Gov. Pillen Declares Emergency, Mobilizes Guard as Wildfires Burn in Central and Western Nebraska

CONTACT:

Laura Strimple, (402) 580-9495

Kevin J. Hynes, Nebraska National Guard, 402-309-8390

Katrina Cerveny, NEMA, 402-326-3179

Gov. Pillen Declares Emergency, Mobilizes Guard as Wildfires Burn in Central and Western Nebraska

LINCOLN, NE -- Today Governor Jim Pillen issued an emergency proclamation to unlock state resources and support the response to multiple wildfires in central and western Nebraska that have burned hundreds of thousands of acres of land across multiple counties and resulted in evacuations in nearby communities. Roadways have also been closed due to low visibility.

"These fires present a significant and active danger, given current weather conditions," said Gov. Pillen. "Anyone living within proximity to current wildfires are urged to heed communications issued by local authorities, including their respective county emergency management agencies."

The Nebraska Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has received 24 reports of wildfires in the past 24 hours. Major fires that are being tracked include the following:

The Road 203 Fire south of the communities of Halsey and Dunning within the Nebraska National Forest. Due to its location, this fire is currently being managed by federal authorities.

The Lincoln County Fire (Cottonwood Fire) south of I-80, near Brady and Gothenburg.

The Morrill County Fire north of Nebraska Highway 92, between Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge and Lake McConaughy.

The Anderson Bridge Fire west of Valentine.

The Governor and his team have been closely monitoring these fires, which significantly worsened late yesterday with continued severe wind conditions across Nebraska. The fires have grown beyond the capacity of local wildland fire responders and firefighters.

Acting overnight, Gov. Pillen ordered the activation and deployment of multiple state assets and resources in response to the fires. Fire response actions include:

• Authorizing the deployment of 26 Nebraska National Guard soldiers and airmen to assist local fire crews.
• Ordering the deployment of a fixed-wing fire suppression aircraft for fire suppression.
• Ordering the deployment of a Nebraska Army National Guard helicopter and crew to support local fire fighters with quick and targeted aerial water drops, particularly in areas where ground respond capabilities are limited.
• Ordering the deployment of a Nebraska Army and Air National Guard firefighting hand crew to support local fire fighters.
• Ordering several Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) road graders to Oshkosh and surrounding areas. This heavy equipment will assist with creating fire breaks to slow the growth of existing wildfires and contain them.
• Activating a Complex Incident Management Team (CIMT) for consolidated management of the Morrill County and Lincoln County fires, which have exceeded 300,000 acres and 50,000 acres, respectively.
• Activating the State Emergency Operations Center to provide centralized interagency coordination and monitoring at NEMA headquarters in Lincoln.

In addition to the items above, the Nebraska State Patrol has been assisting with evacuations and traffic control in specific affected areas.

Gov. Pillen is expected to take an aerial tour of fire-impacted areas this weekend. Additional information will be shared concerning that helicopter tour when it becomes available.

The Governor's emergency proclamation is included as an attachment to this email.

Governor's Emergency Proclamation PDF