Panhandle’s Hackberry Fire Fully Contained At Almost 6,000 Acres

    Firefighters have gained the upper hand on the Hackberry Fire, burning southeast of Harrisburg in Banner and Morrill Counties since being ignited by lightning Thursday 

      Region 22 Emergency Manager Tim Newman said Monday morning that the fire has grown by only about 500-acres since Saturday morning and is now estimated at just under 6,000 acres. 

      The Hackberry Fire has been burning in grass and timber. There have been no injuries and no structures lost to the fire

      Newman told KNEB News that containment lines around the fire were completed Sunday afternoon with mop-up well underway.

      He said 13 engines were still on duty, patrolling and checking for hotspots, adding that the Type 3 Incident Management Team that took over Friday plans to return command to the Banner County VFD this evening “if nothing bad happens today.”

      Local, state, and federal crews have been working the fire including units from Colorado and Wyoming.