HALSEY, Neb. — Fire crews continue to make steady progress on multiple wildfires across western Nebraska, with the largest blaze in the region now fully contained.
According to a Thursday morning update from the Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 2, the Cottonwood Fire has reached 100% containment after burning 129,253 acres. Fire managers report no visible smoke within the interior, and staffing levels will be adjusted in the coming days to reflect improving conditions.
To the north, the 14,082-acre Minor Fire has also been declared 100% contained. The nearby Ashby Fire, which has burned 36,004 acres, is now 97% contained. Officials say the remaining containment challenges are tied to pockets of buried heat that could continue to smolder until crews are able to fully extinguish them.
Fire activity across the state has slowed in recent days, aided in part by scattered rainfall. Areas in western Nebraska received between 0.05 and 0.50 inches of precipitation, though officials caution that grasses remain capable of carrying fire as warmer conditions return.
Six initial attack groups remain strategically positioned across Nebraska — including in Alliance, Ogallala, North Platte, Broken Bow and Grand Island — ready to respond to any new fire starts. Resources continue to be reinforced, with Nebraska National Guard helicopters available for aerial support and a Chinook helicopter expected to join operations.
Despite recent progress, fire officials warn that elevated fire weather conditions are expected to return. Temperatures are forecast to climb near 70 degrees in western Nebraska, with low relative humidity and gusty winds up to 30 miles per hour. While moisture has reduced fire behavior in grassy fuels, timber and heavier vegetation remain dry and could support rapid fire spread if new ignitions occur.
Crews will continue monitoring all three fire areas while transitioning toward containment and recovery operations.
