Crews work on structure protection, hot spots in Rock Creek Fire Wednesday
ROCK CREEK STATION HISTORICAL PARK — Officials in southeast Nebraska are working to turn the tide against a large wildfire.
Jefferson and Saline County Emergency Manager John Mckee says much of Wednesday's focus is dousing remaining hot spots.
That’s a shift from yesterday when firefighters were working to save homes and structures at Rock Creek Station Historical Park.
"They did an excellent job with Rock Creek Station saving the buildings they had rebuilt quite a few years ago," McKee said. "We've been fortunate. I know yesterday, they were protecting 11 structures, which were homes. They've got pumpers set up that are protecting [those homes] in case things take off
They burned area is around 2,600-2,700 acres as of late Wednesday morning, according to McKee. That's not much of a change from estimates provided Tuesday night.
Although things have slowed, the threat is still very much there with current weather conditions.
"We still have some areas that are of concern when talking about the wind that's supposed to get as high as it is today," McKee said. "They're also looking out to the future. The winds are supposed to shift around this weekend. Just making sure we have everything so it doesn't head down into the canyons even deeper."
About a dozen departments responded Wednesday. Some worked through the night before a shift change this morning.
The blaze originally began Monday as a controlled burn that got loose, McKee said. It was knocked down, but winds stirred it back up Tuesday.
The state is also assisting with the response.
The public is asked to stay away from the area to make room for emergency crews to work. Officials also want to thank the public for the donations they received Wednesday. They’ll announce if any more are needed.