One fire completely destroyed a horse barn while a second blaze consumed more than an acre of land in two separate incidents over the weekend.
On Saturday, firefighters from several departments fought a wildfire on Hwy. 64 near Hill View Road, according to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department. High winds quickly fanned the flames, which eventually consumed 1.6 acres of land, according to the Department of Natural Resources. Firefighters from the Pine River Fire Department Town of Russell, Town of Texas, Merrill Fire Department and the DNR eventually brought the fire under control.
Then on Sunday, crews were called at about 12:50 p.m. to a report of a barn fire in the town of Maine. The property owner reported seeing several lightning strikes just before the blaze broke out, officials said. A horse barn was destroyed in the blaze and a nearby building was damaged before the fire was extinguished.
All four horses normally housed in the barn were outside when the blaze broke out, and none were injured, officials said.
Wausau, Merrill, Hewitt, Easton, SAFER, Hamburg, Corning, Riverside and Texas fire crews assisted the town of Maine in fighting the blaze.
