Lightning sparked the Pre Cinco Fire in steep, rugged timber near Chadron, creating the potential for rapid wildfire growth under receptive fuel conditions. Thanks to an aggressive initial attack by local and state responders, the fire was caught early before it could expand into a larger incident.
At the request of Chadron Volunteer Fire Department Chief Branden Martens, the Nebraska Forest Service fuels management crew assisted with suppression and mop up operations, utilizing a Type 4 wildland engine and support vehicle. The incident also made use of the Nebraska Forest Service Single Engine Air Tanker (SEAT) to support firefighting efforts from the air.
The fuels management crew is part of the Nebraska Forest Service’s expanded wildfire mitigation and response capacity made possible through more than $24 million in federal grant funding awarded for wildfire resilience and hazardous fuels reduction projects across Nebraska. The funding supports fuels mitigation work, forest health projects, and additional firefighting capacity aimed at reducing wildfire risk and improving response efforts statewide.
