Nebraska Fires Bring Significant Assistance Need
DENVER, CO., March 16, 2026 – Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen declared a State of Emergency in seven counties following a wildfire outbreak that began on March 12, 2026, and which is ongoing as of press time. Gov. Pillen declared a state of emergency Friday, March 13, morning for Morrill, Garden, Arthur, Keith, Lincoln, Dawson and Frontier counties in response to the wildfires.
"I have been closely monitoring the fires in western Nebraska and their escalation late yesterday with sustained windy conditions. I am working closely with my emergency management team, @NEMAtweets, @NENationalGuard, @NebraskaDOT, and others to deploy state resources — including National Guard aerial firefighting assets when conditions allow them to fly — to assist and support local firefighters who have been working overtime to protect their communities. Additional details will follow soon, and I urge Nebraskans in affected areas to closely monitor local fire updates and to follow first responder directives," the governor posted on X early in the morning Friday, March 13.
A former Broadwater, Neb., source with family in the path of the fire said, "It's just scary. It was straight west winds of 70 miles per hour. Around 10:30 it changed and came from the north. They evacuated houses on Lake McConaughey and the town of Lewellen. Oshkosh residents were told to run pivots and be prepared to evacuate."
HIGH WINDS CONTRIBUTE TO DISASTER
High winds caused many roads to be closed, so the source was unable to travel to be with their family at the time. They said they heard of 32 departments assisting in fighting the fire.
"So many neighbors and Broadwater folks have been on rigs since 2:30 yesterday afternoon. It's big. And it's raw because it's so close to home and your community is fighting it. Your neighbors are affected by it. Entire ranches have been lost, places that you knew."
Nebraska rancher Leah Peterson shared that the loss is great.
"In the early hours after a tragedy, there are lots of rumors. I am not equipped to speak to too many facts, but I can confirm a few things because I have friends and family who are directly affected by the fires. There is loss — loss of fence and loss of structure and loss of life. Unfortunately, our critical fire conditions are not going anywhere. Our rural fire departments and first responders are American heroes."
Jay Nordhausen, co-owner/manager of Ogallala Livestock, Ogallala, Neb., said on March 13 that things are in motion for gathering hay, fencing supplies, and other resources needed for ranchers impacted by the gigantic Morrill Fire.
According to information from Watch Duty, the Morrill Fire has burned 453,000 acres and it traveled more than 65 miles in roughly six hours.
Nordhausen said he doesn't know a lot about the full impact of the fire yet.
"We are just trying to wait and see," he said. "It is supposed to blow for the next week so we are definitely a long ways from being out of the woods."
That was a common refrain from producers reached by phone Friday afternoon.
"It isn't over yet," said Cyndi Van Newkirk, Oshkosh, Neb. "We have 50 mph winds in the forecast for three more days. It burned so much, so fast. It was headed due east for about 60-70 miles and then when the wind switched directions out of the north it was a wall of fire 60-70 miles wide, headed right into the populated valley. It changed so fast and there was nowhere near enough firefighters to help."
Many people have "lost everything," Van Newkirk said. "We had three state patrol come roaring into our place at 12:30 a.m., sirens blaring telling us to evacuate. That's all they could do was try to get as many warned as they could."
Van Newkirk described the night as "apocalyptic."
"It was just a wall of fire everywhere you looked. So far we've been incredibly blessed — we have not lost structures or cattle. Just summer range. But there are so many that have lost their homes. We are praying and on pins and needles until we get through the next few days with all these winds."
KNOP reported that the Arthur County Sheriff's Office confirmed a death on Friday that happened as a result of the Morrill County wildfire in western Nebraska.
DROP POINTS FOR DONATIONS
Disaster relief organizations and local businesses are organizing drop points for hay and fencing supplies, and setting up donation accounts to provide financial assistance for affected producers. Ogallala Livestock is open for livestock needing to be evacuated from the path of the fire.
"We are trying to get a list of places for cattle to go," Nordhausen said. "I have talked to two customers who said they saved the place and saved the cattle, and were able to save most of the feed, but every acre of their grass is gone. We're waiting to see what we can do to help."
Other fires in the area are also impacting livestock producers, although Nordhausen did not yet know to what extent.
"It is just horrible, everything is in quite the state right now," he said. "The wind is supposed to blow for the next seven days. From May 15 to Sept. 15, 2025, we received 25 inches of rain here, so we have got more fuel than you could imagine."
Many cattle producers across Nebraska are in the midst of calving season.
"One producer I talked to said they would probably try to calve out their cows and then sell pairs. Unless we can find grass for everybody, that is probably what will happen," Nordhausen said.
As of press time, it is estimated that the Morrill Fire has burned 330,000 acres and is 0% contained, according to Keystone-Lemoyne Fire and Rescue Chief Ralph Moul.
"The Complex Incident Management Team is coming in from Colorado, National Guard hand crews are coming, and National Guard air support is coming," Moul told a News Channel Nebraska reporter in a video interview.
"A Multi-Mission Aircraft is coming. It can be used with flare capacity to pick up hot spots and also can be used to come up with an official acreage for the fire. They will also fly the Cottonwood Fire south of Maxwell."
Chief Moul stressed that the public should be aware that the Morrill Fire is "still a very dangerous fire and it is going to continue to be dangerous over the coming days. We will have Red Flag conditions again later this afternoon, again on Sunday and again next week. Our fire meteorologist told us we will have summertime temperatures next week in the upper 80s to 90s with wind."
Crews continue to attack the fire and are establishing lines with heavy equipment.
According to The Twister, a Nebraska radio network, Gordon, Rushville and Hay Springs firefighters are being sent to help fight the Morrill Fire near Oshkosh.
Donations for firefighters can be dropped off at the Keystone-Lemoyne fire hall and the Bridgeport fire hall.
OTHER FIRES
The "Road 203 Fire" has burned 35,000 acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Center, and started from a control burn area. Another fire, in Cherry County, Nebraska, near Valentine, has burned an unknown area.
South Dakota also saw multiple fires on March 12, including a wildfire in Dewey County, and a wildfire in Custer County.
The U.S. Forest Service office in Custer, S.D., issued the following statement on March 13, 2026.
A Type 3 Incident Management Team is now in place for the Qury Fire, which is located approximately 1-2 miles southeast of Custer, S.D. The incident began as two separate fires on Thursday afternoon and are now known jointly as the Qury Fire. Fire behavior moderated overnight with reduced winds. This morning, fire behavior is being minimized by less wind, cooler weather and a higher relative humidity. The fire is estimated at 5,000 acres with no containment currently declared. Federal, state and local resources will continue working together today in a unified effort to suppress the fire.
Todd Hoover, incident commander, set out two primary objectives to begin the day; prioritizing structure protection and working on obtaining containment around the fire perimeter. Crews are utilizing heavy equipment such as bulldozers and utilizing roads as natural fire breaks.
The team will be supported by National Guard air operations today. "We need non-emergency personnel to stay away from the fire area," Hoover says. "The public is asked to avoid the fire area which is very busy with firefighters and equipment." Please continue to avoid the area to allow firefighters to continue working on fire suppression. Many area roads remain closed, and evacuation orders are still in place. For the latest information on property, road closings, and evacuations please call the Custer County Emergency Operations Center at (605) 673-8155.
Randy Guggisberg opened his barn at Sliding G Performance Horses to livestock owners in the area needing to move animals to safety. Guggisberg believes the fire started when a tree fell on a power line.
Unseasonably warm and very windy weather caused the fire to move fast.
"The fire was east of us always, with the wind blowing southeast," Guggisberg said. "The main concern we had at the Sliding G was helping with getting livestock out of harm's way to safe places."
"We are still receiving livestock," he said. "From what I know, the main damage to personal property was to fence lines and haystacks. But that's with very limited knowledge. The open winter has been nice but pray for moisture. The fire crews have been working long and hard to keep everyone safe as they can."
DISASTER RELIEF
Leadership of the Nebraska Cattlemen Disaster Relief Fund announced they are accepting monetary donations and relief applications to assist beef cattle producers who are being impacted by fires.
The Nebraska Cattlemen Disaster Relief Fund will remain activated and accept monetary donations until further notice by leadership of the Disaster Relief Fund. 100% of the donations will be distributed to producers who were impacted.
For any questions, please contact the Nebraska Cattlemen office at (402) 475-2333 or email disasterrelief@necattlemen.org.
Please mail your check to the following address:
Nebraska Cattlemen Disaster Relief Fund
4611 Cattle Drive
Lincoln, NE 68521-4309
To donate online, please visit nebraskacattlemen.org.
Patti Barnt, CEO of America's Lifeline Emergency Response Team Foundation (ALERT), is coordinating relief measures.
"It is ironic that today is six years since the Bomb Cyclone hit Nebraska, causing the 2029 flooding disaster," Barnt said.
ALERT is a non-profit based out of Mullen, Neb., so the March 12 fires are hitting close to home for Barnt.
"I have family all over the area and it is hard to find official updates," she said.
A hay drop off site has been established at Ogallala Ag Supply, 1210 Nebraska Highway 61, Ogallala, Neb. Donors and truckers are asked to contact Barnt to coordinate drop offs and ensure equipment and personnel will be available. Barnt can be reached at (877) 703-0183; (308) 280-0025 or heartlandlivestockaid@gmail.com. A Facebook page, Nebraska Wildfire, Weather and Disaster ALERT, originally created for the 2019 disaster has been reactivated and updates can be found there.
Checks can be made out to America's Lifeline Emergency Response Team, PO Box 316, Mullen, NE 69152. Donations can be made online at https://givebutter.com/Nebraska-rises.
Source: Ruth Wiechmann, The Fence Post Magazine
