RELEASE DATE: Jun 18, 2026

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Fire Update: South Fork Fire

Thursday, June 18, 2026 – 8:00 a.m. MDT

Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 2

Incident Commander Jay Mickey

Phone (public and media inquiries): 308-775-5438

Email: 2026.southfork@firenet.gov

Linktree: linktr.ee/2026southforkfire

InciWeb page: InciWeb South Fork Fire Map

Limit unnecessary public interactions with firefighters to protect the safety of both the public and firefighting personnel.

Current Conditions: Containment on the South Fork Fire is 80% and acreage is 39,057 acres with approximately 452 personnel assigned. Lines continued to hold yesterday despite being tested by gusty winds. Personnel will begin to return to their home units as containment increases and the fire risk is reduced.

The fire remains generally quiet, with firefighters working the same areas of heat discovered Tuesday: in Division Delta on the northwest at the division break with Division Zulu, and around cottonwood trees south of Hwy 20. A suppression repair group is moving equipment to the Soldier Creek campground to begin repairing dozer lines created during suppression of the fire. The work is planned to start at the campground, working toward the Fort Robinson campus over the next several days. The public is asked to remain outside the fire area. In other areas of the fire, firefighters are patrolling and mopping up lines along the fire’s perimeter, seeking and extinguishing hot spots along the edges. Night operations will continue to be in place for at least the next 72 hours. RMCIMT2 is responsible for initial attack on any new starts inside the temporary flight restriction (TFR). Outside the TFR, the team will support the local department in unified command.

Weather and Fire Behavior: Northwest wind this morning will shift from northwest to northeast by the evening. A few sprinkles early in the day will precede less windy weather. Temperatures will be a few degrees higher. Fire behavior will be limited any new starts outside the fire perimeter.

 Air Quality – For current air quality information, visit forecast.weather.gov. Nebraska air quality information: https://dwee.nebraska.gov/smoke-and-air-quality. Air Quality Guide: Air Quality Guide for Particle Pollution https://tinyurl.com/prepare-for-poor-air-quality

 tfr.faa.gov The South Fork Fire is currently under a TFR. Please respect the flight restrictions, including drones and unmanned aircraft systems. These pose a significant risk to our aviation safety.

Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR): tfr.faa.gov The South Fork Fire is currently under a TFR. Please respect the flight restrictions, including drones and unmanned aircraft systems. These pose a significant risk to our aviation safety.

 Forest closure information: Please see https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/nebraska/alerts

South Fork Fire Update: June 18, 2026