The Hackberry Fire southeast of Harrisburg in Banner County is now estimated at 5,500 acres after burning about 3,000 acres Friday.
      Region 22 Emergency Management Director Tim Newman says the fire was reported around 7:00 Thurs night on private land and burned onto county-owned property..
There have been no injuries and no houses are currently in danger, but a wind shift Friday blew the fire straight back and forced the main staging area for firefighters to be moved twice.
Gov Pete Ricketts issued a state emergency declaration, clearing the way for state and federal aid that includes a Type 3 Incident Management team from the Nebraska State Emergency Response Team taking over command.
Aerial assets on the fire include 3 SEAT or single-engine air tanker planes, 2 Nebraska Army National Guard Blackhawk helicopters and a large air tanker out of Colorado
The Wildland Incident Response Assistance Team (WIRAT) has been requested to provide expert knowledge and assistance to local first responders.
Two Strike teams from the North and Southwest regions have been called in to provide support with a third Strike team from Northeast Colorado put on standby.