By PAUL HAMMEL
Nebraska Examiner
LINCOLN — Dry, windy conditions are helping start fire season early in Nebraska in 2023.
Three wildfires, in Jefferson County in southeast Nebraska, Garfield County in the center part of the state, and Cherry County near the South Dakota border, were burning as of Wednesday evening.
“Critical” fire weather is expected for the next two days, according to Jodie Fawl of the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency.
Fire season, she said, used to begin in July and extend into autumn, but now is considered to be year round.
In 2022, Fawl said, major wildfires were reported in each month of the year — a year that turned out to be the second worst for wildfires in state history.
On Wednesday evening, the three fires reported were:
- The McCann Fire in Cherry County, which was reportedly 30% contained after burning 7,040 acres. The fire started southwest of Kilgore and required the evacuation of the village for a while Tuesday. NEMA liaison Chris Schroeder said local first responders stopped the blaze two miles south of town, and no structures were lost. The focus Wednesday, he said, was to hold that line and work hotspots in canyon areas.
- The Rock Creek Fire in Jefferson County had consumed 2,600 acres by Wednesday evening and was said to be the largest fire in that area in recent years. Fifty volunteer firefighters were on scene. The fire was at 60% containment. John McKee, emergency manager for Saline and Jefferson Counties, told News Channel Nebraska that firefighters did “an excellent job” protecting buildings at Rock Creek Station State Historical Park that had been rebuilt in recent years. A Nebraska National Guard hand crew was on the scene, along with a National Guard UH-60 helicopter.
- The Lowry Fire in Garfield County burned 6,000 acres, 15 miles north of Burwell, but mop-up operations have begun. Two injuries were reported and four structures were destroyed, including a storage building at the Rowes Hydraulic Rake Manufacturing Plant, 22 miles north of Burwell, Fawl said. Eight homes and a church were threatened, she said. Local aviation dropped water on the fire.
Wildfire conditions across the state are available by visiting: www.nema.nebraska.gov/