Winds calm, temperatures cool as firefighters' days-old battle continues with three major fires
The Cottonwood Fire, viewed on the federal government's inciweb.wildfire.gov has burned 122,144 acres as of noon Monday.
The Morrill Fire has burned 572,804 acres in Morrill, Garden, Keith and Arthur counties.
Road 203 Fire in the Nebraska National Forest has burned 35,814 acres according to the federal government's inciweb.wildfire.gov website.
More than 730,000 acres burned across the Panhandle and west central Nebraska over the weekend, and firefighters from across a five-state region continued their daunting task Monday morning.
Some respite came Monday as winds that had gusted to 70 mph throughout the region Sunday calmed.
Continuing coverage of the Morrill, Cottonwood and Road 203 fires
The Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team took over control of fighting all three fires — Morrill Fire, Cottonwood Fire and 203 Fire — on Saturday morning.
The Morrill Fire — believed to be one of the largest in Nebraska history — had burned 572,804 acres of Sandhills as of noon Monday. The fire has repeatedly threatened homes on the western edge of Lake McConaughy and threatened livestock operations throughout Garden, Keith and Arthur counties.
The federal government’s Inciweb website still listed the fire as 0% contained.
One woman died in her home Thursday in rural Arthur County, the Arthur County Sheriff’s Department said in a press release. Nebraska Public Media identified the woman as Rose Mary White in a Sunday story.
The Cottonwood Fire southeast of North Platte in Lincoln and Dawson counties had burned 122,144 acres as of noon on Monday and remained 0% contained.
Fire crews Friday saved a number of rural homes south of Maxwell, according to Sheriff Jerome Kramer, after winds had turned north and pushed the fire out of Snell Canyon into the river valley. The fire then jumped the canal along Fort McPherson Road.
Winds shifted early Saturday to aid in the fight to save those homes, but Jeffrey Lake south of Brady was evacuated for a third time in three days Saturday.
Crews also battled a third major fire in the Nebraska National Forest. The Road 203 Fire had burned 35,814 acres as of noon Monday.
A winter storm system late Saturday that was battering the Dakotas and Minnesota with snow, only brought more wind to the southern Sandhills Sunday in Nebraska.
Northerly winds Monday calmed to 8 mph as of noon. The high in North Platte was expected to be 40. However, winds are expected to pick up again Tuesday with little chance for precipitation and highs in the 70s across the region, the National Weather Service’s Lee Bird Office forecast said.
