Valentine Firemen Respond To Fire At Sicangu Village

The mutual aid call came in at about 9:30pm Tuesday

The Valentine Volunteer Fire Department and Cherry County Hospital Ambulance Service were requested to the Sicangu Village on the Nebraska-South Dakota state line Tuesday night at about 9:30.

The mutual aid request was due to the report of a house fire that Chief Terry Engels stated was likely caused by discarded rags. Mission Fire Chief Joe Moore confirmed that a worker had put the rags in a bag and they self-combusted. A quick response by Valentine firemen was able to get the fire out and save the structure. Valentine's fire trucks were able to return to the fire hall after about an hour on scene.

Many homes across the country are affected each year by improper disposal of rags that have been used for cleaning or have other chemicals that spontaneously combust. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, spontaneous fires are also one of the leading causes of fires in agricultural storage facilities, such as barns, silos, and stables