Cooler, less wind and light rainfall Monday aided 125 firefighters in their suppression efforts of the Bovee Fire, keeping the blaze at 15,000 acres but with containment lines at 30 percent as of Tuesday morning.
After Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 1 took over in the evening, all evacuations tied to the fire were lifted, and Highway 2 is currently open but with motorists advised there may be heavy traffic and smoke in the area.
Dozers, engines, and hand crews made good progress on fireline construction on the northern and eastern flanks of the fire Monday, and started work on the western side, which will continue Tuesday with a night shift on patrol to ensure structures and firelines are secure.
An Area Closure encompassing the entire Bessy Ranger District is in place on the Nebraska National Forests and Grasslands, as Forest Service and local firefighters were able to successfully defend the historic Bessey Nursery and CCC Campground.
