A volunteer firefighter has died while fighting a large wildfire in central Nebraska that destroyed much of a youth camp and led officials to evacuate a nearby village.
Region 26 Emergency Management reported that Mike Moody, assistant chief of the Purdum Volunteer Fire Department, "succumbed to a medical emergency" while fighting the fire in the Nebraska National Forest near Halsey on Sunday.
Moody, 59, had served with the department for more than 40 years and had previously been its chief, according to a news release from the agency, which coordinates emergency response efforts in Blaine, Garfield, Greeley, Loup, Sherman, Thomas, Valley and Wheeler counties.
Moody was among the initial responders to the Bovee Fire that was reported just after 1:30 p.m. Sunday. The number of those battling the blaze was more than 100 firefighters by Monday.
People are also reading…
The fire quickly grew from just a few hundred acres to more than 15,000, pushing up to 15 miles to the north of the forest, driven by gusty winds and aided by dry brush, according to officials from the U.S. Forest Service.
Officials also evacuated the village of Halsey, which is home to about 65 people.
The agency said in a news release that its employees and local firefighters were able to protect the historic Bessey Nursery and CCC Campground from the fire. Unfortunately, the Nebraska State 4-H Camp was not so lucky.
Its lodge, cabins and the Scott Lookout Tower were all destroyed.
"We have received word that forest fire in the Nebraska National Forest caused major devastation at our camp," said a post on the camp's Facebook account. "The Eppley lodge, as well as the cabins, are a complete loss; it appears that the only structure remaining is the staff house. All of those on site were safely evacuated. We will share more details as we get more of the facts. Our thoughts are with all who are in the area."
Firefighters fighting the blaze were aided by air tankers that dropped fire retardant on the fire Sunday.
“We had a good night last night and made a lot of progress on the east and north,†incident commander Brian Daunt said in a news release. “Today’s focus is going to be holding those lines, and constructing line to the west of the fire.â€
The fire as of Monday afternoon was 30% contained, a Forest Service spokesman said. Nebraska 2, which had been closed in both directions between Thedford and Halsey, had reopened as of late Monday morning, but the Bessey Ranger District area of the forest, where the fire began, remains closed to the public.
The Forest Service originally said in social media posts that the fire was "likely human-caused," but in its Monday update, said the cause was still under investigation.
The fire is one of several large wildfires in the state this year that have been driven by drought. Thomas County, where the fire is located, was completely in severe drought, according to the most recent Drought Monitor from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.