Fire destroys home in east Grand Island

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (KSNB) - A Grand Island family is left without a home following a fire late Monday night.

Grand Island Rural Fire crews were called out to a structure fire around 10:13 p.m. near the intersection of Gunbarrel and Bismark Road in the east part of the city.

Grand Island Rural Fire Chief Mike Keene said the family, a younger couple with a baby and a guest, were home at the time of the fire. He said it was actually the dad who heard a load popping and then the fire alarms started going off.

Chief Keene said once the man was able to locate the fire, he couldn’t get it out so everyone evacuated. Nobody was injured.

Once firefighters were on scene, they found the home engulfed in flames.

Chief Keene said about 25 firefighters from his department, St. Libory, Doniphan, Grand Island and Chapman responded to help put out the fire.

“The wind kept blowing fire down from the deck,” he said. “(It) was causing a lot of problems,” Keene said.

It took crews about an hour to get the fire under control and then after that they continued working to put out hot spots and make sure the fire didn’t reignite.

The State Fire Marshal Office is assisting Grand Island Rural with the investigation to determine a cause of the fire.

Keene and the fire marshal estimate is around $450,000 in damage with the home being a total loss.

The Red Cross is assisting the family.

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