A beloved grandmother died while trying to escape the largest wildfire ever recorded in Nebraska.
The state is facing a devastating series of four wildfires that have scorched more than half a million acres, and officials warn that conditions could worsen.
Nebraska grandmother Rose White died while attempting to flee the state’s largest wildfire.
Governor Jim Pillen confirmed that White, 86, of Arthur in Arthur County, died while trying to escape the fast-moving blaze in Morrill.
“One Nebraskan has lost her life…I won’t go into the circumstances. It hurt a little bit, but the grandma was trying to get away,” Pillen said during a press briefing Saturday.
“I think it’s really important as our volunteers go and make awareness in the coming days if this wind gets out of control…when you run into someone that is a thick head like me, say ‘get the heck out of here.’”
He urged residents to prioritize their safety, emphasizing that homes and property can be rebuilt, but lives cannot.
In her obituary, White’s family described her as “the smile and heart behind the camera” and a “fearless grandma that fought snakes, healed scrapes, and dried tears with love and treats.”
“She may be gone, but her memory will live on through all of her friends and family.”
White is survived by her four sons, four granddaughters, two grandsons, her sister, and 12 great-grandchildren. Her funeral is scheduled for March 20 in Arthur.
Officials remain concerned that the fires could spread further if strong winds return, as forecast.
So far, more than 600,000 acres have burned across central and western Nebraska, marking the largest wildfire season in the state’s history. Four major fires are currently under observation.
The Morrill County Fire, which officials believe may have started from an electrical issue caused by strong winds, had burned more than 450,000 acres by Saturday morning.
Two additional fires continue burning in Cottonwood in Lincoln County and in the Nebraska National Forest south of Halsey and Dunning.
Authorities are investigating whether the forest fire may have been linked to a federally authorized controlled burn, a practice used to manage wildfire risk. Officials have now banned such burns in the region until at least March 27.
A fourth fire continues burning near Anderson Bridge, west of Valentine.
Large-scale evacuations have been ordered in the hardest-hit areas.
White remains the only reported fatality so far.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do to be able to bring this under control,” said Senator Pete Ricketts, as officials deploy all available resources and maintain a statewide emergency declaration.
“If we have a whole bunch of trucks come from Omaha and we don’t use them, thank God,” Pillen said.
“But we’re going to make sure we don’t wake up with any shoulda, coulda, woulda. We’re not sparing a penny.”
Meanwhile, 245 active wildfires covering about 547,000 acres are burning across the United States, including in California, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Florida.
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