North Platte, Neb. — Region 51 Emergency Management — Fire managers reported Thursday they’ve made significant progress on a central Nebraska wildfire the past 24 hours. Containment has increased from 82% to 98%. Firefighters are currently monitoring weather forecasts for the next 48 hours. Portions of the fire are currently under red flag warnings. Projected forecasts through the weekend call for a continuation of fire weather that may impact the fire footprint. Uncontained areas of the fire are pockets of heavy fuels and trees that still have the potential to ignite and throw hot embers across the fire line.
Operations Thursday included increasing containment in heavy pockets of timber that pose risks to the fire’s edge. On Wednesday, an extensive infrared flight provided detailed areas of isolated and significant heat. Some areas in timber pockets pose safety hazards to firefighters, which limits them from suppression efforts. If these areas do not pose any risk for the fire to escape the line, the best way to mitigate these trees is to let the fire consume the fuel. The focus for Wednesday and Thursday’s tactics included suppressing areas along the eastern edge of the fire identified by the infrared flights. Division A, H, and Z have been placed into a patrol and monitor status, meaning firefighters will continue patrols to limit containment line threats. Division K and R will continue to have pockets of heat due to heavy trees being impacted and firefighters are actively engaged in suppression efforts.
An initial damage assessment shows the Betty’s Way fire destroyed 4 primary residences and damaged countless outbuilding and agricultural infrastructure. No injuries or fatalities have been reported.
The overall goal for Thursday is to transition from the Nebraska Type 3 Incident Management Team to Lincoln County and Custer County agencies and local fire departments. The team would like to thank all those who helped stabilize this wildfire.
The fire is not completely out. There are pockets of heat within the perimeter that will continue to burn and release smoke. We expect to see smoke for many days.
The Betty’s Way Fire has been a team effort at the local, county and state level. Firefighters from across the state assisted in suppressing this fire and have been invaluable assets in bringing it to an end. Future information will be released referencing the massive response provided by Nebraska firefighters.
