East of Wentworth Fire and west of Hwy 137. Courtesy: Niobrara National Scenic River
Building a fire line along Wyman Creek. Courtesy: Niobrara National Scenic River
Eastern Flank of Wentworth Fire easy of Hwy 7. Courtesy: Niobrara National Scenic River
Airplane drops retardant east of Cherry County line. Crews were working to stop the fire from spreading west. Courtesy: Judd Schmop, Clearfield, SD.Photo courtesy: Ainsworth Star JournalMore >> Photo courtesy: Ainsworth Star JournalMore >>
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -
After days of scorching heat and strong winds, a shift in the weather is helping firefighters battle wildfires burning in north-central Nebraska along the scenic Niobrara River.
Nebraska Emergency Management Agency spokesman Mike Wight says an overnight cold front saw temperatures drop, humidity increase and winds die down in the area on Wednesday.
Wight says the biggest help to firefighters might be a shift in the wind, which had been coming from the south and pushing flames into trees and other growth along stream beds. With the wind now coming from the northwest, it's helping keep the fire out of those channels.
Wight says firefighters will learn early Thursday whether they were able to keep the fires, which have burned about 113 square miles altogether.