Nebraska firefighters have nearly contained the Sandhills wildfire

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Firefighters have nearly contained a large wildfire in the Nebraska Sandhills that has burned roughly 30 square miles and that led to the death of a volunteer firefighter, officials said.

The Bovee Fire began Sunday and spread quickly because of dry conditions in west-central Nebraska. The Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team said Thursday that their estimate of the size of the fire decreased slightly but remained around 19,000 acres.

The incident management team said the fire is 94% contained with only a few short sections of the fire line surrounding the blaze still unsecure. A night shift of firefighters will no longer be needed to contain the fire about 260 miles west of Omaha.

NEBRASKA SANDHILLS WILDFIRE DESTROYS CAMPSITE, FORCES OFFICIALS TO EVACUATE NEARBY VILLAGE

Cooler temperatures with highs near 60 degrees are expected Thursday, but winds may gust up to 25 mph as a cold front moves through the area. The high temperature on Friday is likely to be in the upper 40s.

The grassland fire in Nebraska's Sandhills region grew to around 30 square miles. Since then firefighters have nearly contained the wildfire.  (Julie Bain/Nebraska National Forest & Grasslands Service via AP)

Officials are still investigating the cause of the blaze, but have said it was likely "human caused."

Assistant Chief of the Purdum Volunteer Fire Department Mike Moody died Sunday after suffering an apparent heart attack while fighting the fire. The cabins and main lodge at the Nebraska State 4-H Camp, and an observation tower in the Bessey Ranger District of the Nebraska National Forest were all destroyed by the fire.

NEBRASKA FIRE CREWS HOPE FOR RAIN AS THEY CONTINUE TO BATTLE FIRES

The fire forced the residents of the village of Halsey to briefly evacuate their homes Sunday, and a stretch of Nebraska Highway 2 was shut down because of the fire.