A recent fire in western Nebraska brought a community together to help fight the blaze.

On Tuesday, a grass fire spread rapidly on the southwest side of Lake McConaughy.

Not only did over 10 different volunteer fire departments help contain the fire, but the entire small-town of Van's Lakeview community in Brule worked together.

Lakeview community member Rob Stevens said he was a Pine Bluffs Volunteer Firefighter for 30 years. Stevens said everyone who lives there full-time helped by turning all sprinklers on, hosing trees and other objects down, and putting out embers that traveled near the town.

“It was a combined effort, and everybody did an excellent job,” Stevens said. “I think that’s what saved the whole neighborhood.”

Stevens said although everybody helped out, if it weren’t for the fire departments, they would be looking at a worst-case scenario situation.

“The fire departments are the heroes of this,” Stevens said. “Worst-case scenario would have been that everything here you’re looking at would have burnt to the ground.”

Stevens said he had never seen a fire running so fast.

“I was terrified for a while, the smoke got so thick that you couldn’t see from trailer to trailer," Stevens said.

The fire departments involved included Ogallala, Brule, Big Springs, Arthur, Paxton, Keystone - Lemoyne, Oshkosh, Grant, Hi-Line Coop, Keith County Graders, Casey and the Hilti Constructions, Ogallala airport, and Midwest Electric.

Big Spring Fire and Rescue posted on Facebook they used an aircraft from the Ogallala Airport that picked up 450 gallons of water to put out the fire.

Hooks Lake Bar and Grill also posted its appreciation on social media and is offering a free meal and a cold beer for all firefighters who assisted with the fire on Sunday, July 17th from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. There will also be a donation for the fire departments.