Firefighters battling a large blaze in northwest Nebraska will get some assistance from the federal government.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency approved a federal firefighting grant for the state on Thursday afternoon. Wildfires sparked by lightning have burned nearly 107 square miles in the area in Sioux, Dawes and Sheridan counties in the Panhandle.
One fire is raging just south of the city of Chadron. The fires have burned both grassland and forest areas, including some of the Nebraska National Forest.
The federal grant provides funding on a cost-share basis for certain costs incurred by firefighting agencies. FEMA does not provide actual firefighting equipment or personnel.
