Douglas County declares state of emergency for grass fires that are now contained

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Douglas County commissioners declared a state of local disaster emergency for the county because of two large grass fires that were under control as of 9:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The declaration will provide access to state resources to provide additional suppression and mitigation on Thursday, according to a news release from the county.

The two large fires were near 176 North 2150 Road in the northwestern part of the county, and near 125 North 1150 Road, west of Clinton Lake, according to the release.

“Due to the size of the grass fires in heavily forested areas, a large number of resources from Douglas County and neighboring counties were required to bring the fires under control and mitigate the risk of them spreading,” John Stipetich, deputy Douglas County Emergency Management director, said in the release.

No one was injured and no structures were lost to the fires, according to the release.

An outdoor burn ban will be in effect for Douglas County’s unincorporated areas for Thursday, April 17 because of dry, warm and windy conditions that can easily allow fires to spread easily, according to the release.

Stipetich encourages people to check old burn sights, fully extinguish any lingering embers and call 911 to report smoke immediately.

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