|
territory that's favored by deer and turkey hunters.
• "We've got a very challenging situation out here because of the winds and the very dry conditions," Gov. Dave Heineman said Sunday after touring the damage and meeting with officials.
• Cooler weather moved through the area Saturday night, helping firefighters mostly contain two major fires -- the West Ash and Douthit fires -- near Chadron. But winds gusted up to 40 mph Sunday, helping spread the fires through drought-stricken trees and grasses.
• The Wellnitz fire, north of Rushville, broke through containment lines Sunday, Heineman said. The Nebraska Emergency Management Agency said it had burned roughly 150 square miles by Sunday evening.
• Heineman said it will likely take several more days to fully contain the fires, but he says firefighters appear to have all the resources they need to do that.
• Overall, the fires have damaged at least 10 homes and more than 50 structures in Nebraska and South Dakota. The fires also forced the evacuation of several small communities, although residents of the small town of Whitney, southwest of Chadron, were allowed to return home Sunday.
• Rushville Assistant Fire Chief Jerry Kearns said Sunday that firefighters are working hard to contain the fires and protect property, but they sometimes have to make difficult choices. Kearns said it's hard to watch a rancher's hay burn because of this summer's ongoing drought.
• Those very ranchers know the wildfires will scar the land.
• Verona Douthit, 65, has always lived in these hills on land her family bought in 1929. Because one of the current fires started on her ranch, officials have named it after her last name.
• Douthit says she knows it takes a long time for the land to recover -- some of (Continued on page 23)
|
|
