UPDATE 7 p.m. from Nebraska Emergency Management Agency:
Local officials in Custer and Lincoln counties have declared emergencies and requested state assistance due to a large wildfire affecting the area, closing several roads, requiring multiple evacuations and requiring the response of multiple volunteer fire departments from around the region. The North Platte/Lincoln County Emergency Operations Center was activated immediately and has been monitoring the situation and coordinating resources since the fire started. The fire, which originated north of North Platte, from an unknown cause, is burning on private lands in Lincoln and Custer counties. Governor Jim Pillen approved a state disaster which allows funds from the Governor’s Emergency Fund to be used to assist in the response.
At the request of county officials, Nebraska’s Incident Management Team, as well as members of the state’s Wildland Incident Response Assistant Team, have been deployed and will assist local responders in the coming days. Two National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters will be deployed to the fire and begin operations to drop water on the fire beginning tomorrow. Additional aircraft will be used to map the fire to assist teams as they plan the best strategy to fight the fire.
— Original Story —
Fire crews from across the Panhandle are answering the call for assistance with a large grassland fire that started late Monday morning near North Platte.
Rural Radio Association affiliate KRVN was reporting numerius fire departments were on scene of a massive wildfire that started northeast of North Platte, and spread into eastern Lincoln County and Dawson County.
Gering Fire Chief Nathan Flowers told KNEB News that fire crews from Gering, Banner County, Scotts Bluff Rural, Minatare-Melbeta, Alliance and Crawford had responded to provide night shift coverage.
KNOP News 2 was reporting residents north of Maxwell, Brady and Gothenburg were ordered to evacuate, and Highway 30 between Maxwell and Gothenburg, aa well as Highway 47 north of Gothenburg had been closed.
Rural Radio affiliate KRVN was reporting that as of about 4 p.m., the Logan County Sheriff’s Office had issued an immediate evacuation of homes located North of Gandy and East of Highway 83 due to the fire, with a call to residents to help those in need.
