Smoke and flames forced the evacuation of Nebraska’s Fort Robinson State Park on Wednesday as a wildfire, known as the South Fork Fire, rapidly consumed the landscape.
The blaze has scorched approximately 9,000 acres in Sioux County, the state’s northwesternmost region.
By 5 p.m. CT, Fort Robinson State Park, situated between Harrison and Crawford, was ordered to evacuate. Evacuees were advised to seek shelter in Chadron, Alliance, or Scottsbluff.
Nebraska’s Governor, Jim Pillen, deployed state National Guard troops to aid the firefighting efforts against the wildfire, which ignited on Tuesday afternoon and intensified by Wednesday. As of Wednesday night, containment efforts had not yet begun, with the fire officially listed at 0% contained.
The U.S. Forest Service is also contributing to the firefighting operations, according to a news release from Gov. Pillen. He highlighted the difficult conditions: “The terrain in that area is extremely rugged, and windy conditions are compounding the challenge,” adding a call to “keep our firefighters and responders in your prayers as they continue a tough and dangerous fight through the night.”
In response to the escalating situation, Gov. Pillen declared a state of emergency on Wednesday afternoon.
Initial evacuation notices went out on Tuesday for residents near Smiley Canyon along White River Road. Nebraska Highway 20, spanning Crawford to Harrison, was shut down due to the fire by Wednesday evening.
Local forest service personnel and volunteer firefighters began responding on Tuesday, requesting aerial support when the fire was merely 500 acres. However, within a few hours, the fire expanded rapidly, crossing Highway 20, prompting the need for an incident management team.
The National Weather Service in Cheyenne, Wyoming, had issued a red flag warning for the area from Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday evening, forecasting southwest wind gusts exceeding 50 mph and humidity levels dropping below 15%. Although the fire’s origin remains undetermined, local reports mentioned lightning strikes in the vicinity on Tuesday night.
