LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A ranger who is overseeing the fire-fighting effort at the Nebraska National Forest says earlier, prescribed burns helped prevent more widespread damage.

Tim Buskirk of the forest’s Bessey Ranger District said Wednesday that the fire did not damage any park structures, outbuildings, or private land. The fire is nearly 100 percent contained, having scorched more than 1,000 acres.

The fire started with a lightning strike Saturday at the hand-planted national forest in the Nebraska Sandhills. Buskirk says investigators will spend the next several days assessing the damage to see whether U.S. Forest Service officials need to replant trees. Officials have not estimated damage costs.

Buskirk says officials recently held a controlled burn to thin the forest, which kept the fire from spreading too quickly.