OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Fire crews took advantage of a break in the weather in their battle to contain large fires in the West and Plains states, but fear the return of stronger winds Tuesday could spread the flames further.
A southwestern Nebraska wildfire that killed a former volunteer fire chief last week, injured 15 firefighters and destroyed several homes was about half contained, the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency said. But firefighters were racing to hold that line and finish a containment border, said Jonathan Ashford, spokesman for the Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team.
The fire, dubbed the Road 702 Fire, has burned about 70 square miles of mostly grasslands and farmland near the Nebraska-Kansas state line and was estimated to be about 47% contained.
