Gov. Jim Pillen has authorized the Nebraska National Guard to mobilize 29 soladiers and airmen to assist local volunteer fire departments, which are currently battling the Plum Creek Fire near Johnstown, Nebraska, in Brown County. Nebraska Army National Guard aerial resources have also been authorized to support the firefighting mission.
The assignment of state resources is in response to a request received Tuesday evening through the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to assist local volunteer firefighters who have been fighting. The Plum Creek Fire is now estimated to have burned 6,600 acres. Forty-five cattle have died, and a cabin has been destroyed. Other structures have been threatened and were boxed in with heavy equipment to provide protection. The cause of the fire has been attributed to a permitted burn that got out of control.
Pillen issued a statewide burn ban during a news conference at the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency today, alongside other state officials. He emphasized the persistent dry conditions that have continued to plague the state. In February, the Governor issued an emergency declaration for wildfires in Custer and Dawes counties that were also fueled by dry conditions, high winds and a lake of humidity.
