GERING, Neb. — During the Carter Canyon fire, which grew to burn over 15,500 acres, three houses were destroyed.

One of those houses was occupied by David and Carolyne Ewing. They are both 72-years-old and lived in their ranch house for 20 years, their son Josh Ewing said Carolyn evacuated immediately and David stayed to try to wet down the house and cut lines in the fences for the cattle to run away.

Josh said they have not found all the cattle, but they are confident they all survived.

Josh said the ranch had been in the family for five generations and his great great grandfather homesteaded in the Carter Canyon.

“A lot of family history and hard work and memories,” Josh said. “Not all of that is lost in the fire but certainly a physical element is.”

Josh said along with the ranch house, a three-car garage, wood shop, sheds, and everything inside them burnt as well.

“Orchards with trees that had been there for 60 to 70 years are all ashes,” Josh said.

Josh said his dad’s greenhouse is possibly the biggest loss for him because there were uniquely colored geraniums, he kept alive that his grandfather had bred.

“The last of them went up in fire,” Josh said.

Josh said his mother is an amazing cook and Central American food is a big part of their family.

“The biggest loss for our family, and this is going to sound silly, is all of my mother’s handwritten recipes,” Josh said.

The Ewing family has found quite a bit of light through all of the loss. 

Josh said a week before the fire, a kitten showed up in the garage and had been staying there.

“The garage literally burnt to the ground, so everybody had thought the kitten had died,” Josh said. “When my parents finally got to go back to the ranch, they heard a loud meowing, and underneath a part of roof that had fallen there was a cinderblock with a little kitten, so they rescued the kitten and named it Smokey.”

Josh said the Carter Canyon Ranch was definitely his home and although it will be missed the Ewings have a lot to be thankful for.

“We express so much gratitude to the firefighters who worked the fire, and the neighborhood who cut the fences, and the whole community who is being generous. That really lifts our spirits,” Josh said.

Josh said his family started a Go-Fund-Me for his parents because they were poorly insured.

“It’s their dream to live on the ranch and not in town,” Josh said. “We want to help them rebuild.”