Officials: Nebraska wildfire about half contained by Sunday

EDISON, Neb. (AP) — A wildfire in southern Nebraska that destroyed some homes and produced thick smoke that led to the traffic death of an area fire chief is about half contained, state officials said.

The Nebraska Emergency Management Agency said in a Facebook post Sunday that the fire, which consumed some 35,000 acres, was 50% contained. The agency said there will be a decrease in the number of firefighters over the coming days as containment of the fire progresses and to monitor for hot spots.

The blaze started Thursday after a dead tree was blown into a power line, with strong winds and dry conditions fueling its spread in Gosper and Furnas counties.

A red flag warning issued by the National Weather Service remained in effect Monday, with low humidity and sustained south winds of 15 to 20 mph and gusts of up to 30 mph greatly increasing the fire threat in the region. Stronger sustained winds of up to 30 mph and gusts nearing 50 mph were expected Tuesday, the weather service said.

Elwood Volunteer Fire Chief Darren Krull, 54, died after the emergency SUV he was a passenger in collided with a water tanker Thursday afternoon as smoke from the fire cut visibility to zero. The SUV’s driver, 40-year-old Phelps County Emergency Manager Justin Norris, suffered serious injuries in the crash.