Campground fire burns at Enders Lake

Campers who were turkey hunting from out-of-state inadvertently started a small fire at the camping area at Enders Lake Recreational Area (ELRA) last weekend.

Twenty-two members of the Imperial Volunteer Fire Department (IVFD) responded to the late Saturday afternoon call about 5:20 p.m. at the main camping area off Highway 6, said Fire Chief Doug Mitchell.

The hunters, a man and a woman, had been here about three days, Mitchell said, and were cooking on the grill on site. He believes some embers from below escaped and started the fire.

They were about 10 feet from grass and yucca plants, into which the fire spread. It also burned into some dead trees, covering a couple acres at best, Mitchell said.

“We hit it fast with our quick attack and knocked it down pretty quickly,” he said.

Overnight camping was still allowed at ELRA last weekend, but it was suspended as of Monday by the Game and Parks Commission and the governor. 

People can only take in day activities now in all of Nebraska’s state parks and recreational areas.