 Interior crews found the attic space (or cockloft) of the Oasis
Senior Center heavily involved. Crews deployed multiple hose lines
to the second floor and battled the blaze for an hour before
withdrawing to begin a defensive exterior attack. The fire went into
a third alarm with three aerial water streams in place, and a fifth
alarm water shuttle operation was established to help keep up with
the demand.None of the building's occupants were harmed; however,
three firefighters sustained injuries while fighting the blaze.
It has been determined that the fire was due to lightning that
struck an unused television antenna tower located on top of the
building.
The National Weather Service office in Lincoln has confirmed a
significant lightning strike in downtown Lincoln at approximately 5
p.m.
The building sustained significant fire damage to the roof and
smoke and water damage throughout. Dollar loss estimates are
currently being reviewed with the parties involved.
In total 15 fire departments responded: Lincoln Fire Department,
Lincoln Rural Fire, Mount Pulaski, Atlanta, Latham, Middletown,
Chestnut, Elkhart, Emden, New Holland, Hartsburg, Cornland, Beason,
Williamsville and Sherman.
Five support agencies also responded: Logan County Paramedics,
Lincoln Police Department, Logan County Emergency Management Agency,
Logan County Sheriff's Auxiliary and the American Red Cross.
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The Lincoln Fire Department would like to thank all the
responding agencies and members of the community for their
assistance, with a special thank you to 8-year-old Wyatt Jones.
[Text from Ashley Williams and Tim
Aper, fire investigators / LDN]
Editor's note: LDN inquired of the Lincoln Fire Department
about the special thank-you to Wyatt Jones.
According to Assistant Chief Steve Dahm, Wyatt was at the scene
of the fire for quite some time Friday evening. He stayed behind the
yellow tape as he should have, but consistently worked to get the
attention of the firefighters on the scene.
When firefighters had time to talk to Wyatt, they found that he
had brought them food. He had snack cakes for them and told them
that with all their hard work, he thought they might be getting
hungry.
The fire department wanted to acknowledge Wyatt for his
thoughtfulness.
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