South Fork Fire 2026

The South Fork Fire ignited on June 9, 2026, in the Soldier Creek Wilderness area of the Nebraska National Forest’s Pine Ridge Ranger District near Crawford, Nebraska. Local responders, U.S. Forest Service crews and volunteer firefighting partners engaged the fire early as dry fuels, steep terrain and strong winds drove rapid spread. U.S. Highway 20 was closed by the Nebraska Department of Transportation as the fire jumped the highway. A red flag warning was in effect through Wednesday, June 10.

By June 10, the fire had grown to nearly 9,000 acres and Nebraska’s Governor Pillen officially issued an emergency declaration for the South Fork Fire. It was fueled by rugged terrain, dry vegetation including timber and grassy undergrowth, and strong winds. On June 11 at 6 am the Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 2, under the command of Jay Mickey, assumed control of the fire.

On June 12, containment increased to 7% even as the fire grew to about 28,067 acres. Resources including National Guard units, ground crews, dozers and aircraft focused on defending the towns of Crawford and the Fort Robinson State Park area. The Red Cross established community shelter options at the Chadron State College–Andrews Hall.

By June 15, containment was at 55% and the fire had grown to 38,914 acres. 581 personnel were supporting the fire. Forecasters predicted that the week ahead would bring sustained winds anticipated between 23 and 30 miles per hour, and the possibility of gusts escalating to as high as 50 miles per hour. 

Nebraska’s Governor, Jim Pillen received an operational visit of the South Fork Fire on June 16. He visited ICP and was provided with a comprehensive briefing. He had the opportunity to communicate with members of his constituency as well as incident team members. 

Containment reached 80% on June 17, with the acres climbing to 39,057. Although conditions continued to change, fire activity was generally quiet. A NIROPS flight (a thermal imaging aircraft used to map active wildfires) was ordered after several areas of hot spots were discovered. 

Line is now in place around the entire fire perimeter. Crews are working to secure and mop up the containment line and will continue for several days. Suppression repair work is also u begin underway and will continue in the next few days. 

On June 20th the overall acreage of the South Fork Fire increased to 39,696 due to more accurate satellite mapping showing previously unseen grassy areas and containment increased to 90%.

Rocky Mountain CIMT2 transfered command to the Nebraska Type 3 team on Sunday, June 21, 2026, at 6 p.m.  

Please follow the Nebraska National Forest on Facebook and the Nebraska National Forest website's Alerts and Notices page for further updates.