OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – Just a couple days after putting a burn ban back in place, fire officials in Douglas County lifted it — the latest adjustment in an on-and-off cycle that mirrors the area’s sporadic hits of precipitation in recent weeks.
That update came out at about 1:35 p.m. Wednesday. In the hours ahead of that, authorities had been called to a few grassfires in the area, one of the just east of Bennington.
Less than an hour later, firefighters in Waterloo were being called to fight a blaze on the other side of the Platte River, in neighboring Saunders County. Yutan firefighters told First Alert 6 that about 1,000 round hay bales were burning near county roads 3 and I.
A large portion of the state is expected to be in higher danger of “rangeland” fires on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service office in Omaha. That danger is expected to be completely removed Friday; First Alert 6 Senior Chief Meteorologist Rusty Lord has forecasted a 60% chance of spotty storms for the day.
Douglas County’s most recent burn ban was put in place at about 4 a.m. Monday after red flag warnings were issued for the area. That ban was put in place about four days after the previously issued ban was lifted; it had been in effect for a week. The burn ban before that went into effect on Jan. 12 and was lifted a month later.
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