Dry weather and wind creates concern for Nebraska emergency officials

OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Alyssa Sanders with the Nebraska Emergency Administration Company mentioned this 12 months’s wildfire season is ramping up.

“We have been monitoring 16 main fires in about 15 counties,” Sanders mentioned. “A few of these are the identical fireplace that burned in a number of counties.”

Sanders added the season primarily carried over from final 12 months, and that is because of a drier than common winter.

“We’ve sort of been predicting that it’s going to be an fascinating fireplace season with the low relative humidity, the upper temperature and this wind,” Sanders mentioned.

Excessive winds and low humidity are the proper storm for fires to unfold and that’s simply as true inside town of Omaha as it’s for rural areas.

“We’ve had an uptick so far as some fires, some grass weed fires and some huge construction fires as effectively,” Scott Fitzpatrick, battalion chief of the Omaha Fireplace Division mentioned.

Fitzpatrick mentioned his division retains an in depth eye on situations when it’s this dry out.

“The fellows take a look at the climate to ensure we all know what we’re sort moving into that day,” Fitzpatrick mentioned. “A few of these fires will be wind-driven fires and we all know nationally that that’s damage and even killed firefighters.”

Wildfires in Nebraska have already confirmed lethal in April. Two firefighters misplaced their lives battling the flames, the most recent simply this weekend when a retired fireplace chief was discovered on the facet of a street in Southwest Nebraska overcome by smoke.

Fitzpatrick says the wildfire risk is nearer to Omaha than many might imagine.

“Clearly town of Omaha is a fairly city setting, however we do have some pockets of western Omaha the place now we have potential for fairly huge wildfires as effectively,” Fitzpatrick mentioned.

With this in thoughts, he says it’s vital the general public performs their half in stopping the unfold of fires.

“Make sure that we’re not throwing smoking materials out the window if you’re driving,” Fitzpatrick mentioned. “Any spark like that would trigger a weed fireplace throughout this time how dry it’s been.”

Officers concern this dry spell might be right here to remain.

“I don’t know that that is essentially one thing now we have by no means seen earlier than,” Sanders mentioned. “It’s been a extra lively 12 months and we’re anticipating it to pattern that means.”

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