Lincoln Fire and Rescue is actively involved in fighting wildfires in western Nebraska’s Morrill County. “We mobilized a crew of eleven members, one brush rig, one water tender, one structural engine and then some other equipment to go out there,” Lierman says.
She says a request to Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird from Governor Jim Pillen led to the response. “They have authorization to be out there for seven days,” Lierman says. “Now we have some people switching out, doing some different things. Once they realize what resources are needed, that may be changing.”
Lierman says the crew headed to Ogallala around 5:30 p.m. Saturday. The crew went through a briefing at the Keith County Fairgrounds and joined the Morrill County fire response. Lierman says they have been working to secure and protect buildings in the area and ensure landowners are safe.
The Morrill County fire has burned 460,000 acres. Lierman says this is not part of a FEMA or Urban Search and Rescue deployment, but a special response request.
