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The Bovee Fire destroyed the Nebraska State 4-H Camp near Halsey.
Jacob Carrizales shared this video on Facebook of the fire Oct. 2, 2022.
An all-terrain vehicle that caught fire on a recreational trail in the Nebraska National Forest on Sunday sparked the Bovee Fire that has burned nearly 19,000 acres near Halsey, officials said Thursday.
The Nebraska National Forest & Grassland Service said the fire investigation continues. But officials at a community meeting in Halsey on Thursday said it appeared there was no negligence on the part of the five people believed to be riding the Polaris RZR on the trail used extensively by ATV enthusiasts.
Drought, which has fried crops and pastures and fueled wildfires, is part of a rough year for Nebraska agriculture.
Firefighters have nearly contained the wildfire that burned roughly 30 square miles and led to the death of a volunteer firefighter, officials said. The Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team said Friday morning the fire was 97% contained with remaining uncontained areas "completely surrounded by fireline." Crews are focused on strengthening the fireline, mopping up and patrolling the burn area.
The federal incident management team will turn control of the fire over to state and local officials on Saturday.
A funeral for Mike Moody was set for Friday at Sandhills High School in Dunning. Moody, 59, was assistant chief of the Purdum Volunteer Fire Department. He died Sunday after suffering an apparent heart attack while fighting the fire.
Tedd Teahon with the U.S. Forest Service said Thursday that the ATV was on the trail when it caught fire, and that investigators found sand on it from attempts to put it out.
"Right where the fire started, it went right up into the trees," Teahon said. "A fire extinguisher might not have worked. The sand didn't work."
No injuries have been reported, but the fire destroyed much of the Nebraska State 4-H Camp, including the lodge, cabins and the Scott Lookout Tower.
During Thursday's briefing streamed on Facebook, officials with the U.S. Forest Service addressed questions about the effort to save the camp, including why airplanes assisting in the firefight dropped flame-retardant slurry on homes in the area but not at the camp.
The metal frame is all that remains of the Scott Lookout Tower at the Nebraska National Forest after a wildfire raced through the area near Halsey on Sunday. Planes assisting in the firefight dropped flame-retardant slurry on and around the tower, which worked to protect the trees in the area, but the tower was still destroyed.
"It was the way the wind blew," said Teahon, noting that the smoke obscured the camp, complicating efforts to battle the blaze from the air and on the ground.
“We couldn’t see the back of the building,” he said. “The trees torched up and the back wall was fully engulfed. The fire was in the walls, the eaves. The back windows blew out and the smoke rolled out the front. We had no choice but to leave.
“It’s hard. We all thought there was a chance. We tried very hard.”
The first fire burned about 5,000 forest service acres, and another fire earlier this year burned 4,000 acres. Julie Bain of the U.S. Forest Service said a fire in 1965 burned about half of the original 30,000 acres.
“We've lost half the forest we had left,” she said.
The 4-H campground opened in 1963.
The basketball courts at Antelope Park went from gray to filled with color this fall. The project to resurface the courts at Normal Boulevard and South Street and repaint them as a reproduction of the painting "Red Sea" by African American artist Felrath Hines was funded by private donations. The original painting is part of the permanent collection of the Sheldon Museum of Art.
Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird gives the state of the city address Tuesday.
Lincoln East's Gabby Pace (center left) and Kooper Barnes (center right) dance as part of the Spartans' pregame routine before an A-5 district game Wednesday at Doris Bair Complex.
Nebraska interim defensive coordinator Bill Busch celebrates after the team made a stop against Indiana in the first quarter on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Johnson-Brock industrial technology teacher Ashton Bohling is one of 20 nationwide winners of the 2022 Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence.
Nebraska's Marcus Washington breaks a tackle from Indiana's Bryant Fitzgerald (31) in the third quarter on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
Flowers ring a tree on Randolph Street where six people died in a car crash last week.
Nebraska's Malcolm Hartzog (13) and Nebraska wide receiver Ty Hahn (17) celebrate after Hartzog scooped up a blocked punt for a touchdown on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
A farmer uses a corn combine to harvest his crop on Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022, in Johnson, NE. Based on June 1 conditions, Nebraska's 2022 winter wheat crop is forecast at 36.9 million bushels, down 10% from last year's crop, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service.
Elkhorn South's Ellen Bode drives the ball off the 16th tee during the girls class A district golf match on Monday, Oct. 3, 2022, at Highlands Golf Course in Lincoln.
Nebraska's Casey Thompson (left) celebrates his fourth quarter touchdown with teammate Chancellor Brewington during the game against Indiana on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
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The fire near Halsey, which had grown to more than 15,000 acres Sunday night, destroyed most of the Nebraska State 4-H camp.
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The State Fair announced Wednesday that Bill Ogg intends to resign his position and assist with the transition to new leadership.
The Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team said in an update Wednesday morning that the Bovee fire, which started Sunday afternoon and spread rapidly, has grown to 18,932 acres.
The NU Board of Regents on Friday approved a plan to hire a third party firm that will help move the fundraising, design, and construction along in the coming years.
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The Bovee Fire destroyed the Nebraska State 4-H Camp near Halsey.
The metal frame is all that remains of the Scott Lookout Tower at the Nebraska National Forest after a wildfire raced through the area near Halsey on Sunday. Planes assisting in the firefight dropped flame-retardant slurry on and around the tower, which worked to protect the trees in the area, but the tower was still destroyed.
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