Firefighters made a lot of progress containing wildfires in western Nebraska over the weekend.
The Douthit fire is 95 percent contained and is believed to have burned 29,730 acres. The West Ash fire is 65 percent contained and has burned 58,450 acres of land.
Firefighters spent Monday focusing on patrol, mop-up and rehabilitation of dozer and fire lines.
Residents that had to evacuate and are now allowed to return home my find fire retardant covering their homes and lawns. To clean up the fire retardant residents may need to do some scrubbing with mild soap and possibly do some power washing.
Once the retardant is washed off residents are advised to allow a few days for sunlight to help breakdown the remaining chemical compounds and to allow the retardant to be soaked into the ground.
Fire retardants used in fighting wildfires are primarily water-based and have U.S. Forest Service approval.
