More help heads to north-central Nebraska brush fire
Source: Omaha World Herald
By Kevin Cole and Jeff Beiermann
AINSWORTH, Neb. — A U.S. Forest Service management team took charge Sunday of a north-central Nebraska brush fire near the Niobrara River that officials estimated was 50 percent contained.
Douglas Fox of the Region 24 Emergency Management Agency said the forest service team was called in after officials elevated the incident to a Type-2 fire. In that scenario, an incident commander is called in to coordinate efforts with the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency and local officials.
Fox said the fire in the rural Niobrara River valley bordering South Dakota has scorched more than 100,000 acres. Six homes have been destroyed, he said, including one in Norden, which sits on the western edge of Keya Paha County and has a population of less than 50, and four others along the Norden Road.
All residents of the valley from the Norden Bridge east to U.S. Highway 183 have been told to evacuate.
FULL story at link.
Read more: http://www.omaha.com/article/20120722/NEWS/120729872/1685#more-help-headed-to-north-central-nebraska-brush-fire
Photo showcase: Fairfield Creek Fire: http://odc.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=5002&p=3782
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JEFF BEIERMANN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Ralph Moul, a state fire marshall, sets fire to "fire out" an area ahead of the approaching fire on the north side of the Niobrara River, about five miles west of Meadville on Saturday.
