Lightning is blamed for a fire Monday evening north of Scottsbluff that destroyed an estimated $100,000 of baled hay.
Scottsbluff Rural Fire Chief Carissa Schank told KNEB News that the fire was reported shortly after 6:30 in a large stack of bales along Lake Minatare Road.
        The Gering Rural and Mitchell Volunteer Fire Departments responded with mutual aid, but it still took more than 5 hours for crews from the 3 agencies to put out the burning bales.Â
Chief Schank says at least 319 hay bales were lost to the blaze, with a neighbor telling fire officials they thought they saw lightning strike the stack shortly before the fire was spotted.