The Bowie Fire, a large wildfire near Halsey, Neb., has burned a 4-H campground and forced the evacuation of a nearby town, forest officials say.
Photo from Nebraska National Forests and Grasslands
A massive wildfire in central Nebraska has destroyed a campground and forced the evacuation of a nearby town, officials said.
The There is a fire began near Halsey on Sunday, Oct. 2, according to a press release from the Nebraska National Forests and Grasslands.
The wildfire was moving “very quickly,” jumping onto a nearby highway and forcing the evacuation of Halsey and nearby campgrounds, officials said. Nebraska Highway 2 was also closed.
Officials said the fire was “most likely human-caused,” but did not release further details.
The wildfire had grown to 15,000 acres by 7:30 p.m., forest officials said in their latest update. Firefighters continued to fight the fire throughout the night.
The fire caused “great devastation” to the campsite Nebraska State Camp 4-H, the organization said in a press release just after 10 p.m. Sunday. The cabin and cabins were “totally lost” and only one structure remained.
“Everyone at the scene was safely evacuated,” the organization wrote. “We will share more details when we have more facts. Our thoughts are with everyone in the area.”
There are no reports of casualties or injuries. A fire card not yet available because the situation remained “highly volatile,” officials said Sunday night. Next updates are expected.
Halsey is about 230 miles northwest of Lincoln.
