Valentine firefighters tackle two wildfires in two days

VALENTINE, Neb. - Firefighters in Valentine, Nebraska have been busy battling wildfires over the past couple of days. Fire Chief Terry Engles said that lightning caused both fires.

The Monday night fire, which burned around five acres, was near Smith Falls State Park south of the Allen Bridge. Firefighters were called to the other fire around 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday.  Firefighters from both Valentine and Kilgore responded to the scene around 4.5 miles south of Crookston.

“We were at the fire for around an hour, and it also burned around five acres,” Engles said. “We were lucky that both fires were fairly small, but people need to be aware of our high fire danger. This hot weather is really cooking us.”

As News Channel Nebraska previously reported, neighboring Gordon and Rushville firefighters have also been busy fighting fires.

The U.S. Drought Monitor indicates that parts of Sheridan County are abnormally dry. Much of Dawes, Scotts Bluff, and Box Butte counties are also abnormally dry or experiencing moderate drought, with all of Sioux County now considered to be in a moderate drought.