Firefighters and neighbor save Nebraska man’s home from wildfire

KRAMER, Neb. (KLKN) – Firefighters and a heroic neighbor worked together on Sunday to save one man’s house from wildfire devastation.

Casey Dahlke and his wife were on their way to Omaha when they got a call that no one wants to hear.

They were told their house was in the path of a wildfire.

Dahlke said they rushed home and got their dogs out of the house.

Then they had to watch as the land around their home went up in flames.

“I’ve been through a lot of stressful situations in my life, and this is probably the only time I ever thought I was actually going to throw up from the stress,” Dahlke said.

He said it’s hard to know what you’ll do in that situation until it’s actually happening.

“We only had 30 minutes to try to load up some photos and things we thought were important at the time,” he said.

Luckily, firefighters came and were able to keep the fire away from their house.

“The fire guys were here for several hours soaking my house with hoses,” Dahlke said. “I have a tree line just here to my left, and the fire was in there, so they were continuously putting water on it.”

As the winds spread the fire quickly, he said one of his neighbors also stepped in to help.

“A buddy of mine that’s a neighbor called me,” Dahlke said. “He was in the area with his tractor and disc. He got here just in the nick of time and was able to cut the fire off right here behind me.”

Dahlke said they had to wait and watch from the road as the fire went through the area around the house.

He said it was a situation you would never think you’d be in.

“It’s super difficult. I never would have guessed it would happen,” he said. “You see it happening to other people, and you feel bad when you see it happen in any natural disaster. You feel super horrible for the people that are going through it, but when it’s actually happening to you, it’s a whole different ballgame.”

When the smoke cleared, they were relieved that their home was still standing.

He said he feels grateful because there were others who lost much more.

“Well, it’s an entire life. Two lives, my wife and I. You’ve got two lives, and everything you own is in the house,” Dahlke said. “And if you lose the house, you’re losing everything.”

Casey said now that the fires are contained, the main thought on he and his wife’s minds is gratitude for the brave people who saved their home.