State Resources Deployed to Assist Local Officials
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.
