Western Nebraska Wildfires
On March 12, 2026, several wildfires ignited in the High Plains of Nebraska. These wildfires quickly grew in the following hours, scorching hundreds of thousand of acres.
On that day, most of the Central US were under high wind alerts and red flag warnings, as a clipper low system moving across the northern US created a fierce windstorm. Winds and wind gusts from this storm were very strong, with some of the highest gusts in excess of 100 mph (160 kph). These winds combined with the dry atmospheric conditions aided in the ignition and explosive spread of the wildfires, prompting evacuations.
The four major fires from this event are the Morrill Fire, the Cottonwood Fire, the Road 203 Fire, and the Anderson Bridge Fire. The Morrill Fire was by far the biggest in terms of land burned, becoming the largest wildfire in Nebraska state history. One person lost their life as a result of the Morrill Fire, while the fours fires together destroyed grazing land that supports thousands of cattle.
As of March 31, 2026, all four fires are 100% contained. The Morrill Fire was 642,029 acres large, while the Cottonwood Fire scorched 129,253 acres. The Road 203 Fire burned 35,892 acres, and the Anderson Bridge Fire was 17,229 acres in size. Combined, these fires burned over 800,000 acres of land in Nebraska.
The effects from these fires could even be felt in nearby states, as northeast Colorado experienced hazy skies and air quality issues from the wildfire smoke.
For more information on the fires, visit the Watch Duty website.
Satellite imagery of this event:
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