure to report fire calls to the state; the Fire Department has not received any fire calls in the past few months.

The board elected new officers. Sharon Hunt was named President, Kendra Pickering Vice President, and Ashley Rush Secretary/Treasurer. Rush said that there was enough money in the bank account to pay the bills based on statements received. The account has an estimated $9,100, with an estimated $3,700 in bills to pay. When doing the petition drive requesting Judge Prokes to appoint a new board, Rush said that people had expressed interest in passing a new levy, putting the Fire District on a better financial footing. Fire Department members requested that the board set up a separate account for donations. Fireman Tyler Paxson said that all the other fire departments in the area had such an account. The Fire Department routinely receives donations from people, sometimes after they come and put out a fire. "We've been fortunate to operate off of donations for a number of years," said Paxson. This would allow Fire Chief Butch Thomas to authorize repairs or equipment purchases without waiting for board approval; the board would be responsible for tax dollars. There would be two signers for board members to write checks. The board agreed to look into setting up a donation account. There has been an agreement in the past with the Ambulance Board to house the ambulance in the Sheridan Firehouse; however, no copy of such an agreement could be found. The goal of the board is to get a written agreement.

The board has retained David Baird to guide them through the process of forming a legal board and take care of legal issues. Thomas said that the Fire Department was going to undergo grain bin training. One of the board's goals is to seek grants for the Fire Department and they said they wanted to raise money for matching funds; they will invite Economic Developer Tyler Steele to a future meeting for that purpose.

One goal will be to bring down Sheridan's fire rating for insurance purposes. Currently, Sheridan is at an 8 on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most expensive and 1 being the least expensive. When the water line project is completed, that could clear the way for Sheridan to drop to a 7. The project will include new hydrants for the town.

The board will hold a special tax rate meeting on Monday the 31st at 7, and then hold a regular meeting on Thursday, September 3rd at 7 at the Firehouse.

Judge Prokes Appoints Three to Sheridan Fire Board

Judge Roger Prokes has appointed three new members to the Sheridan Fire Board Monday afternoon. This is contingent on them being sworn in and posting a surety bond with County Clerk Roberta Owens within 15 days. Appointed were Sharon Paxson, Kendra Pickering, and Ashley Rush. These board members will serve until the April 2016 election. The one with the most votes will serve six years, the one with the second most votes will serve four years, and the one with the third most votes will serve two years. All subsequent elections will be for six years.

Sheridan Fire Board Reorganizes

The Sheridan Fire Board will reorganize following a meeting Sunday evening featuring all three board members, Fire Chief Butch Thomas, and members of the Sheridan Fire Department. The board had last had a quorum to do business on September 5th and in August of last year when they had their annual Tax Rate Hearing; since then, they had been unable to meet due to work commitments.

The board opened with a 15-minute closed session. Following the closed session, board member Marybeth Taute announced her resignation. The board accepted her resignation and appointed Rick Ridge to serve out her term, which ends in April. At that time, Judge Joel Miller, by law, will appoint a member to serve a full term. Sharon Hart has resigned as secretary of the Fire Department; Angela Holmes is now the secretary. Board member Sterling Hopkins announced at the meeting that he would resign citing work and conflicts of interest; he will be replaced by Larry Hibbs. Both new members said that they would seek to do things by the book.

"From now on, every expenditure needs to be approved by the board," said Hopkins to Butch Thomas regarding the construction of the new Fire Department extension, which will house two new trucks. The Fire Department had received a $21,000 donation from the dissolved Platte River Watershed District. "The money was given to us to build this building," said fireman Tyler Paxson. Thomas said that board members had not been coming to meetings and that as fire chief, he had to act. He said that the firetrucks had to be inside a heated building during cold weather, or they would not run, meaning public safety would be at risk. For example, he said that in one recent fire, he had to call for help from other area fire departments because the truck which had been left out in the cold due to inadequate space would not start. The Sheridan Fire Department has gotten several fire calls recently due to the warm and dry weather.

Board members said that they had no problem with the Fire Department's performance. "They're doing a hell of a job; I'm not denying that," said Hopkins. "The problem is, you started this building without due process," said Board Member Bart Hawk. He said that he didn't have a problem with it if Thomas needed to spend $250 or $300 a month on needed repairs. He said that they wanted to be in the loop if there was something major. Thomas said that he had gotten bids from three different contractors, including one from Monticue Construction, one from Campbell Construction, and one from a construction company from Clearmont. The Clearmont firm won the low bid of around $18,000. Secretary Angela Holmes reported that there was currently around $36,000 in the bank account, including 2014 tax revenues. This balance does not include the payment for the building. "We've tried to follow due process, but you don't cooperate," responded Thomas. "I love what you do, I just haven't had time, I've got my business to take care of," said Hopkins. "If anyone's to blame, it's me." Thomas said that he had recommended Hopkins, who has served on the Fire Department in the past, to serve on the board. "I'm not sorry I did." On the construction of the building, Thomas said, "We did what we thought we had to do."

Board members agreed that the deal was done and over with and that they wanted to move on. "All I want is for you guys to come join us when we're working on the fire trucks," said Thomas. The new board will meet every first Thursday at 7 pm. Every first Thursday, the Fire Department comes and inspects and tests fire equipment. They do many of the repairs themselves and come out ahead despite a tight budget. Despite only collecting $8,000 in tax revenues annually, the Fire Department had saved up $11,000 over the years even before receiving the large donation from the Watershed District. They had received three other large donations recently as well; one was for $1,500, another was for $1,000, and another was for $250. "We pinch every penny and we don't buy stuff unless we have to," said Thomas.

Second Sheridan Home Destroyed by Fire

A second home in Sheridan has been destroyed by fire in a week. At Saturday night/Sunday morning at around 3 am, Bob Belcher "California Bob" and Gladys Rowe were awakened by their dog barking. Belcher said that he initially thought that his dog simply wanted out, but that he discovered the blaze. He then woke Gladys up and they got out of the house. The Sheridan Fire Department responded within 20 minutes, but by then, it was already too late. The Fire Department elected to put the blaze out instead of letting it burn the house down to the ground so that it would not catch the trees on fire and spread to other houses. The house was the former Betty Dokken residence, where she had lived for many years. It was on the southeast corner of town.

Bob and Gladys credited their dog, Dudley, with saving their lives. "We never would have been alive without him," they said. Bob said that Dudley had been savagely kicked by someone just the week before and that and he had just had surgery at the vet. "The vet didn't think he was going to make it," he said. "I'm not a religious person, but he was kept alive for a reason." Bob said that he believes that the fire was caused by a space heater in the bathroom.

The blaze was so hot that it melted metal and the fire department had a difficult time opening the attic so that they could put it out. The Grant City Fire Department came to assist the Sheridan Fire Department. After the fire crews left, the blaze was so hot that it reignited twice; however, Brad Pickering came by both times to put it out again. As late as Sunday night, the smoke from the blaze could be smelled from across town. It could still be smelled as late as Monday morning.

Bob and Gladys received help from the area Red Cross and are staying at a hotel in Maryville for two nights. They were also given cash so that they could buy clothes and other supplies. They plan to buy a camper and stay in it for the winter where the house was, and then rebuild. They said that people were really good to them after the blaze. Bob said that Victoria Rush, who herself had lost a house to a fire, went out of her way to help show them what they needed to do. Kim Welch came by their hotel room in Maryville with some food; Bob said that she was very helpful as well. The Sheridan CBC will put together a fundraiser at a later date to help Bob and Gladys get back on their feet again.

Fire Destroys Home North of Sheridan

A fire destroyed a home north of Sheridan Thursday evening. Fire Chief Butch Thomas reported that Sheridan fire units were called to the former Dean Owens residence, near Bob Finch's old Christmas tree farm between 6:30 and 7 that evening. The home was a new structure that had been built 30 years ago. Grant City units also assisted with the blaze, but by the time they got there, it was too late to save the structure. Thomas said that the cause was a chimney fire that got out of control. There were no injuries in the blaze.

Sheridan Fire Department Extinguishes Trash Fire

The Sheridan Fire Department put out a trash fire near Roy Allee's place Wednesday September 18th. Although three inches of rain has fallen on the area since the 15th, a county burn ban is still in effect. Fire Chief Butch Thomas said that since the fire was too close to the house, the fire department put it out. The burn ban is in effect for 30 days from the passage of the ordinance. The ban was passed by a vote of the Worth County Commission.

Mercy One Crew Conducts Sheridan EMS Training

The Mercy One Crew came to Sheridan Thursday evening to conduct a training for local EMS crews on how to work with each other during an emergency and to facilitate communication. The pilot is Marty Iske, an Army veteran of 14 years; of those 14 years, 10 of them were spent flying a Black Hawk. He said that when he left the Army, his present job opened up and it worked out perfectly for him since he is from Clarinda. Other members of the crew were Wes Skarda, Flight Nurse and A. Qualseth, Paramedic.

Skarda said that the main two things they wanted to know when going into a situation were the weight of the person and where they were headed. Iske said that he wanted to know where any obstacles were in the landing area such as trees, buildings, and power lines. "Just get us to a safe landing zone," said Skarden. Once they get the call, it takes them 5-10 minutes in optimal conditions to get off the ground safely and another 15 minutes to get from Clarinda to Sheridan. It could be 10 minutes more in the event of bad weather.

Iske had never been to Sheridan before a few weeks ago; however, his Army training helped him as he knew where Hopkins was and he knew to follow 246. One paradox is that it is easier to find a scene during the night; he said that during a clear night, he can see the scene once they get airborne at 2,000 feet. It is more of a challenge during daytime.

Contrary to popular belief, the strangers hanging around with Fire Chief Butch Thomas were not SWAT team members trying to protect everyone during the drama of the prisoner escape. Instead, it was the Mercy One crew members picking out a landing site for Thursday night's meeting. Mercy One crew members are not First Responders; it is the job of the local EMS crews to get the victims stabilized and onto cots so that they can be transported. From Sheridan, Mercy One typically goes to St. Joseph since it is closer; however, they can go to Des Monies as well.

One of the most important things in life flight rescue situations is crowd control. Either one of the crew members or a Fire Department member stands near the helicopter to make sure that people stay away from the back of the helicopter. The rudder can hit someone and cause death or serious physical injury if someone gets too close while the craft is running. "Don't worry about equipment falling off; your only job is to keep people away from the back of the helicopter," said Skarda. He said that on occasion, he has had to tackle someone who had gotten too close to the craft. They don't mind people watching; however, they ask that people stay away from the craft. If a piece of EMS-owned equipment winds up at the hospital in St. Joseph or Des Moines, one of the jobs of the crew members during rainy days is to sort through it and mail it back to people on days in which there is nothing else to do.

Qualseth said that they were partners with the local crews. He said that there was no need for people to scatter too far, although people should stay at least 100 feet away from the craft for their own safety. The job of crews is to keep working even as the craft arrives. "We'll work around any situation we encounter," he said. When they arrive, the Mercy One crew will figure out what happened and conduct a head to toe assessment of the victims. They will ask for people with different skills to help. Sometimes, all they need is for someone to do light tasks for them like open packages so that they can concentrate on their work. The job of the EMS and the Mercy One crew is to stabilize the victim so that they can be transported to the hospital.

Skarda said that it was better to pull the trigger too quickly on calling the Mercy One crew instead of waiting until it was too late. He said that in that event, the only thing they lost was the fuel on the craft. It is routine for them to get a call and then halfway there, find out that the situation was not as serious as initially believed.

Crew members showed EMS personnel how to help load a patient on the craft. The craft is running at that point as the pilot wants to take off as fast as possible in order to get the patient to the hospital; therefore, it is not possible to communicate verbally due to the noise of the craft. In that event, it is essential for the crew members to communicate with taps and hand signals and for local EMS crews to understand those signals.

One of the questions the crew got was on transporting people who weighed a lot. They actually turn down more patients for being too big than being overweight. The crew is licensed to fly with so much weight; if they have to, they can fly around until they've used up enough fuel so that they can fit the patient into the craft. The only time they have had to turn someone away for weight was on an occasion when a victim weighed around 400 pounds. They have flown people close to 300 pounds. On the other hand, if they fly someone who is too big, their feet will be on the pilot's controls, which creates a hazard to the entire crew. "We don't blindly turn anyone away; we come to the scene and we try to make it work," said Iske.

Fire Destroys Former Carol Chicken Residence Between Sheridan and Grant City

High winds led to a trash fire burning out of control and destroying the former Carol Chicken residence between Sheridan and Grant City early Wednesday afternoon. At 11:51 Wednesday, the Grant City Fire Department was dispatched to the structure fire 4 miles west of Grant City. First units were enroute at 11:57 and on the scene at 12:03 p.m. The fire was controlled at 1:15 and all units were back in service at 2:29 p.m. They were assisted by the Sheridan Fire Department, the Worth County Ambulance District, and the Worth County Sheriff's Department. The Worth County Fire Auxiliary provided water and food for the firefighters.

Fire Chief Ben Fletcher said that the fire spread from a trash fire to a tree to a shed to the structure. Nobody was living at the house and there were no injuries.

Brush Fire Extinguished Near Sheridan

A small brush fire was extinguished east of Sheridan Sunday. At around 3:30 p.m., Sheridan fire units were called out to a brush fire between the 46/B intersection and the Mike Troutwine residence. It had gotten out of control thanks to a gust of wind and was along the road and ditch. The Fire Department put it out by 4:00 that afternoon.

Two Sheridan Houses Destroyed by Fire

Two Sheridan houses were destroyed by fire Tuesday (October 30th) morning. The Sheridan Fire Department got a call at around 2:50 a.m. The Randle house at 2nd and Lincoln was completely gone while the former Joe Adams house was mostly gone. The cause of the fire was unknown.

Sheridan Fire Chief Gives Tour to Visitors

Sheridan Fire Chief Butch Thomas gave an impromptu tour of the Sheridan Firehouse to outside visitors Sunday morning. Present during the tour were Jay and Sharon Vantuyl, Ed and Rita Deml, Mervyn Vantuyl, and David Vantuyl. David climbed on the front of one of the vehicles and looked inside the ambulance. Thomas also sounded the siren for his visitors.

Anhydrous Ammonia Disaster Exercise Held in Sheridan

An anhydrous ammonia disaster exercise was held in Sheridan Saturday morning to train emergency crews on what to do in the event that an accident happens involving anhydrous ammonia. Anhydrous ammonia is very dangerous material and in the worst case, people have to be evacuated upwind from the source in the event of a major leak. Sterling Hopkins, manager of Worth County MFA, said that the first step in an ammonia accident was to call him immediately so that he could notify corporate headquarters as well as have properly trained people to work with emergency crews. Ammonia in sufficient concentrations can overpower a person in as little as 20 seconds; during the training session, a video was shown of a responding officer who didn't realize the danger of ammonia and who was killed responding to an accident in 20 seconds. Ammonia is used as fertilizer for crops; however, it must be handled carefully by properly trained personnel.

Excess pressure can result in tank failure, which means that tank volume cannot exceed 85%. It is inflammatory to skin and it is dangerous to life and health in as little as 300 parts per million. Contact lenses can make it worse because they can trap the vapor; it is inflammatory to the eyes. In an ammonia accident, the emergency response is complicated because the victims must be placed in a tank of water to flush the anhydrous ammonia and minimize the effects. Dangerous concentrations of anhydrous ammonia can extend well beyond the visible vapors and it can easily be mistaken for ordinary smoke from a fire. Releases of more than 100 pounds must be reported to state and national authorities.

In the simulated accident, a car collided with an anhydrous ammonia tank resulting in two fatalities and people being thrown from the vehicle and ammonia leaking from the tank. The new Emergency Command Center that the county has was deployed in response. Another complication in dealing with anhydrous ammonia accidents is the fact that it takes 100 gallons of water for each gallon of ammonia to be contained. Therefore, fire departments must consider alternative water sources when dealing with ammonia releases. Vehicles must be placed upwind of the ammonia, runoff water must be controlled, and contaminated water must be disposed of.

For smaller releases, emergency authorities can have people stay in homes with windows closed. However, large incidents require immediate evacuations and appropriate roads closed off so that passing motorists are not exposed. Specialized protective gear must be worn and downwind operations should not be considered unless absolutely necessary. Even if anhydrous ammonia does not release right away in an accident, it can do so later.

The exercise itself involved donning protective equipment and treating a "victim" with a broken leg. Treatment requires washing the victim's eyes for 15 minutes if the eyes were exposed. The first priority is to get victims out as soon as possible, and then deal with the anhydrous leak. The Worth County Ambulance completed training requirements for many of its members back at the firehouse, where four more "victims" were. Mary Jo Riley role-played the part of a hysterical relative frantically trying to get information about one of the victims. The Sheridan CBC hosted a lunch for the volunteers afterwards. One of the biggest areas identified was the fact that two of the radios did not work on the appropriate frequency, something that Emergency Management Director Pat Kobbe said she was glad to discover during a drill and not during the real thing.

Timber Fire East of Grant City

After a week of unseaonably cool weather, the hot weather and the fires returned. Sheridan and Grant City fire units responded to a timber fire east of Grant City, one pasture east of the Chris Spainhower pasture around 4:30 Wednesday afternoon. The fire was difficult to get to because of the rough terrain and heavy brush. There were around three to four small brush fires burning. The Worth County Sheriff's Department directed traffic on 46 during the fire. The fire was under control by 6 p.m., but it continued to smolder. The cause of the fire was unknown.

Fire Units Battle Grass Fire at Spainhower Pasture

Sheridan and Grant City fire units battled a grass fire between Grant City and Allendale that started on pasture owned by Chris Spainhower Tuesday, August 7th in 100 degree heat. Larry Bunker's farm crew was mowing the pasture when the fire broke out around 2:00 that afternoon. Aided by a south wind and dry ground, the fire spread north into a neighboring timber before fire units got the blaze under control. The Worth County Fire Auxiliary brought drinks for the fire crews. The fire was under control at around 3:40 that afternoon, although fire crews continued to monitor the scene.