Nebraska, 2022

Wildfire in Nebraska, October 2 to 11, 2022

October 2 to 11, 2022 · NWS LBF · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Fire initiated in north central portions of the Nebraska National Forest during the afternoon of October 2nd. Aided by strong southerly winds and dry relative humidity, the fire quickly spread to the north and north northeast consuming around 19000 acres of timber and grassland.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
1
Injuries
0
Property damage
$2.0 million
Crop damage
$1.0 million
Events
1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS LBF wrote it up.

Fire initiated in north central portions of the Nebraska National Forest during the afternoon of October 2nd. Aided by strong southerly winds and dry relative humidity, the fire quickly spread to the north and north northeast consuming around 19000 acres of timber and grassland. One death was attributed to the fire and much of the Nebraska 4H camp was consumed by the fire. The fire took over a week to fully extinguish and was out on October 11th.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, Thomas

When
October 2, 3:00 PM CST to October 11, 12:00 PM CST
Where
Thomas forecast zone
Deaths
0 direct, 1 indirect
Property damage
$2.0 million
Crop damage
$1.0 million
Reported by
Emergency Manager
Coordinates
41.914, -100.556 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A fire initiated along a trail during the mid afternoon hours of October 2nd in north central portions of the Nebraska National Forest at Halsey. Aided by very strong southerly winds, the fire quickly spread to the north and north northwest consuming the Nebraska 4 H camp. At this camp, 18 buildings were destroyed including the main lodge. The fire then jumped the Middle Loup River and Nebraska highway 2 racing across several miles of open rangeland. One firefighter perished from a medical emergency while battling the fire. Approximately 200-250 different personnel battled this fire from the 2nd through the 11th. When the fire was fully extinguished, 19000 total acres had burned.

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Wildfire, Thomas2022-10-0259MaleUnknownIndirect

What these are

Wildfire
A fire burning in wildland vegetation, with its acreage and damage where known.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Nebraska in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in Nebraska, October 2022

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1060705.