Strong, unpredictable winds teamed with tinder-dry brush to whip up a fire Monday that roared through more than 500 acres of rural ranchland north of Lincoln.

With no control in sight by 8 p.m., some 400 firefighters pulled from the region into the area were battling spot fires and a main blaze that had already shifted several times in tandem with fickle winds.

Several roads were closed in the area including parts of Highway 65 as well as Highway 193 between Lincoln and Newcastle, according to Cal Fire information officer JoAnn Caroscelli.

Residents with homes in the presumed path of the flames were moving their livestock out or getting ready to evacuate in the afternoon. The fire had scorched more than 400 acres by 5 p.m. and at least another 100 acres a couple of hours later, with more acreage burning as the fire continued its destructive path.

One farmhouse on Gladding Road was burned to the ground by 3 p.m. Trucks and farm implements were left burning in the yard.

As the flames continued to consume the vehicles in the farmyard, fire trucks moved to catch up with the fire on the road out front and helicopters and airplanes dropped fire retardant and water on flames nearby.

With thick smoke billowing across Wise Road, traffic was held back and by about 3 p.m., the flames roared across the rural roadway.

Marsha Stevens had driven a quad-runner through the smoke as neighbors helped neighbors try to round up sheep and other livestock. She stopped for a moment to observe the remains of the burned house — a chimney standing straight up and ashes around it.

“It’s a tragedy,” Stevens said. “You never want to see a your neighbor’s place burned like that.”

The fire broke out around 1 p.m. Caroscelli said that it started in the Gladding Road area, moved to Merritt Lane and then traveled farther along past Wise Road. The cause had not been determined.

Early closures were ordered at the intersections of Wise and Gladding roads, Gladding Road and Merritt Lane, and McCourtney and Virginiatown roads. As of 8 p.m. other road closures included all of Garden Bar, all of Virginiatown Road and Fruitvale at Hungry Hollow.

Residents near the Gladding-McCourtney crossroads were being advised at mid-afternoon to voluntarily evacuate their homes because of the possibility of the fire moving their way.

Ranch owner Robert Wire stood at the Crosby Herold and Wise roads intersection watching the white smoke rise about half a mile away and wondered aloud if it was time to start moving out. The crossroads had turned into a major intersection, with drivers — some with horse trailers — turned back and others asking for information from sheriff’s deputies stationed there.

Inside the fire zone, about 40 fire engines were working from the ground while three air tankers and four helicopters buzzed through the smoke from above.

Winds were gusting to 31 mph, moving the fire quickly through the area. A “red flag” wind warning was to be in effect until at least 11 a.m. Tuesday.

“We expect fire every year but it’s been exceptionally dry this year,” Wire said.

Caroscelli said the fire highlights the need — despite a cooler-than-normal period over the weekend — to ensure that people do their mowing and weeding before 10 a.m. and after 6:30 p.m.

Wind also blew traces of the fire far afield, with the smell of smoke reported in Weimar and Auburn.

The Journal’s Gus Thomson can be reached at gust@goldcountrymedia.com or leave a comment.

Video of Fire