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Nebraska Firefighters Battle Largest Wildfire in Morrill County Covering 600,000 Acres

Governor Pillen mobilized National Guard and firefighters as multiple wildfires burned 600,000 acres, destroyed structures, and caused one death amid severe dry, windy conditions.

  • On Saturday, Governor Jim Pillen said one person has died and an estimated 600,000 acres have burned across central and western Nebraska.
  • Strong winds pushed high winds and unseasonably warm, dry conditions that kept fires largely uncontained and worsened spread, officials said, amid a highly amplified pattern, AccuWeather senior meteorologist John Feerick said.
  • State officials identified the Morrill County fire as burning at least 735 square miles across four counties since Thursday, with Gov. Jim Pillen's office reporting 460,000 acres consumed by Friday.
  • The Nebraska National Guard deployed 29 airmen and soldiers, and evacuations were ordered near Lake McConaughy, Lewellen, and Brady, where at least 300 people evacuated.
  • Officials warned the scale may rival Nebraska's largest wildfires as extreme weather worsened fire behavior, the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency received a FEMA grant, and online sources like Watch Duty reported zero containment.
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Hastings Tribune broke the news in Nebraska, United States on Friday, March 13, 2026.
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