‘We need Mother Nature’: Pillen enacts burn ban amid raging fire in north-central Nebraska

Update: This story has been revised to reflect the overnight response to the fire.

LINCOLN — Gov. Jim Pillen enacted an emergency declaration and statewide burn ban Wednesday amid serious drought conditions and a raging wildfire in north-central Nebraska. By Thursday morning, the fire was 40% contained.

That compares to Wednesday afternoon when the “Plum Creek Fire” was 0% contained and had burned 6,631 acres and one cabin (a secondary residence), killed 45 cattle and destroyed at least eight utility poles, according to state officials.

Pillen addressed the fire from the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Lincoln and signed the burn ban and other proclamations related to the fire. What began Monday afternoon as a controlled burn performed by a private landowner in coordination with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, local fire departments and other partners.

However, the fire got out of control, which the Ainsworth fire chief said happened after a sudden shift in wind direction, according to local reporting.

More than 50 different local fire departments, many run by volunteers, have responded, as have the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, NEMA, State Fire Marshal’s Office, Nebraska National Guard, Nebraska State Patrol, Game and Parks Commission and Nebraska Forest Service.

Containment fight continues

Ainsworth Fire Chief Brad Fiala said in a Thursday morning update that “we are finally gaining” as an increase in relative humidity, additional state resources and a little rain on the south end have all helped. He said he hopes to increase containment prior to the weekend, hopefully 60% by Thursday night, when warmer temperatures and strong winds are forecasted.

Officials did a “burn out” Wednesday as a precautionary measure on the north edge of Plum Creek. He said fighting fire with fire can prevent it from spreading if the wind switches.

The public is urged to remain off Norden Avenue, the main route for firefighting in the area, Fiala said. He thanked Nebraskans for an “outpouring of support.”

“The communities have done a remarkable job,” Fiala said in a statement. “The support we have received is amazing. A fire like this is a hardship for these small volunteer departments. Two inches of rain would change everyone’s attitudes.”

‘It’s way too dry’

Pillen declared an emergency for the fire and, citing drought conditions, issued the burn ban through April. About 33.62% of the state is in “severe drought” conditions. The vast majority of the rest of the state is in “moderate” drought conditions, with a sliver of “extreme” drought conditions up in the northwestern corner of the state.

“It’s way too dry, and it doesn’t make any sense,” Pillen told reporters. “It only takes one burn, one mistake, and the one that took place yesterday really, really made no sense.”

He continued: “We need Mother Nature to get on our side, and we need to get drenched. We need a tsunami. So if Nebraskans want to pray for a tsunami, I think we’d take that, right, or a drenching rain.”

John Erixson, director of the Nebraska Forest Service, said it is an unusual year for wildfires, including fires at the end of February brought on by a lack of moisture in the winter and a lack of soil moisture, coupled with dry snow.

“It just takes one little spark from any source to take off,” Erixson said.

A challenging response

Erv Portis, assistant director of NEMA, said the fire is in “very, very challenging topography” between canyons, hills and water on the northern edge. The only real way to fight it, he said, is from the air.

Roughly 16,000 gallons of retardant have been dropped on the area, as has about 50,000 gallons of water by two UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters from the Nebraska National Guard.

Col. Shane Varejcka, chief of the joint staff for the National Guard, said Ainsworth and Valentine have helped provide service members — 19 Army National Guard and 10 Air National Guard — with lodging, food and other support.

The American Red Cross had provided cots and blankets for responders. Hot Meals USA, from Kearney, had also served around 250 meals to firefighters and other responders on Wednesday.

“We’re doing all we can. We’re still not getting containment,” Varejcka said. “We’ll keep fighting, keep doing the things that need to be done.”

Pillen said he’s confident that officials will get the fire under control, but he said that even half an inch of rain isn’t enough. He said Nebraskans need to use “good common sense” to help.

Game and Parks will also enforce a temporary campfire ban across its properties, including state parks and wildlife management areas.

“Nebraska Game and Parks is grateful for the efforts of emergency responders, volunteers, communities and everyone who is working to battle wildfires,” Director Tim McCoy of Game and Parks said in a statement. “Nebraska Game and Parks will continue to assist until the end.”

‘Safety must come first’

Director Sherry Vinton of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, Laura Field of the Nebraska Cattlemen and State Sen. Tanya Storer of Whitman, all ranchers, as well as Pillen, whose family owns a major hog farming operation, said they understand that some Nebraskans might have concerns about the burn ban, but they said it is critical.

The alternative is diverting resources and personnel, they said, which interim State Fire Marshal Doug Hohbein said are already being stretched thin this early in the season.

Vinton said protecting land, livestock, wildlife and people is of the “utmost importance.”

“While fire is a tool that we use in our agricultural operations and for conservation, right now our current conditions make it just too dangerous,” Vinton said. “Safety must come first.”

Finding help and future updates

Storer, who represents the largest geographic legislative district that includes the fire response area and much of north-central Nebraska, said her constituents are friends and neighbors. This early in the year, many of the volunteer firefighters who are in the livestock industry are in the calving season and already exhausted.

She expressed gratitude for their continued sacrifices, as did Vinton, Erixson, Pillen and others.

For anyone needing support, Storer said constituents shouldn’t hesitate to reach out. She plans to go look at the damage soon.

“Anything I can do to facilitate helping get them in touch with the right resources or the right agencies,” Storer told the Nebraska Examiner. “I would like to be a resource for them.”

Pillen said updates will be provided through the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency and local emergency services.

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to clarify how the fire started and add updated responses from the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and Nebraska Emergency Management Agency.