Firemen from 5 departments were battling a large grass fire between Valentine and Mullen Thursday night. According to Fire Chief Tyler Cash, Mullen Fire Department received the first call at about 6:45 Mountain Time for a grass fire on the Spike Box Ranch, owned by Ted Turner.
Starting at about 8:30 Central Time, Mullen requested mutual aid from 4 other departments including Valentine, Sandhills Fire Protection District, Region 24 which includes Thedford Seneca and Brownlee, as well as Tryon-McPherson County. Valentine trucks were the first to be released from the scene at about 10:30pm Mountain Time. Early estimates indicate that 1200-1500 acres of grassland burned in the blaze.