HALSEY- High humidity and lower winds aided firefighters seeking to corral a blaze that has blackened over 18,000 acres of the Nebraska National Forest in Halsey and nearby ranchland.

Brian Scott, a spokesman for the Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team, said some rainfall also helped to slow the so-called Bovee Fire, which destroyed a 4-H camp and lookout tower at the Halsey forest on Sunday.

The fire was deemed 94% contained as of October 6th.

A mapping airplane, deployed earlier in the week, calculated that 18,932 acres had burned on the forest and on adjacent ranches.

About 200 firefighters, including two elite “hot shot” crews, were fighting the fire, Scott said.

He said there had been no additional loss of life or structures.

Although, on October 2nd, Mike Moody, 59, the assistant chief of the Purdum Volunteer Fire Department, died after experiencing a “medical emergency” while working the initial attack on the fire.

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