All three major wildfires in western Nebraska are now fully contained and inactive, marking a significant milestone after weeks of firefighting efforts across the region.
Officials with Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 2 confirmed Friday that the Ashby, Minor, and Cottonwood Fires have all reached 100 percent containment. The Ashby Fire burned 36,004 acres before being contained on April 2. The Minor Fire, which scorched 14,082 acres, was contained April 1. The Cottonwood Fire, the largest of the three at 129,253 acres, was contained March 27, with crews continuing to patrol and extinguish interior flare-ups over the past week.
The incident management team announced this will be its final update unless it is reassigned by the State of Nebraska to manage a new wildfire.
Under direction from the state, management of the fires will transition back to local volunteer fire departments beginning Sunday, April 5, at 6 a.m. At that point, local jurisdictions will assume responsibility not only for continued monitoring of these fires but also for responding to any new fire starts.
Initial attack resources positioned across Nebraska will begin demobilizing in phases over the coming days. Until that transition is complete, firefighters will remain available to assist local departments as needed. Nebraska National Guard Black Hawk helicopters will remain stationed in Ogallala through Friday before returning to Lincoln, with one flight crew remaining on advanced readiness after April 5. A single-engine air tanker will also continue to be available out of Ainsworth to support firefighting efforts.
Despite full containment, fire danger remains a concern. A Red Flag Warning is in effect Friday afternoon for parts of southwestern Nebraska due to strong winds, low humidity, and critically dry vegetation. Officials warn that conditions, particularly in western portions of the state, could still support new wildfire starts heading into the weekend.