Cottonwood and Morrill Fires Update: March 24

Current Situation: On Monday, US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen, US Senators Deb Fischer and Pete Ricketts, and US Representative Adrian Smith were among the officials who flew over the Morrill Fire, visited firefighters at the incident command post in Ogallala and met with landowners affected by the Cottonwood and Morrill Fires.

The incident continues to support the State of Nebraska by having four groups of firefighters and equipment ready to assist local fire departments with new fires that may occur. The National Weather Service has issued a Fire Weather Watch for Wednesday that includes most areas surrounding both fires.

With both fires nearing 100 percent containment, fire managers will be demobilizing some equipment and personnel throughout the week. Firefighters will return to their home units for much-needed rest before being mobilized to other areas of the country experiencing high fire activity. Both fires remain staffed, however, with the resources needed to attain additional containment and respond to changing fire conditions. Crews are also responding to smoke reports in the fire area received by local 911 dispatchers, reducing the workload on volunteer firefighters.

Cottonwood Fire: Monday’s strong southerly winds tested containment lines along the northern side of the fire, but no active fire on the interior spread northward beyond the current perimeter. Hand crews working on uncontained portions of the northwest perimeter (Divisions A and D) also held the fire within its current footprint. After numerous days constructing fireline with hand tools, they are steadily accomplishing the mission of fully suppressing the fire. The Cottonwood Fire is now 98 percent contained.

Tuesday’s operational mission remains the same: Engine crews will patrol containment lines and investigate reports of smoke. Hand crews will work on the remaining sections of uncontained perimeter. Four national guard helicopters and an unmanned aircraft system supplied and operated by the Nebraska State Patrol continue to assist the suppression effort.

Morrill Fire: Fire activity was minimal Monday. Engine crews patrolling the fire Monday detected only one source of heat on the fire’s interior. They will monitor the fire Tuesday, extinguishing hotspots when found.

Weather and Fire Behavior: Temperatures continue to increase Tuesday, with highs nearing 80 degrees. Relative humidity levels will drop into the teens by afternoon. Winds, while shifting direction throughout the day, will remain fairly light, and gusts should be less than 25 mph. Despite hot and dry conditions Tuesday, fire behavior on the Cottonwood Fire is expected to moderate as the amount of unburned vegetation remaining within the interior decreases. Potential for new fires to ignite remains high with both dead and live vegetation being critically dry and receptive to burning.

Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR): A TFR remains in effect over the northwest portion of the Cottonwood Fire; information is available at tfr.faa.gov. Military and incident aircraft are actively supporting fire, so we appreciate local aviators adhering to the flight restriction. Remember: If you fly, we can’t!

Cottonwood Fire Statistics

  Size: 129,103 ac.        Containment: 98%

  Personnel: 247         Cause: undetermined
Morrill Fire Statistics

  Size: 642,029 ac.         Containment: 98%

  Personnel: 191          Cause: undetermined