South Fork Fire Update

Current Conditions: Containment is 42% and acreage remains at 32,818 acres with approximately 562 personnel assigned. The greatest area of containment is on the southern edge of the fire, in Divisions Alpha (where the town of Crawford is located) and up to the north to the division break with Division Zulu to the northeast, and in Division Juliet. In these divisions, firefighters are patrolling and securing the containment line, as well as mopping up any lingering areas of heat. Fort Robinson also has containment line around its entire perimeter. Fire crews continue to maintain a presence in Crawford with both day and night shifts. Yesterday, on the west side of the fire, cooler, cloudy weather conditions and higher relative humidity allowed fire managers to use a direct strategy to suppress the fire growth above Cottonwood Road that took place Friday night. Across the fire, night operations remain in place, with some resources located in Crawford, while the majority will be on the western active area of the fire.

Uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) are being used on the South Fork fire. UAS provide fire manager real-time situational awareness, can detect hotspots, and allow for safer operations in high-risk environments, where the terrain or fuels are especially dangerous. Yesterday, in Division Zulu on the western part of the fire, UAS missions flew to scout the fire ground and gather information for planning. Along the fire’s southern edge, the UAS infrared (IR) capabilities were used for mapping needs.

Weather and Fire Behavior: The expected cloud cover passed through the area over night. Today will be considerably less windy, first coming from the northwest and then from the west, and will be slope and terrain driven. Starting Monday, expected warmer drier conditions have prompted a fire weather watch that day and fire danger climbs rapidly from Monday through Wednesday.

Air Quality - An Air Quality alert has been issued for Dawes County from 12 a.m. Sun. through noon Monday associated with the South Fork Fire. The forecast indicates low windspeeds and the potential for elevated PM2.5 levels in this area. For more information visit forecast.weather.gov. Nebraska air quality information: https://dwee.nebraska.gov/smoke-and-air-quality. Air Quality Guide: Air Quality Guide for Particle Pollution

Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR): tfr.faa.gov The South Fork Fire is currently under a TFR. Please respect the fight restrictions including drones and unmanned aircraft systems. These pose a significant risk to our aviation safety.