LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Crews are working through stiff winds and dry conditions to contain wildfires in seven Nebraska counties.
State officials say the latest fires have burned an additional 58,000 acres in Nebraska, an area the size of Lincoln. Most of the fires were contained or nearly contained by Thursday afternoon, but the wind is complicating some of the firefighting efforts.
The fires are burning in Cherry, Holt, Knox, Boone, Merrick, Nance and Fillmore Counties. These latest fires bring the total area burned this season to about 300,000 acres — an area nearly the size of Los Angeles.
The Nebraska Emergency Management Agency is asking farmers to curtail their haying and harvesting until the winds subside, to reduce the fire risk. But officials will not impose fines on those who choose to continue.
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