Five largest wildfires in Nebraska during 2022
“It felt like the whole state was on fire.”
That’s how Erv Portis, assistant director of the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency, described Nebraska’s wildfires last year in a story published in today’s World-Herald.
Written by reporter Nancy Gaarder, the front-page article describes the Nebraskans who risked their lives — and those who lost them — in responding to those fires.
To honor and thank those brave volunteer firefighters, our newspaper is recognizing them as Midlanders of the Year. Since 1965, it’s been an annual tradition for The World-Herald to highlight individuals and groups for their contributions to the region.
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The wildfires that struck Nebraska in 2022 left no corner of the state untouched. As Gaarder wrote: “Fueled by deepening drought and fanned by winds of 50 mph to 70 mph, fires threatened towns, burned homes and left in their wake unbearable heartache.”
More than 200,000 acres burned, according to the Nebraska Forest Service. That makes 2022 the state’s second-largest fire year on record.
Three volunteer firefighters died: Elwood Chief Darren Krull, who was in an SUV that collided with a water truck; retired Cambridge Chief JP Trumble who was overtaken by flames after his truck became stuck; and Purdum Assistant Chief Mike Moody, who collapsed while refilling a water tank.
Several others were critically injured, either in crashes, being hit by a firetruck or by being caught in the flames. Many more suffered smoke inhalation, with some now expecting lifelong respiratory problems.
Nebraska’s volunteer firefighters are essential to fighting fires that have become larger and more intense in recent years. Some 449 of the state’s 478 fire departments are staffed by unpaid volunteers. Many are farmers, but others are from a diverse range of occupations such as teachers, utility workers and salespeople.
What they share is a desire to help protect the lives of their families and neighbors, as well as their homes, farms and businesses. Without the volunteers’ efforts, it would be impossible to provide fire protection across such a vast, thinly populated state.
Moody’s wife, Cheryl, said this about her late husband:
“He fought fires not because he liked it. He didn’t do it for the adrenaline rush. He was just one of those guys who was there to help somebody else.”
Firefighters weren’t the only Nebraskan who gave their time amid last year’s fires. Farmers helped create firebreaks or hauled water. Others provided food and other help. And of course, volunteer fire departments have long relied on pancake feeds and similar community efforts to supplement their property tax revenue.
Going forward, these departments will need more volunteers, more donations and perhaps additional legislative support to ensure they have the necessary staffing and equipment to protect Nebraska’s rural communities.
In the end, though, the success of those efforts comes down to the willingness of individual Nebraskans to put their lives on the line, battling furious blazes that one firefighter described as “like being next to the sun.”
Today’s article relates how volunteer firefighter Kyle Trumble — just a day after a southwest Nebraska wildfire in April had killed his father — returned to the fire lines to protect his hometown of Cambridge, Nebraska.
“When I went back out to fight the fire, I left two young boys and a wife,” Kyle told Gaarder. “Ninety-nine percent of the time, you come home. But you just never know what will happen.”
Thankfully, Kyle did return home safely. But his selfless dedication to serving his community exemplifies the commitment of so many volunteer firefighters across the state.
They deserve Nebraskans’ gratitude, appreciation and support.
OWH Public Pulse December 2022
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