<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0kView_19dIAcfP00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0kView_19dIAcfP00" width="986" height="555" >Wind-driven wildfires that began Thursday evening forced evacuations around Farnam and prompted Gov. Jim Pillen to issue a state of emergency for seven southwest Nebraska counties from Dawson to Morrill. Wind gusts reached more than 40 mph and temperatures climbed into the 70s on Thursday as the fires burned through the night. Farnam was evacuated from Thursday evening to Friday afternoon.Alan Oberg, a retiree with the Farnam Rural Volunteer Fire Department, said firefighters struggled to gain control in the conditions.“Uncontrolled wind blowing. No way to get it stopped because there's no way to drive through where it was at. So we just basically had to watch a lot of it just burn,” Oberg said.Dawson County Emergency Management estimated that as of Friday afternoon, roughly 70,000 acres of pasture and farmland northwest of Farnam had burned. At least one house was lost, and officials were still trying to get more exact estimates of damage. Crews continued working to put out hotspots into Friday morning.“There's a lot of acres that are covered. And it's it's not completely black, but there's a lot of it that's burning,” Oberg said.Emergency workers said it was all hands on deck Thursday evening, with the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office going door to door to make sure the several hundred residents of Farnam evacuated.Heidi Pieper, who lives south of Farnam, said she and her husband were up much of the night as the fire threatened the area.“I don't think either of us slept very much. Yeah, it was a pretty busy, busy night. We both caughta few hours of sleep and were thankful for it,” Pieper said.Pieper said she was out of town when she first learned of the evacuation orders, and she and her husband rushed to ensure their children and other family members could get out.“It was very frightening at first before I knew that my kids were safe. Once I knew my kids were safe, I felt a sense of calm, just knowing that we could do whatever we could. And after that, it's out of your hands.” Pieper said.Even after their family left for Eustis with other evacuees, Pieper said she, her husband and other volunteers stayed behind to help.“We did not evacuate. We stayed around and made sure that we were doing as much as we could to help with the area. My husband was out,putting out spot fires til this morning,” she said.Pieper said she worked through the night moving their heifer pairs across the highway to a safer place and continued helping with cattle once day broke.“We went to work on making sure horses and cattle were in the best place possible, with the reports we were hearing of how the fire was traveling and the way that the wind was working,” Pieper said.She said all of their livestock was safe and accounted for, and she spent Friday morning ensuring her animals were well and where they needed to be. Pieper said she had never dealt with a fire like this before, but came away with a deeper appreciation for first responders.“They have saved numerous homes and structures. They've been very hard at work, and [it's] pretty impressive and incredible to see their work pay off and homes and structures still standing. So very, very thankful for that,” Pieper said.</div></body>

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Wind-driven wildfires that began Thursday evening forced evacuations around Farnam and prompted Gov. Jim Pillen to issue a state of emergency for seven southwest Nebraska counties from Dawson to Morrill. Wind gusts reached more than 40 mph and temperatures climbed into the 70s on Thursday as the fires burned through...

Crews continue work as wildfire damage builds

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Wind-driven wildfires that began Thursday evening forced evacuations around Farnam and prompted Gov. Jim Pillen to issue a state of emergency for seven sou

Crews continue work as wildfire damage builds

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