Two injured in Garfield County as wildfires rage across Nebraska

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Firefighters across the state of Nebraska have been busy putting out a series of wildfires.

On Tuesday, the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency said wildfires had broken out in six counties just as crews wrapped up work at a fire in Cass County.

Three of the fires — in Lincoln, Wheeler and Rock counties — are either out or nearly out, but three others persist.

The wildfire in Cherry County, also known as the McCann Fire, was still raging into Wednesday evening.

The McCann Fire is reportedly at 0% containment after it burned at least 7,000 acres in northern Nebraska.

No homes have been destroyed in the fire, but some property on three ranches was burned.

Residents of Kilgore were ordered to evacuate the village on Tuesday, but they were allowed back into their homes before sundown.

“Thanks to the speed of local first responders, the fire was stopped 2 miles south of town,” NEMA liaison Chris Schroeder said in a press release. “Incident command’s operational focus today is to hold that line and work various hotspots in the canyon with an emphasis on responder and public safety.”

Southeast of there, crews are wrapping up work at the Lowry Fire in Garfield County.

The Nebraska Emergency Management Agency reported that the fire was 100% contained after it burned at least 6,000 acres roughly 15 miles north of Burwell.

Officials say two people were injured in the fire and five structures, including a building at the Rowse Hydraulic Rake Manufacturing Plant, were destroyed.

In Jefferson County, nine agencies are battling the Rock Creek Fire, which has burned roughly 2,600 acres and was 65% contained as of Wednesday evening.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission announced that the Rock Creek Station State Historical Park would temporarily close due to the fire.

Game and Parks officials said the Rock Glen Wildlife Management Area south of the park was 80% consumed in the blaze. No structures within the park have been damaged.

Optimal conditions for fires will continue for the next two days, officials say. They encourage the public to be mindful about any sparks they could be emitting.

The state has created a dashboard that provides up-to-date information on the three fires.