Firefighters battling wildfires raging in northwest Nebraska are in need of water, snacks and other items, and people in the area are stepping up to help.
Chadron radio station KCSR-AM reports that firefighters - many of them volunteers - are asking for donations of water, sports drinks, bandanas, granola bars and protein bars, over-the-counter pain medicines, leather gloves, eye drops and lip balm.
Hay Springs Public School is collecting those items and other nonperishable snacks for firefighters. Students will be collecting such items Friday night at the school's home football game.
Lightning on Tuesday sparked at least two wildfires - one near Chadron and another near Crawford - which have forced the evacuations of several areas. Fire officials estimated the fires had burned 39 square miles by Thursday.
The Nebraska Department of Roads tells Channel 6 News that all of the highways in the area remain open and passable. There are no lane restrictions or closures.
