Lemoyne residents recount evacuation as Morrill Fire grows to more than 453,000 acres

LEMOYNE, Neb. — Residents near Lake McConaughy continue to monitor their homes after being forced to evacuate overnight as the massive Morrill Fire swept across parts of western Nebraska.

The wildfire, which began Thursday in Morrill County northeast of Bridgeport, has now burned 453,299.5 acres across Morrill, Garden, Arthur and Keith counties, according to updated perimeter data uploaded to the National Interagency Fire Center. One fatality in Arthur County has been reported.

Despite the fire’s rapid spread, officials said homes in the lakeside community of Lemoyne have not been damaged.

Dorine Foster of Lemoyne was among the residents forced to leave Thursday night after receiving an emergency evacuation alert on her phone.

“I was watching the hockey game, getting ready to go to bed, and there was an alert on my phone,” Foster said. “I thought first it was an Amber Alert, but it said ‘Evacuate Now.’ I’m so thankful that was there and available to me. I had time to put on my shoes, grab a couple things and out the door I went.”

Foster said firefighters also went door-to-door in Lemoyne warning residents about the approaching fire.

Many evacuees gathered at the Lake McConaughy Visitors Center, which was opened as a temporary shelter Thursday night.

Keith County Sheriff’s deputies visited the center regularly to keep residents updated on the fire’s progress, Foster said.

“The sheriff’s office came by every hour and updated us,” she said. “They had snacks and water there for us.”

Ogallala hotels also provided discounted rooms for residents displaced by the evacuation.

Foster said the fire itself was not visible from her home at first, but the glow became clear as she left the area.

“I didn’t see it from my house because I’m behind a bank,” Foster said. “As I get up to the railroad tracks, I could see the glow and it stretched for miles. It was frightening.”

“The wind was still blowing,” she added. “Fire is unpredictable. It looks like it’s almost right there where you could be overcome by it.”

Despite the danger, many residents returned home early Friday morning.

The Morrill Fire was first reported Thursday near County Road 11 and County Road 112 northeast of Bridgeport and north of Broadwater. Fueled by extremely dry conditions and wind gusts that exceeded 70 mph, the fire spread rapidly through Morrill and Garden counties and moved toward Keith and Arthur counties before firefighters were able to slow its advance.

Local, state and federal firefighting resources continue to work to contain the blaze, which remains active.

For Foster, the experience highlighted the efforts of firefighters and emergency responders working to protect communities around Lake McConaughy.

“We appreciate our firefighters and all the people who have made an effort to save us,” she said. “They have been wonderful.”