Wildfire rages near North Platte; about 900 acres on fire Thursday morning

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Multiple crews continue to battle a large grass fire in southern Lincoln County that started Tuesday afternoon.

As of Thursday morning, fire crews have used about 18,000 gallons of aerial application and some foam to combat the fire.

According to Nebraska Emergency Management Agency, about 900 acres near Highway 23 and Highway 83 are still on fire Thursday morning.

Several volunteer fire departments from across the state came to assist 17 local fire departments to combat the blaze.  Nebraska National Guard UH-60 Blackhawks are dropping water on the fire using buckets that retrieved water from Lake Maloney and Wellfleet Lake.

As of last night, an estimated 1,000 acres had been burned and the fire was not contained.

A single-engine tanker from Fort Collins, Colorado is on standby as of Wednesday.

Strong winds and recent drought conditions have increased the difficulty to fight the burning fire.

Crews urge people to continue to stay away from the area.