There are two new wildfires burning in the heart of the Nebraska sandhills. Around 2:30 Thursday morning an evacuation order was issued for residents in Ashby and Hyannis due to the fast moving fire.
David Boyd with the Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 1 tells KLIN News the first fire near Ashby has charred 60,000 acres of land and the weather is not in their favor today.
“Really strong north winds are expected to continue all day,” Boyd says. “The fact it’s not as hot helps a little, but those fields are so dry, with this wind, it can really push those fires. The Minor fire, which is south of Hyannis, has scorched nearly 24,000 acres.
Boyd says Blackhawk helicopters have been sent to help with the Ashby fire and some single engine air tankers will be helping with the Minor fire. The Nebraska DOT shared a photo on social media showing the fire. Hwy 61 NB into Hyannis is closed due to a Wildfire. Hwy 2 is also closed from Hyannis to Ashby.
(Photo: NDOT)