Remembering the 2012 Niobrara River Valley Fires

Driving down the highway during the Region 24 Complex Fire the smoke could be seen for many miles. For travelers, there was difficulty in knowing whether you were able to get to where you were going or to be turned back by emergency personnel due to the fire hazards.

When the smoke had settled, Fire Investigator Ryan Sylvester, and Ainsworth Fire Chief Brad Fiala went to the scene of where the fire started using GPS coordinates from the National Weather Service. They located the trees struck by lighting using coordinates which took them to within 500 feet of where the lightning struck starting the largest fire in recent Nebraska history.