Firefighters battle new wildfires as red flag warnings continue for most of Nebraska

Firefighters are continuing to manage hot spots in wildfires that started around two weeks ago, while multiple new fires have spread in different parts of Nebraska.

The Morrill Fire, which is the largest in the state’s history and burned 642,029 acres in Morrill, Garden, Grant, Arthur and Keith counties, is considered 100% contained, as are the other three fires in Nebraska that started at around the same time.

But as of Monday morning, three other fires were uncontained in the state.

The Ashby and Minor fires in Grant County have how burned a reported 50,000 total acres. The Ashby Fire, which is burning in the northwest part of the county, was listed at 51% contained as of Sunday.

Crews kept the fire from growing, despite critical fire conditions Saturday and a red flag warning for much of the state, according to an update from Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team 2, a federal interagency task force made up of local, state, and federal personnel.

The Minor Fire, in central Grant County, was listed at 30% contained Saturday and had burned around 14,000 acres.

A third fire also sprung up in Phelps County, west of Holdrege in south-central Nebraska, burning a reported 1,200 acres.

Fire risk remained high to start the work week, with nearly the entire western half of Nebraska in a red flag warning Monday into early Tuesday. West winds of 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph possible by Monday afternoon. A cold front is expected to pass through Monday night, increasing winds to as much as 45 mph with winds shifting from the west to the north.