Sunday was far from a day of rest for firefighters across much of the state, as they continued to mop up nearly a dozen wildfires and remained alert for more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
By Sunday morning, the Road 702 Fire in the Cambridge area covered 50,000 acres — a much larger area than the 33,000 acres burned in the April 7-9 fire in Gosper and Furnas counties. A management team from the Rocky Mountain area took command of the battle at 7 a.m. Sunday morning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Winds in the area gusted to around 35 mph Sunday, about half as strong as gusts that reached 60-70 mph Friday and Saturday, according to weather service reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A multi-mission aircraft from Colorado identified hot spots and advised firefighters where to focus the efforts, and also worked to provide a more accurate size of the fire, the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency said at 2:30 p.m. Sunday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The branch of the Road 702 Fire from Cambridge west and south to Lebanon was in the \u201cmop-up\u201d phase Sunday afternoon with concerns still focused on timbered draws, especially in the Republican River breaks, Fawl said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another branch of the fire, from Cambridge south to Wilsonville and into Kansas, was also in the mop-up phase, with firefighters securing a fire line along the Republican River and U.S. Highway 6, working south towards Wilsonville, Fawl said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Timbered draws and hay bales remained areas of concern. Additional personnel were scouting the fire edge south of Wilsonville and coordinating with Kansas firefighters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All evacuation orders in the fire area had been lifted by 2:30 p.m. As people returned to homes, they were advised to be cautious because burned trees and structures may be unstable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To help, motorists should avoid the area and if traveling is necessary, use a great deal of caution in smoky and dusty areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
John P. Trumble, 66, of Arapahoe died around 7 p.m. Friday in Red Willow County when his vehicle went off the road due to poor visibility and Trumble was overcome by smoke and fire. His body was found around 3:30 a.m. Saturday morning, the Red Willow County Attorney said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other fires around the state<\/strong>, from NEMA<\/em>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Elsie Fire, Perkins and Dundy counties<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Four fires on farm grounds and pastureland near the Lincoln County line and Nebraska Highway 23 burned nearly 5,000 acres but was 90% contained as of mid-afternoon Sunday. Four firefighters suffered non-life-threatening injuries, Fawl said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Purdum fire in Blaine, Cherry, Brown and Thomas counties<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Five fires of unknown sizes were reported in this area. The Wildland Incident Response Assistance Team as well as 20 volunteer fire departments responded. There are reports of 2-3 damaged fire trucks. The fire was considered out as of 1 p.m. Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Scotts Bluff County<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Scotts Bluff fire was out, as of 1 p.m. Saturday. One non-residential structure was lost and eight power poles were down resulting in 3-4 residents without power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cheyenne and Deuel counties<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Three fires started between Sunol and Lodgepole (between Ogallala and Sidney) and some rural residents were evacuated. The fire was three miles from the Colorado border. Northwest wind gusts of 65 mph spread the fire. Some power and communications were lost. The fire was reportedly extinguished as of midnight Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rising City Fire (northeast Nebraska)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A fire at 2670 D Road in Rising City started Saturday when a frontend loader bucket scraped a concrete pad next to a hay storage area. The sparks started the fire, which rapidly spread to calving sheds The fire was believed to be extinguished around 2 a.m. Sunday but flared up again late Sunday morning due to changes in the wind. Approximately 100 calves were lost, and the hay facility and several calving sheds were damaged. Two firefighters were sent to hospital for smoke inhalation and a few others were treated for eye irritation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Burt County<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Burt County Fire started near Lyons and continued to Macy. Several houses were threatened and there has been loss of structures. Eighteen 18 VFDs responded. Winds were blowing 60 MPH. Macy was evacuated and a shelter in set up at the Walthill School, but the evacuation has now been lifted. The fire is 75% contained. Four injuries (one hospitalization) were reported all non-life-threatening and one fire truck was destroyed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rocky Mtn command team<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Rocky Mountain Area Incident Management team that took command of the Road 702 Fire Sunday morning provides overhead supervision and logistical support when local resources reach capacity. This team is comprised of members of local, state, and federal agencies. Most members live in Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, South Dakota, and Wyoming,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Top photo:<\/strong> Nebraska State Patrol<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sunday was far from a day of rest for firefighters across much of the state, as they continued to mop up nearly a dozen wildfires and remained alert for more. By Sunday morning, the Road 702 Fire in the Cambridge area covered 50,000 acres — a much larger area than the 33,000 acres burned in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1020,"featured_media":66784,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n