Fire officials are saying the Spotted Tail Fire located five miles south of Chadron is nearing containment and still at 83 acres with a 2-1/2-mile perimeter.

The level of containment was placed at 95% yesterday afternoon, and Assistant Chadron Fire Chief Jack Rhembrandt told a briefing this morning that the containment lines continued to be strengthened.

Rhembrandt said “things are going really well out there and it’s looking good 100 feet into the black,” a reference to the interior perimeter of the fire.

The public is still being urged to avoid the burn area for safety reason, and Rhembrandt says everyone needs to be wise about their activities because although it is October, conditions remain dry and the fire danger is still high.

The fire is entirely on the Pine Ridge Ranger District of the Nebraska National Forests & Grasslands, burning on a part of the much larger 2006 Spotted Tail Fire. Dead and downed trees from the earlier fire provided this fire with most of its fuel.

Units from the U-S Forest Service and the Chadron Volunteer Fire Department are continuing to strengthen the containment lines and monitor the fire.