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(Lincoln, NE) State officials have mobilized a multitude of assets to assist local and federal efforts in fighting four wildfires in Sioux and Dawes County. A drought-based emergency declaration by Gov. Dave Heineman, signed last month in anticipation of wildfires, requires no additional disaster declaration to activate state assistance in fighting the fires.
"Our volunteer and professional firefighters are dealing with a very dry Nebraska because of years of drought and moisture deprivation," Gov. Heineman said. "I want the citizens of northwestern and western Nebraska to know that we will complement their firefighting efforts in any way we can, and we will render aid wherever we can be of assistance."
Deployed along with local firefighters at this time are more than 30 Nebraska National Guard troops, including a group with firefighting expertise from Scottsbluff and Chadron and two Guard helicopters from Grand Island and Lincoln to provide aerial intelligence and water drops. The Guard also has sent its refueling tanker truck from North Platte. Additional citizen-soldiers may be deployed to the region as the situation evolves.
The Nebraska Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has dispatched its incident command team and communications trailer to the region. The Nebraska State Fire Marshal's Office has sent its Wildland Incident Response and Assistance Team, which includes the Nebraska Forest Service. The Nebraska State Patrol is coordinating air operations.
Firefighters from across the region have been arriving to assist Chadron-area firefighters, based on mutual aid agreements, as well as teams from the U.S. Forest Service. As of Thursday evening, NEMA had activated its 24-hour Emergency Operations Center for communications with Sioux and Dawes County emergency management officials.
One fire outside of Whitney, Neb., is being battled by a federal fire team because of its proximity to national park land. The other three, one in Chadron State Park, one north of Harrison, Neb., in timber and grasslands and one south of Harrison running the ridges and grasslands, are being battled by local and state fire crews.
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