Largest wildfire in Nebraska history leaves 1 dead, scorches over 640,000 acres as conditions begin to ease
The single largest wildfire in Nebraska state history, the Morrill Fire, has scorched over 640,000 acres and left one person dead as firefighters finally begin to turn the tide on the generational blaze.
OGALLALA, Neb. — The single largest wildfire in Nebraska state history, the Morrill Fire, has scorched over 640,000 acres and left one person dead as firefighters finally begin to turn the tide on the generational blaze.
The Morrill Fire was first discovered on the morning of March 13 and has since burned over 643,074 acres across a massive swath of western Nebraska, impacting Morrill, Garden, Arthur, Keith and Grant counties.
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Though the official cause of the wildfire remains undetermined, Governor Jim Pillen stated that it was "electrical in nature" as hundreds of firefighting personnel continue to battle the fire.
Gov. Pillen called the record-breaking wildfire "one of the worst natural disasters in Nebraska history."
The blaze was 67 percent contained as of early Thursday — marking a significant increase from earlier in the week, as winds eased somewhat Wednesday.
The fire claimed the life of a Nebraska grandmother, 86-year-old Rose White, of Arthur, who died trying to escape the raging wildfire, Gov. Pillen announced in a press conference on Saturday.
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Across the state, hundreds of first responders are in action battling against other wildfires as a historic fire outbreak explodes into a full-scale emergency, triggering evacuations while threatening life and property across impacted areas.
Gov. Pillen declared a state of emergency in response to the devastating wildfires across impacted areas, as high winds and low humidity fueled the explosion of the fire earlier this week, prompting evacuations in Nebraska and across state borders.
On top of hundreds of state and local fire departments and emergency response agencies, members of the Nebraska National Guard have been deployed to assist.
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"We are making progress, but the fight isn’t over. My thanks to all the firefighters, guardsmen, aviators and others who are tirelessly working the line, as well as everyone supporting them," Gov. Pillen wrote in a post on X on Wednesday.
The historic Morrill Fire isn't the only blaze burning across Nebraska as dangerous fire weather provided the necessary ingredients for a frenzy of fires across the state.
As the Morrill Fire burns across western Nebraska, the Cottonwood Fire poses a dangerous threat to south-central Nebraska.
First observed on March 15, the Cottonwood Fire has burned 128,036 acres and was 78% contained early Thursday.
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In total, over 800,000 acres have been scorched across Nebraska as numerous wildfires have burned across the state, with local and state officials working around the clock to contain the fires amid the unprecedented outbreak.
In the wake of the devastating fires have Gov. Pillen signed an executive order to provide emergency relief to farmers and ranchers that have had livestock feed and supplies "severely impacted."
"Nebraska’s producers are facing a real need right now, and we have the responsibility to stand with our farmers and ranchers," Gov. Pillen wrote on X.
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Other notable fires in the dangerous outbreak include the Road 203 Fire, which has scorched more than 35,000 acres across Thomas, Custer, Logan and Blaine Counties in central Nebraska and was 76% contained as of Wednesday morning.
The Anderson Bridge Fire, which erupted March 12 in the Samuel R. McKelvie National Forest, has burned 17,400 acres and is 60% contained.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved Fire Management Assistance Grants to support response efforts for wildfires in Nebraska, along with additional fires across several other Plains states. The funding is intended to help state and local authorities protect lives and property.
The Nebraska Emergency Management Agency received reports of 24 wildfires in 24 hours on Friday as dangerous weather concerns linger into the week.
Fire Weather Alerts remain in place across large parts of Nebraska and Wyoming through Saturday due to gusty winds, high temperatures and a lack of rain.
Critical Fire Weather Conditions cover southeastern Wyoming, including Cheyenne, through Thursday evening.
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The ingredients for dangerous fire weather remain a concern with even warmer conditions expected through the weekend, as a historic heat dome that's roasting the West begins to shift into the Plains.
Given the sizes of the Morrill and Cottonwood fires, even marginal wind increases pose a significant risk to containment lines, the FOX Forecast Center said.
In the heat of the threat, the U.S. Wildland and Fire Service listed a few steps to help prevent wildfires and protect your community:
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