Governor Jim Pillen has signed an executive order issuing a statewide burn ban as wildfires continue to rage near Ainsworth. The decision follows a prescribed burn that spiraled out of control earlier this week in Brown County, located in northern Nebraska.
The wildfire, now being called the Plum Creek Fire, has already scorched more than six thousand six hundred acres and is currently zero percent contained. That’s according to Governor Pillen and emergency officials who spoke during a press conference Wednesday in Lincoln.
The blaze began Monday just north of Johnstown—roughly ten miles west of Ainsworth—when a local landowner conducted a prescribed burn in cooperation with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. At the time, a red flag warning had been issued for the area.
“It’s way too dry, and it doesn’t make any sense,” Pillen said. “It only takes one burn, one mistake—and the one that took place Monday really, really made no sense.”
By the end of the first day, the fire had already spread across approximately two thousand acres, according to Ervin Portis, assistant director of the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency. Ongoing firefighting efforts have been challenged by strong winds and unseasonably warm weather.
More than fifty volunteer fire departments have responded, with aircraft from the Nebraska National Guard and Bureau of Indian Affairs dropping water and fire retardant to slow the flames.
“They’re exhausted,” said Governor Pillen, praising the commitment of the emergency crews.
Officials say several homes are in the fire’s path, with at least one already damaged. Numerous cattle have also perished in the fire. Fortunately, no injuries have been reported and no evacuation orders are currently in place.
According to the latest data from the U.S. Drought Monitor, released on April seventeenth, much of Nebraska—including parts of Brown County—is experiencing moderate drought. The southern half of Brown County is currently listed under severe drought conditions.
Governor Pillen expressed hope for the rain in the upcoming forecast to provide relief, adding, “We need a tsunami.”
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