‘There was no way’ to stop wildfire in 50 mph winds, says survivor

LYONS, Nebraska — Robert Byrnes and his family were driving down U.S. 77 right after lunch Saturday when they noticed a wall of flames off to the east, roaring northward.

They quickly reversed course to their farm, a unique place where Byrnes has erected a wind turbine that generates all the power needed for the family of four.

From the top of a hill along Nebraska Highway 51, the family watched as the fire raced across farm fields and grassy waterways, propelled by wind gusts of up to 50 mph and 60 mph.

‘It was on me so fast’

“It looked like we were going to miss it,” Byrnes, 57, said. “Farmers were discing and saved some other farmsteads. 

“But it came in on the west side. I was out there with a garden hose trying to keep it off, but there was no way. It was on me so fast.”

Their home — which Byrnes said was once the house in Bancroft where poet and author John G. Neihardt lived before it would be moved out into the country — was a total loss.

Several outbuildings were lost, including the “power shack” that regulated the wind power and batteries for the “off-the-grid” farmstead. Two cars, family possessions and photographs, years of computers files all went up in smoke.

Dogs perished

Eight dogs perished in the blaze, including some purebred German shepherds raised by Byrnes’ wife, Serena Byrnes, but a herd of goats survived, as did other livestock.

Sunday night, Byrnes said he erected an American flag on the scorched remnants of the farm, a recognition of the outpouring of help from friends and neighbors. It could have been worse, he said. His family, including children Jason, 12, and Rosemary, 5, were all safe.

“It’s my own Mount Suribachi,” he said, a reference to the famous planting of a flag by U.S. Marines in World War II during the Battle of Iwo Jima.  

Outpouring of help ‘incredible’

“There’s so much hate and garbage going on, it’s good to see Nebraskans still care for their neighbors,” he said. “The outpouring of help has just been incredible.”

The Byrneses were among the victims in an outbreak of wildfires across Nebraska over the weekend that killed one firefighter, injured at least 10 others and scorched more than 50,000 acres.

Wind gusts of up to 50 mph and 60 mph propelled the flames in areas that are drier than normal due to a lack of winter snows and rain.

Arapahoe firefighter killed

John P. Trumble of Arapahoe, a 66-year-old former fire chief, was found Saturday morning after becoming overcome by smoke and fire as he was working as a spotter on a wildfire in southwest Nebraska, according to the Associated Press.

 The Nebraska Emergency Management Agency reported that at least 10 firefighters had been injured, some in vehicle collisions in the blinding smoke.

One hundred calves perished when a calving shed caught fire near Rising City. Other fires were reported near Elsie, in Scotts Bluff County, near Purdum and between Sunol and Lodgepole. 

Town evacuated

At one point Saturday, the towns of Cambridge, Bartley, Indianola and Wilsonville in southwest Nebraska and Macy in the northeast part of the state, were temporarily evacuated because of approaching flames. 

All evacuation orders have since been lifted, according to Stephanie Schively, a spokeswoman with the Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team One.

That federal team took over coordination of the fight against the fire Sunday morning in southwest Nebraska. The so-called Road 702 fire has consumed 41,155 acres, Shiveley said. Wooded draws, filled with dry cottonwood trees, continue to burn, she said.

A multi-mission aircraft from Colorado flew over the fire Sunday, providing a more accurate accounting of the acreage burned and helping to direct crews from Nebraska and Kansas to hot spots, she said. About 100 personnel were working the fire Sunday, NEMA said.

The Nebraska National Guard carried out at least  300 water drops on Saturday and Sunday in support of firefighters on the ground and the incident command, Staff Sgt. Tony Brolini, a flight medic, tweeted out.

Flames spread quickly

The fire in northeast Nebraska began north of Lyons, about 70 miles north of Omaha, and quickly spread across farm fields and through grassy draws.

Firefighters from 30 area volunteer departments responded to the fire, according to the Burt County Sheriff’s Office. Four firefighters were injured, two by smoke inhalation and two in vehicle accidents in the dense smoke.

On Sunday morning, the Byrnes farmstead, which is about 3 miles east of U.S. 77 on Nebraska 51, was still smoldering. Just down the road, a barn stood gutted by flames, but the home was saved. Nearby, another farmstead survived, surrounded by freshly disced fields.

“There were some miracles out there,” Byrnes said Sunday. “It could have been a lot worse.”

Plans to rebuild

He moved to Nebraska 25 years ago and established a business in Lyons to crush beans and vegetables into oil to make renewable fuel. He now also consults on solar projects.

For now, the family is living in a tiny house next to the crushing facility in Lyons.

Byrnes said he had “some close calls” while trying to battle the oncoming flames and had wetted down his shirt so embers wouldn’t catch it on fire. He was evacuated by firefighters when they arrived.

He said the family plans to rebuild.

“We’re going to make lemonade from lemons,” Byrnes said.