Many Nebraska fire departments not issuing burn permits despite lifting of ban

Many fire departments across the state are not issuing burn permits even though Gov. Jim Pillen lifted a statewide burn ban on Thursday.

Pillen had instituted the ban on March 13, after huge wildfires started in western and central Nebraska. Those fires eventually burned more than 900,000 acres, making them the worst in the state’s history.

Pillen extended the ban on March 27, and it was supposed to go through April 10, but he rescinded it Thursday after many areas of the state saw significant rain.

“Today’s order indicates that conditions contributing to an elevated wildfire threat have diminished to an acceptable degree,” Pillen said in a news release.

But many fire departments and fire chiefs disagree.

“No, just no. We are NOT opening burning permits in our District even though the Governor has lifted the statewide burn ban,” The Grand Island Rural Fire Department said in a Facebook post Thursday.

The Grand Island area got more than an inch of rain Wednesday into Thursday, but it is still well below normal precipitation for the year after experiencing its sixth-driest January-March period on record, with only 0.78 inches of rain.

“Locally, there has not been enough precipitation to justify making burn permits available,” the Facebook post said. “We will post when burn permits are available again. We appreciate your patience.”

In Keith County, which saw tens of thousands of acres burned up by the state-record Morrill Fire, the Ogallala Volunteer Fire Department said it will not be issuing any burn permits outside the city limits and will evaluate permits on a case-by-case basis inside the city limits of Ogallala.

Another department in Keith County issued a very blunt response to the governor’s move to lift the burn ban.

"To make it absolutely clear: There will be no burn permits issued in the Keystone-Lemoyne Fire District,” the department said in a Facebook post. “Unsure what he (Pillen) was thinking or which group convinced him that burn permits could be issued again, but our fuels are exactly the same as they were 2 weeks ago when these fires began.

“The slight rain we received did not make any considerable impact on our drought conditions,” the post said. “Please remain cautious and careful!”

A number of other fire departments in areas that were hit by wildfires last month said they are keeping a local burn ban in place, including the Lexington Volunteer Fire Department, Bertrand Volunteer Fire & Rescue and Ansley Fire and Rescue.

“While we are grateful for the small amount of moisture our area has received, conditions remain dry and fire danger is still high,” the Ansley department said in a Facebook post.

Many of the areas where wildfires burned last month are in severe or extreme drought, and they were also areas that saw little or no rain Wednesday and Thursday.

The Drought Monitor released Thursday by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln showed that the area of the state in extreme drought grew from 22% to 43%, although that reflected conditions before the rain that fell Wednesday and Thursday.

Most of the extreme drought is in the Panhandle and an area north and east of Grand Island.

While all the wildfires have now either completely burned out or are considered 100% contained, there is still concern about weather conditions.

Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 2, which has been managing efforts to fight the Ashby, Minor, and Cottonwood fires, is set to leave the state on Sunday. In its last public update issued Friday morning, the team still expressed concern about continued wildfire risks.

“Expect critical fire weather Friday and Saturday, particularly in western Nebraska, as windy, dry conditions persist,” it said in a news release. “Daytime temperatures will be closer to normal for early April. Woody vegetation — both living and dead — remains critically dry despite some parts of the state receiving moisture.”

Even departments in eastern Nebraska, which received most of the moisture and which has less of a drought issue, are holding off on reinstating burn permits, including Bennet Fire and Rescue, Raymond Fire & Rescue and the Louisville Fire Department.