Crews continue to battle a wildfire at the Nebraska National Forest near Halsey.
The Bessey Ranger District said the Road 201 East Fire has now grown to 1,489 acres as of Wednesday night. A representative from the Forest Service contacted KVSH Radio and mentioned that the fire has grown since then. Crews worked all night to get the fire under control, but have been unsuccessful. There is a Red Flag Warning in the area and 35 mph wind gusts will be a primary concern for firefighters.
Additional resources are on the way to help with helicopter and air drop operations.
Crews are hopeful that the cooler weather and rain forecasted this weekend will help in their efforts.
Officials have closed the forest through the weekend. They will reevaluate on Monday. Memorial Day weekend is still in question. However, they hope to learn more after this weekend.
They are also asking ranchers to hold off turning their cattle over to pasture for now.
A Facebook page dedicated to the fire incident is currently in the works to keep everyone up to date on the latest information.
Photo Credit: Kris Kampovitz, nebraska.tv/chimein