JOHNSTOWN, Neb. (AP) — A wildfire burning in a rugged, wooded area of Nebraska grew to more than 6,600 acres but by Thursday hundreds of firefighters managed to contain about 40% of the blaze.
The Plum Creek Fire started Monday afternoon from a controlled burn that got out of hand, said Jessica Pozehl, deputy emergency manager for Brown and Rock counties.
The fire, which has burned 6,631 acres (2,683 hectares), is mainly in steep, rugged canyon ground and also some grassy areas, she said. Johnstown, population 60 people, is the closest town to the fire in the Sandhills in the north-central part of the state. Some structures might be endangered, but no one's residence was in danger as of Thursday morning, Pozehl said.
More than 50 fire departments, joined by National Guard members, were fighting the blaze at its height, as many as 200 to 250 people, she said.
In recent days, responders used two planes to drop fire retardant, and two National Guard Black Hawk helicopters were dropping water on Wednesday and Thursday, Pozehl said.
The fire has killed 45 cattle and destroyed a cabin, according to Gov. Jim Pillen 's office. The governor issued a statewide burn ban and authorized the Nebraska National Guard to send 29 soldiers and airmen to help volunteer fire departments.
Much of Nebraska is facing drought conditions, with severe or moderate drought in Brown County where the fire is, said Shawn Jacobs, warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service in North Platte.
“This is typical for what we see every year during the spring months. We have dry, warm, windy days and that's kind of what happened leading up to the fire,” Jacobs said.
What really helped push the fire and made it difficult to control were gusty, erratic winds from dry showers that formed, he said.
Brown County saw from a tenth to a quarter inch (a half centimeter) of rain Wednesday and overnight, Jacobs said. Potential rain is in the forecast in days ahead.
This photo provided by Brown/Rock County Emergency Management shows a burned area of the Plum Creek Fire in north-central Nebraska in April 2025. (Jessica Pozehl/Brown, Rock County Emergency Management via AP)
In this photo provided by Brown/Rock County Emergency Management, the Plum Creek Fire burns in north-central Nebraska in April 2025. (Jessica Pozehl/Brown, Rock County Emergency Management via AP)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said Thursday that it has opened a criminal investigation into rape and sexual assault allegations against Motown music luminary Smokey Robinson.
The department said in a statement that its Special Victims Bureau is “actively investigating criminal allegations” against Robinson.
Last week, four former housekeepers of Robinson filed a lawsuit alleging that he repeatedly raped and sexually assaulted them, in some cases for years, while they worked for him.
The suit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court seeks at least $50 million in damages over the alleged assaults, which the women say took place between 2007 and 2024.
Robinson's lawyer said there was no merit to the allegations against the 85-year-old musical icon who was among the biggest hitmakers of the 1960s.
The attorney, Christopher Frost, said Tuesday the only reason for the suit is “unadulterated avarice.”
“We feel confident that a determination will be made that Mr. Robinson did nothing wrong, and that this is a desperate attempt to prejudice public opinion and make even more of a media circus than the Plaintiffs were previously able to create,” Frost said.
John Harris and Herbert Hayden, the lawyers for the women, say they are pleased to learn that law enforcement is pursuing the allegations.
“Our clients intend to fully cooperate with LASD’s ongoing investigation in the pursuit of seeking justice for themselves and others that may have been similarly assaulted by him," the lawyers said.
The sheriff's statement said the investigation is in its early stages, and no other details would be provided.
Robinson's attorney said last week that the allegations “defy credulity” and are full of inconsistencies.
The four women, whose names have not been made public, each allege that Smokey Robinson would wait until he was alone with them in his Los Angeles house and then sexually assault and rape them. One woman said she worked for Robinson from 2012 until 2024 and was assaulted at least 20 times. Another said she worked for him from 2014 until 2020 and was assaulted at least 23 times.
Harris called Robinson a “serial and sick rapist” who must be stopped.
When asked at a May 6 news conference whether the women had talked to police, Hayden said no, but felt the allegations merited law enforcement getting involved.
All of the accusers said they eventually quit over the assaults. And all said they feared coming forward over fears of retaliation, public shame and possible effects on their immigration status.
Robinson churned out a host of hits as a central part of the Motown Records machine — both with his group the Miracles and as a solo artist, with songs including “Tears of a Clown” and “The Tracks of My Tears.” He also wrote and co-wrote songs for other Motown artists, including the Temptations' “My Girl.”
He is a member of both the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
FILE - Smokey Robinson attends the screening for "The Apollo" during the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival on April 24, 2019, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)
