Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 53F. Winds NNE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near an inch..

Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 53F. Winds NNE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near an inch.

A preliminary hearing has been set for a 30-year-old Hastings man accused of starting a July 13 fire at LandMark Implement west of Hastings.

Mitchell Linder of 1923 W. Sixth St. filed a written waiver of formal arraignment in Adams County Court on Sept. 7.

He had been scheduled to appear for arraignment on Sept. 8 at 9 a.m.

Linder retained T. Charles James with Hastings law office Langvardt, Valle & James to represent him in the matter.

Adams County Judge Michael Burns accepted the waiver and scheduled a preliminary hearing in the case for Oct. 27 at 10:30 a.m.

Linder faces charges of second-degree arson and criminal mischief.

Second-degree arson is a Class 3 felony punishable by up to four years in prison and a $25,000 fine.

Criminal mischief, intentional property damage with a value more than $5,000, is a Class 4 felony punishable by up to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

According to a news release by the Nebraska State Fire Marshal Agency, investigators had determined the July 13 LandMark Implement fire was arson and developed information that Linder, an employee of the John Deere dealership, was responsible.

Linder was arrested Aug. 18 and taken into custody without incident.

Smoke was reported to authorities around 9:47 p.m. on July 13 at LandMark Implement, 4815 W. U.S. Highway 6. The Hastings Rural Fire Department organized the response with mutual assistance from all fire departments in Adams County as well as Doniphan and Glenvil.

About 75 firefighters and rescue personnel assisted directly on the scene, with mutual aid requested immediately due to the size of the building and its contents. The operation was complicated by the need to haul water to the site; the tremendous amount of heat the fire generated, which was trapped inside the metal structure; difficulty penetrating the metal roof and sides for firefighting access; and a number of minor explosions that occurred as items inside the shop like petroleum and spray cans caught fire.

With the massive amount of heat, crews were rotated in and out to prevent injury to firefighters.

The blaze finally was brought under control about 3 a.m. July 14. The blaze primarily was contained to the shop area on the west end, but the main office and showroom also received smoke damage.

According to the fire marshal agency news release, damages from the fire are estimated at around $6 million.

Fire damaged a shop late Wednesday evening into early Thursday morning at LandMark Implement on West U.S. Highway 6/34.

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