Wildfires tear across several states, driven by high winds

By MARGERY A. BECK and SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN
Associated Press

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Firefighters across the country are battling multiple wildfires as tinder-dry conditions and high winds whip up flames from Arizona to Florida. That includes a prairie fire in rural southwestern Nebraska that officials say has killed one person, injured at least 15 firefighters and destroyed at least six homes. A break in the Midwestern weather allowed crews to make significant progress on that blaze Monday along the Nebraska-Kansas line. But hotter, windier weather is forecast Tuesday. More than 1,350 square miles have burned in wildfires across the country so far this year. Officials say that’s outpacing the 10-year average by about 30%.