The burn scar of the Cottonwood Fire near Road 754 north of Farnam in southwest Dawson County, (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today)
LINCOLN — Governor Jim Pillen has issued a new series of documents to address ongoing weather conditions and areas that have been impacted by multiple wildfires across the state. Four of the largest fires have collectively burned more than 800,000 acres of land.
A new proclamation declares emergencies in counties associated with the following fires: Morrill, Cottonwood, and Anderson Bridge. The Road 203 Fire, impacting Blaine and Thomas counties, was managed by federal authorities and therefore, was not included in the newest proclamation for state resources.
In addition to that proclamation, Gov. Pillen has also issued two new executive orders. The first one (26-08) continues the timeframe by which fire chiefs or their designated members are prohibited from issuing permits for open burning anywhere in the state. This order is effective March 28 and continues through April 10. The prior burn ban was initially slated to expire on March 27.
The second executive order (26-09) waives hours of service restrictions and adjusts maximum load width/weight limits allowed for commercial motor carriers operating within the state and are delivering feed and other supplies under the ongoing wildfire emergency. That new order is also effective March 28.
This morning, the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) activated the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) in response to the latest reported fires in Grant County. As with the Morrill and Cottonwood fires, the Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team is providing operational management of those wildfires, under direction of the state and Gov. Pillen.
