Rural Nebraska fire chief dies in crash on way to wildfire

EDISON, Neb. (AP) — A wildfire in southern Nebraska fueled by dry conditions and strong winds forced the evacuation of the small village of Edison, destroyed several homes and led to the death of a rural fire chief who was killed in a crash while he was responding to the blaze. The Nebraska State Patrol called for a mandatory evacuation Thursday night of the Furnas County community of about 130 people about 187 miles southwest of Lincoln as the fire neared the town and spread over 30,000 acres by Friday. The patrol also said that Elwood Volunteer Fire Chief Darren Krull died after the emergency SUV he was a passenger in collided with a water tanker as smoke from the fire cut visibility to zero.