Firefighters struggle to tame biggest wildfires in Nebraska history

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen and other state officials provided an update Monday on Nebraska’s wildfires, which are now the largest in the state's history and remain largely uncontained.

Firefighters are focusing efforts on three large fires, the Morrill Fire in western Nebraska’s Morrill, Garden, Arthur and Keith counties; the Road 203 Fire in Thomas and Blaine counties; and the Cottonwood Fire in Lincoln County.

The ongoing wildfires have burned more than 700,000 acres. According to information from a press briefing Monday, 52 fire engines, water tenders and rescue or medical vehicles are assisting, in addition to 149 firefighting personnel. The Nebraska National Guard has provided 39 personnel in addition to two UH-60 helicopters with buckets.

Nebraska National Guard Major General Craig Strong said on Saturday alone, Nebraska’s two helicopters conducted 68 water drops totaling 46,000 gallons of water.

Pillen thanked everyone who's helped with the wildfires, but he said the battle is far from over.

"Obviously, the days ahead are really, really high risk. It’s been so dry in Nebraska for so long, we think it’s normal," he said. "It’s really counterintuitive when you think about the risk. What I think is really important is the support that we have from the people outside of Nebraska.”

Pillen thanked the Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team 1, a federal interagency task force made up of local, state, and federal personnel from Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming, which announced Saturday it was taking over command of firefighting efforts for both the Morrill and Cottonwood fires, and was already leading efforts against the Road 203 fire.

Scott Beacham of the Rocky Mountain team said they are planning to get an aerial view of the Cottonwood and Morrill fires at some point on Monday, which would give firefighters a better idea of the fires' boundaries. That may lead to the fires increasing in acreage, but Beacham said that "isn't because of new fire growth, it's just better mapping."

Pillen said Brooke Rollins, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, has also offered support.

“She’s offering whatever we need," Pillen said. "I said we need the ability to mobilize land for whatever ranchers are going to need, need to have graze land. So we need to mobilize CRP. I’ve been around CRP my whole life. It’ll have some challenges but some great opportunities to be able to get grazing so we don’t lose mama cows and that ranchers can be successful.”

Nebraska Emergency Management Agency Assistant Director Erv Portis said the state is securing FEMA funding and added the battle is far from over.

“We think we’re in a very high-risk period,” he said. “I think everybody is aware of the weather forecast. We anticipate this event will take several days to bring it to where we can control it and be comfortable handing it off to locals. The intent here is that we have a safe, efficient response that protects our local environment, protects our local communities."

The Iowa National Guard has sent two UH-60 helicopters with buckets and has eight guard members assisting. Four other aircraft have been helping on the scene.

Fire departments from across the state have answered the call and are assisting with the fires, which have set records. The previous worst year for Nebraska wildfires on record is 2012, when a little more than 500,000 acres had burned statewide.

Firefighters struggled to battle the wildfires over the weekend, when temperatures plummeted in the state and some areas saw wind gusts as high as 63 miles per hour.

Cold temperatures Sunday created water and equipment issues, while unseasonably warm temperatures Saturday increased fire danger and safety issues.

State Forester John Erixson said the winds have not only been gusty, but also shifted directions, making the fire difficult to contain.

“The winds are one day from the north, one day south,” he said. “As we look out over the next several days, what kind of containment are we getting on those fires and as we close the circle around the fire in order to get the containment, how many of those lines have been tested?"

Evacuations are still in effect for some areas, and more are possible.

Highways in the state have been closed due to poor visibility, and limited power outages have been reported in some areas.

Numerous buildings as well as livestock have been lost due to the wildfires, which prompted several evacuations in the state.

The Morrill Fire has resulted in one confirmed casualty, Rose Mary White, an 86-year-old grandmother who died in her Arthur home.

Pillen has said the Morrill Fire’s ignition was “electrical by nature,” and has now consumed about 572,000 acres. The fire has been confirmed as the largest in Nebraska history and one of the 30 largest in U.S. history. It has damaged 499 structures within the fire perimeter.

Officials said firefighters are making “good progress” against the fire, though it’s still believed to be 0% contained.

The Cottonwood Fire, which has now burned about 122,000 acres in Dawson and Lincoln counties, making it the second-biggest single fire in Nebraska history, also is considered 0% contained. Evacuations are currently in place, and the number of damaged structures is undetermined.

The Road 203 Fire, which has burned at least 36,000 acres near Halsey, in the Nebraska National Forest, was likely started from a previous federal government burn, Pillen has stated. It remains at 0% containment.

A fourth fire, known as the Anderson Bridge Fire, has also burned around 16,000 acres near Valentine and is 33% contained. That fire is primarily being managed by the U.S. Forest Service.

Pillen declared a state of emergency Friday for Morrill, Garden, Arthur, Keith, Lincoln, Dawson, and Frontier counties in response to the wildfires. On Monday, he signed an executive order waiving hours of service restrictions and maximum load weight and width limits for commercial vehiles participating in relief operations.

As part of the proclamation, NDOT road graders were ordered to assist with fire breaks; National Guard troops are assisting local firefighters; National Guard helicopters are providing aerial firefighting and a state-led Complex Incident Management Team was launched to coordinate response efforts. That order will stay in effect for 14 days.

Pillen issued a statewide burn ban Friday afternoon to reduce the potential for additional wildfires. His executive order will remain in effect until at least 11:59 p.m. on March 27.

Strong commended the efforts of everyone involved, adding it’s an example of different agencies and volunteers working together toward a common goal.

“At the end of the day, it is that volunteer fireman that is sacrificing to serve their community,” he said. “I think that is a testament to what we’re doing here in this room. We’re enabling success, but the success is happening in the field. It’s clearly an example of vertical and horizontal integration from the local, state… and even at the federal level.”