Officials say Nebraska Sandhills wildfire 30% contained
Officials say progress has been made in containing a large Nebraska Sandhills wildfire where one firefighter died while fighting the flames that also destroyed much of a popular youth campsite
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Progress has been made in containing a large Nebraska Sandhills wildfire where one firefighter died while fighting the flames, which also destroyed much of a popular youth campsite and threatened a small village, officials said Tuesday.
The Bovee Fire in west-central Nebraska's remote Thomas County was 30% contained Tuesday morning, according to a statement from the Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team, which has taken over management of the scene.
Favorable weather conditions, including high humidity, temperatures in the 60s and some rainfall, are helping fire crews contain the grasslands blaze that was sparked Sunday afternoon and ballooned to 15,000 acres, or around 24 square miles (62 square kilometers), within six hours.
The fire destroyed the main lodge and cabins of the Nebraska State 4-H Camp, as well as an observation tower in the Bessey Ranger District of the Nebraska National Forest. Purdum Volunteer Fire Department Assistant Chief Mike Moody died Sunday after suffering an apparent heart attack while battling the fire, officials said.
Officials ordered the evacuation of the nearby village of Halsey and shut down a stretch of Nebraska Highway 2 as smoke from the fire cut visibility. The highway was reopened by Monday. The Rocky Mountain Complex release Tuesday said the evacuation order had been lifted.
Officials have said the fire was "human-caused,” but have not released details on how the fire started.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.