VALENTINE — Firefighters on Monday continued to make progress on a wildfire that destroyed or damaged 12 houses and threatened the north Nebraska town of Valentine.

“It’s probably fair to say the fire is contained but not totally under control,” Gov. Dave Heineman said after meeting with emergency officials and touring the fire scene.

Cherry County emergency manager Eilene Brannon said the fire continued to flare up occasionally, but it was within areas that burned Sunday and Sunday night. She said firefighters still haven’t determined the exact size of the fire, but it’s likely about four square miles.

Heineman said the experts say such a fire wouldn’t normally be seen until August. Sunday’s fire gained strength because of a lack of rain, high heat and wind.

“I think what we’re all concerned about is we’ve got a very dry Nebraska,” Heineman said.

Valentine Fire Chief Terry Engles said the southwest corner of the fire flared up for a while about midday Monday, but had been knocked back again.

An estimated 140 to 150 firefighters were battling the fire Monday.

“The situation is looking pretty good, but right now you can’t guarantee anything either,” Engles said. “We don’t know. If the wind will switch, it could be a whole different ball game,”

Engles said firefighters wanted ensure the fire was under control Monday because hotter temperatures and stronger winds were forecast for Tuesday.

If the wind were to pick up, it could still spread the fire, which raged through rugged canyons Sunday, he said.

“You can’t get used to it, the speed it moves,” Engles said.

Harvey Whitney said he and his family narrowly escaped the flames that overtook his home overlooking the now blackened canyon.

“There were tornado-like flames shooting up in the air,” he said, adding some of the flames appeared to be about 50 feet high.

“When we got in the vehicles, there were flames dropping down on top of us,” he said.

The fire destroyed his home. The only thing standing was a tall reinforced gun case surrounded by ashes. Whitney plans to return.

“It’s not going to be a pretty view to rebuild here for awhile,” he said.

More than 30 fire departments from Nebraska and South Dakota fought the blaze. The temperature at the time was a record 113 degrees with only 9 percent relative humidity.

“You can’t thank them enough for what they did, because it could have spread more than it did,” Heineman said after he toured the area Monday morning.

The fire started about 4 p.m. CDT Sunday in a canyon about a half-mile north of town, fire officials said. It raged through the canyon and ignited some houses on the north edge of town about 7:30 p.m., when it also burned through a city park.

Firefighters struggled to battle the blaze in rough terrain covered by tall grass, cedar trees and Ponderosa pines, Valentine firefighter Duane Bellin said.

The fire eventually erupted out of the canyon onto the flatlands, he said.

“A firestorm came up out of there,” Bellin said. “We’ve had trees crowning, exploding, fire tornadoes, real thick smoke, can’t see or breathe and extreme heat.”

Four firefighters suffered minor injuries, including two with heat exhaustion.

About 200 residents, a hospital and an assisted-living center in the northeast section of the town were evacuated Sunday. Evacuees were being kept away a day later.

Neil Hilton, administrator of the Brown County Hospital in Ainsworth, said eight patients were brought in by ambulance or private car from Valentine, doubling the number of patients in his 25-bed hospital. Extra staff was brought in to help care for the patients.

Ainsworth is about 50 miles southeast of Valentine, a town of about 2,600 people near the Nebraska-South Dakota border located just south of the Rosebud Indian Reservation.

The cause of the fire had not been determined Monday, but the state fire marshal’s office was investigating.

Brannon said it was too early to estimate the fire’s monetary damage.

Heineman was awed by the seemingly random nature of the destruction.

“As I viewed the fire today, it kind of reminded me of a tornado,” Heineman said. “You can’t explain why some homes were destroyed and others weren’t.”

About 145 homes in the area were without power Monday, officials said, and electricity was expected to be back on by mid-afternoon.