LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Authorities have contained a series of Nebraska wildfires that burned more than 50,000 acres, but relentless heat and drought are setting the stage for more.
National Weather Service meteorologist Chris Buttler said Monday that conditions are ripe for more fires. The weather service in North Platte has issued a red flag fire warning for west-central Nebraska until midnight central time. The affected area includes all or parts of 25 counties.
Buttler says the area recently endured a streak of 25 consecutive days with temperatures above 90 degrees, the longest stretch since the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.
A spokeswoman for the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency says none of the most recent fires in western and central Nebraska damaged any homes, farm buildings or other structures.