2024 Wild Fires

[Coyote]

Brush fire in Council Bluffs paired with high winds is sending smoke into Omaha area

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa — A brush fire in Council Bluffs is sending smoke into Omaha. The brush fire has also caught some trees on fire in the area of Veterans Memorial Highway, just on the other side of the Missouri River. Council Bluffs and Omaha are under a wind advisory with winds getting up to 50 mph, so the smoke is being blown into the Omaha area. Council Bluffs Fire Department wants to remind the public that the city is under a burn ban.

[nativeomahan]

Yes the city smelled like a big camp fire for several hours this afternoon.
At last report another large fire was ablaze across the Missouri River east of Eppley Airfield.

[Brad]

I saw three of them this evening, all on the Iowa side of the Missouri River. The Biggest was east of the zoo, next was east of Eppley, and the third and smallest was just north of the Bob Kerry Bridge. The one North of the Bob Kerry bridge might be the same fire that was going on a few days ago too.

[Coyote]

Council Bluffs brush fire paired with high winds is sending smoke into Omaha area



A brush fire paired with high winds is Council Bluffs is sending smoke into Omaha.

[orangeboots]

This entire area should of been controll burned after the last flood. The amount of dead brush and trees is a blaze waiting to go.

[Renovator2559]

Saw so much burned land driving through west Kansas on to Wichita, just yesterday.

[Brad]

This entire area should of been controll burned after the last flood. The amount of dead brush and trees is a blaze waiting to go.

I agree,. We have had several fires the last two years and there is plenty more left.

[Coyote]

Weekend's brush fire in Pottawattamie County reignites from strong winds



COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa — Council Bluffs Fire Department said the wind has caused some of the small fires from the weekend that were still smoldering to ignite again. First responders have set up command as the fire continues to burn. The fire is along Interstate 29 near the Pottawattamie County Jail. I-29 is still open, but fire officials do not recommend driving on it between Council Bluffs and Crescent. The 16th Street and N 25th Street, I-29 on ramps have been closed. The fire is on both sides of the interstate.

[Coyote]

Smoke from brush fire visible from Eppley Airfield

[iamjacobm]

I guess they aren’t all that concerned about the fires bc a decent size firework show just went off on the CB side of the river.

[Coyote]

DeSoto Brush fire



A brush fire erupts near the DeSoto national wildlife refuge.

[Coyote]

50+ acres of DeSoto Wildlife Refuge burned, fire started by lightning strike



MISSOURI VALLEY, Iowa — If you were in Fort Calhoun or Blair on Wednesday, you probably saw a giant plume of smoke in the sky. Officials said a brush fire burned more than 50 acres. They said, three years of drought conditions dried everything out, and to make it worse, the floods of 2011 and 2019 killed DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge's cottonwood trees. It left them standing but turned the forest into matchsticks.

"Once they get going, a lot of times they're hollowed out. They're kind of almost like a chimney type effect and you really can't put them out with water. You almost got to just put them down, get them on the ground then start dousing them with water," said Peter Rea, supervisory park ranger DeSoto & Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuges. Officials said wind still poses a risk here but for the most part, they have this fire contained. Crews got the flames under control in about 2 hours.

[Coyote]

Air quality concerns: May 13 Omaha

[Coyote]

Canadian wildfires send smoke into NE, could continue into summer

Nebraskans may have noticed a hazy Monday and Tuesday due to smoke from wildfires in Canada. That haze could have a negative effect on your health and impact your time outside. “If you’re working outside for a long time and you already got asthma or something similar, those small particulates of smoke can have an effect on you," National Weather Service in Omaha meteorologist Brian Barjenbruch said. With a storm system in the southeast part of the US, Barjenbruch said the smoke brought in from the wildfires keep it close to the ground…and that can cause health problems. Throughout Monday and into Tuesday, an air quality advisory was issued for eastern Nebraska and in six midwest states.

In a press release, Public Safety Canada said drought conditions are expected to continue throughout May. This is the second year in a row wildfires have impacted air quality in the state.

[nativeomahan]

Ahh, life in the Midwest, where you can pause from sandbagging or repairing flood damage to take in the smell from Canadian wildfires wafting overhead.
At least the chances of any locally generated wildfires should be nil for the remainder of this year.

[Louie]

Ahh, life in the Midwest, where you can pause from sandbagging or repairing flood damage to take in the smell from Canadian wildfires wafting overhead.
At least the chances of any locally generated wildfires should be nil for the remainder of this year.

Are you smelling the fires? I’ve been outside all day and hadn’t noticed.

[Brad]

In addition to the Vala's grass fire mentioned in another thread, there was a grass fire by westroads over the weekend. It looked like it started next to dodge street and burned up in to that big wooded area around 97th and Dodge. I'm not sure how far it made it in to the trees.

[Louie]

And still no chance of rain in the 10 day.