Bellevue fire crews said a bridge's weight limit prevented them from getting to a house fire on Sunday.
The house is located in rural Sarpy County near Fairview Road and Fifth Street, which isn't far from Offutt Air Force Base. The fire department told KETV NewsWatch 7 that all firefighters could do was watch the home burn because their heavy equipment sat on the other side of a bridge just blocks from the scene.
The bridge has a 1-ton weight limit but the fire trucks weigh 23 tons.
"We were aware of this property -- have had a fire here before a number of years ago," said Bellevue fire's David Syzmanski. "So, we tried to lay some hand lines to it, but we were still unable to reach the fire, so basically, since it had already gotten to the first and second floors, we decided to take a complete defensive approach to the fire."
A couple was inside the home but got out safely, firefighters said.
The house is considered a total loss.
Investigators said they don't know what caused the fire.
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