CRAWFORD — The latest wildfires in northwest Nebraska were labeled 90 percent contained Wednesday afternoon, and many of the firefighters had been sent home, authorities said.

Lightning was blamed for the fires that erupted Tuesday in Dawes County near Crawford.

“It was a dinky little cloud that rolled through,” Frank Pisacka, secretary-treasurer of the Dawes County Rural Fire Board, said. “We didn’t even get any rain out of it.”

Initially, authorities said there were four fires, but Wednesday said there were three. The report of a fourth apparently was prompted by a large dust devil in a previously burned area, Crawford Fire Chief Emil Daugherty said.

Two fires were on private land, another was on federal property. About 75 acres were burned, firefighter Judy Gortsema said.

Several volunteer fire departments helped crews from Crawford contain the fires.

“They got everything pretty well surrounded,” Pisacka said at midday. “They had it pretty well knocked down late last night.”

State emergency management officials flew to northwest Nebraska Wednesday morning to survey the fires near Crawford and hold follow-up meetings on the massive wildfires that damaged Dawes and Sioux counties in late July and early August.

Effects of those major fires could be felt for years, state wildlife officials said.

Animals likely will move from some of the burned areas and demand for grazing land could pick up as ranchers seek to replace pastures.

“It was a drought year to begin with and now they have to contend with the fires,” state wildlife biologist Greg Schenbeck said.

The state Game and Parks Commission will allow some of its wildlife management land to be used for grazing “because of the tremendous needs of livestock producers,” division administrator Jim Douglas said.

Walt Nelson, acting superintendent of Chadron State Park, said more animals have been seen in the park, which was spared by the flames.

“The animals will use what habitat is still available,” he said.

Bighorn sheep were able to avoid the fires, but some young and adult deer perished. Other species will be strained by the loss of grass lands and streams could face the effects of increased runoff if the area receives heavy rains in the fall.

Schenbeck and Nelson predicted more diversity would develop as the land recovers.

“The fire definitely shuffled the deck regarding wildlife habitat,” Schenbeck said.

Nelson said much of the area was “an old growth forest.”

“The sun couldn’t penetrate the forest floor and the pine trees had most of the nutrients tied up,” he said. “So it’s going to be a more dynamic system in the future.”