Officials with Nebraska National Forests and Grasslands said a wildfire ignited Sunday in the Nebraska National Forest near Halsey. The fire grew to 15,000 acres by Sunday evening, forcing evacuations of residents around Halsey and the closure of Highway 2 between Thedford and Dunning in west central Nebraska.
There are no reports of injuries or confirmation of what started the fire. The Bovee fire continues Nebraska's busy wildfire season. Earlier this spring, nearly 4,200 acres burned at the national forest.
The Carter Canyon fire destroyed eleven buildings and two homes when it ignited July 30. The Nebraska Emergency Management Agency said Nebraska's devastating drought helped fuel the fire to grow 13,000 acres within the first six hours of burning.
Earlier this year, the Road 702 fire in southwest Nebraska killed one firefighter and injured four people. It swept across 44,000 acres between Nebraska's Red Willow, Furnas and Frontier counties, as well as Kansas' Phillips and Norton counties.
