Southeast Nebraska fire crews heading west to help tackle wildfires

When it comes to tackling the wildfires that have wreaked havoc across the state this week, it's officially all hands on deck.

The Fairbury Rural Fire Department shared the attached video to social media Friday afternoon, showing first responders from a half dozen departments in Southeast Nebraska shipping off to the western part of the state.

The assembled "task force" includes crews from Fairbury, Diller, Barneston, Wymore, Blue Springs and Beatrice, plus one firefighter each from Odell and Plymouth. The team is bringing along five Type 6 Wildland fire engines out to Brady Fire Station to help attack the active blazes, according to the post.

Those crews are all members of the 3 & 33 Mutual Aid Association. Normally designed to improve collaboration and shorten response times to local issues, in this particular crisis that organization is being called in as cavalry for crews near Maxwell and Brady.

Their tasks will be split into two "Operational Periods," shifts starting either at 7 PM Friday or 7 AM Saturday, providing local crews with some reinforcements, and time to rest. The current plan is for the Southeast Nebraska task force to then return home Saturday night.

"Keep these crews in your thoughts and prayers as this is going to be some dirty work, mopping up the perimeter of the fire to ensure containment. Which will allow the evacuations to be lifted sooner and ensure no other property is damaged," the post concluded.

The wildfires throughout the western and central part of the state have caused widespread damage and now, as of Friday afternoon, at least one confirmed fatality. Multiple communities across the state have been forced to be evacuated, and the governor's office has issued a statewide burn ban, eliminating any opportunity for local crews to prescribe burn permits.

Stay with News Channel Nebraska for continued coverage of the 2026 wildfires from all across the state.