By Derek Kravitz and Paul Hammel
Omaha World-Herald (Nebraska)
Copyright 2006 The Omaha World-Herald Company
VALENTINE, Neb. — As a haze of smoke lifted and Black Hawk helicopters carried water to douse hard-to-reach flames, some Valentine residents spent Monday trying to salvage what little they had left.
The Rev. Steve Severance and wife, Heather, lost their home, just north of the city limits, to the blaze.
“We had heard about the fire in another part of town last night so we decided to evacuate just as a precaution,” Severance said. “I’m glad we did.”
About a dozen homes were destroyed or heavily damaged, several out-buildings and vehicles were gutted, and an estimated 2,000 acres of land was blackened by the fire.
The blaze, which began about 4:30 p.m. Sunday, was aided by drought conditions and 113-degree heat. The fire swept into the ranching and recreational town of 2,800 before being corralled early Monday.
By Monday evening, fire officials called the fire “contained but not controlled.”
About 75 firefighters still worked hot spots, and two National Guard helicopters dumped water in the rugged canyons. Winds whipped at more than 20 mph, and temperatures climbed above 90 degrees.
The Severances had no insurance for the house they rented. After they went to a shelter to get food Sunday night, a local stranger heard about their home being destroyed and offered them a place to stay.
Monday morning, nothing was left of their home but mangled steel beams, smoldering wreckage and a crumbled foundation.
Next door, Jeff Spain came home Sunday night to see the brush fire rushing through nearby trees toward his 6,000-square-foot home and detached garage.
“I was on my deck, and I heard my wife screaming that the fire was getting the garage. It was gone in seconds, and then the wind changed and another flare-up came up toward the house,” said Spain, a 44-year-old banker.
Spain, his wife and three children evacuated, along with about 200 residents, the town hospital and two assisted-living centers.
When they returned Monday, the Spains found nothing but burned rubble, a brick chimney and the remnants of a weight room. Spain’s 1966 Ford Thunderbird was crushed and burned.
Spain said his family was in disbelief. “My son came back home from a river trip and everything was gone. They’re all taking it hard.”
The family also lost two cats, Monty and Stevie, to the fire.
The Spains have taken up residence at a nearby motel while dealing with their insurance company.
The fire started near the city water towers, on a high ridge that sits across Minnechaduza Creek from Valentine. High winds and dry conditions allowed the blaze to jump the narrow creek and burn into town.
Most of the destroyed homes were on ridges north of the creek, but the rest were on a cul-de-sac and streets along the northern edge of town.
The State Fire Marshal’s Office was investigating the cause. Some residents said they were told that a short in an electrical transformer was suspected.
The Rev. Dale and Connie Williams saw their tree-covered 36 acres of canyon land go up in smoke.
Connie Williams, 47, a real estate agent, was the first Valentine resident to call fire crews about the blaze, emergency management workers said.
She said she saw smoke spreading toward her house from the west about 4:30 p.m. Sunday. “If I hadn’t seen the smoke then, we wouldn’t have the house,” she said.
Fire crews saved most of the Williams’ house, but the surrounding pine trees and land were scorched.
“It was the nicest piece of land. This was our dream. You can rebuild a house, but you can’t rebuild the trees. We won’t see it rebuilt in our lifetime,” Connie Williams said.
The couple’s home was being renovated when the fire started.
Other families made their way into a Red Cross shelter at the First Baptist Church on Monday, their cars packed with blankets, pillows, clothes and other belongings.
“These people have lost everything,” said Dr. Noah O’Dell, First Baptist Church pastor. “Some of them have nothing left.”
Jess Ravenscroft and his father, Jack, were among the lucky ones.
Jess worked with fire and rescue crews for nearly 12 hours to save his father’s house, which is perched atop a hill in the 800 block of Haley Street, near the homes of the Severances and the Spains. “It burned hot and it burned fast,” Ravenscroft said. “We were just lucky.”
Officials said it was the first time they could remember that a wildfire had burned its way into a Nebraska community.
Gov. Dave Heineman expressed disbelief as he viewed the damage.
“This is just kind of hard to believe, to tell you the truth,” said Heineman. “But as bad as it was, it could have been worse.”