Wednesday, April 1, 2026 — 9 a.m. MDT
Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 2
Incident Commander Jay Mickey
Phone (public and media inquiries): 719-283-6829, 8 a.m.–8 p.m. MDT
Email: 2026.ashby@firenet.gov
Linktree: linktr.ee/morrillandcottonwoodfires
Initial Attack (IA): IA activity across the state remains low. On Tuesday, IA Group 4 in Ogallala responded to a request from the Johnson Hills Fire, near Bertrand, to assist the suppression effort for an additional day.
Wednesday, all six IA groups pre-positioned across the state—Alliance, Ogallala, North Platte, Broken Bow and Columbus—will be available to assist local fire departments, as needed and requested, with suppressing new wildfires. While waiting to mobilize, they are maintaining a state of readiness; cross training and building cohesion with the local firefighters; learning about the areas they are in; and ensuring they are familiar with routes, access, and communication systems.
Two Black Hawk helicopters provided by the Iowa National Guard are returning to their home base Wednesday. Their assistance was invaluable and is greatly appreciated. A Nebraska National Guard Chinook helicopter is expected to arrive in Ogallala by Thursday and, along with two remaining Black Hawk helicopters, will assist the IA groups and existing fires as needed.
Ashby and Minor Fires: The Ashby Fire is 36,004 acres and 97 percent contained. The uncontained portion of the Ashby Fire is an area of buried heat that will continue to smolder until it is excavated, so containment will remain static. The Minor Fire is 14,082 acres and 85 percent contained. Because access to the uncontained perimeter is limited, containment will not exceed the current percentage. Operations managers continue to align the number of resources staffing the fires with current conditions and the needs of the IA groups.
Cottonwood Fire: Two days of continuous cloud cover significantly reduced fire activity, and no smoke from the fire’s interior was observed Tuesday. A small contingent of engine crews continues to patrol and monitor the fire. Interior flare ups are being extinguished where access is safe and values are threatened. The Cottonwood Fire is 129,253 acres and 100 percent contained.
Weather and Fire Behavior: Cooler, moister weather conditions are expected the remainder of the week. Starting Wednesday evening, much of the state could receive wetting precipitation (0.1 inches or more). Wind direction will be variable, but wind speeds will be breezy and gusty through the weekend. Higher humidities will reduce fire behavior and spread in herbaceous vegetation. However, because woody vegetation takes longer to absorb moisture from the air or precipitation, new fires in the historically dry brush and timber would likely be very active and spread rapidly.
