NEMA: Rd. 702 Wildfire in Southwest Nebraska Now 74% Contained

April 27, 2022, 11 a.m. ·

NSP Road 702 Fire Drone Video. Fire burning a prairie with smoke rising up.
Dry conditions and high winds contributed to the 702 wildfire, which burned more than 43,582 acres across southwest Nebraska in late April, according to state estimates. It scorched grassland and hay that ranchers rely on to feed their cattle. (Image courtesy Nebraska State Patrol)

Listen To This Story

Despite critical fire weather Tuesday, firefighters continued to make progress on the Road 702 Fire in southwest Nebraska, which is now 74% contained.

A Nebraska Emergency Management Agency map shows the northern and southern edges of the fires in Furnas and Red Willow counties are now completely surrounded. Fire crews will continue to monitor what’s left of the fires throughout the week.

"We're always going to have some heat left over in the middle of the fire, where we're not going in and engaging," said Jonathan Ashford, a public information officer with the Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team. "It's that outer perimeter we're trying to get containment on and make sure we don't have any heat against available dry vegetation."

For the most part, Wednesday's weather will cooperate with relief efforts. Winds have died down significantly from Tuesday, with gusts expected tp be topping out at 20 miles per hour. Warmer temperatures and low humidity on Tuesday still leave plenty of risk for fires to pick up again.

There will be slight chances of thunderstorms in the area at 6 p.m., according to the National Weather Service office in North Platte. The droughted area could use the thunderstorm's rain– but winds and lighting could help spark another fire.

Road 702 Fire is Now 74 Percent Contained
The black outlines indicate full containment. (Courtesy NEMA)