Brady school members continue wildfire support as students return to class

Brady Public Schools was back in session Tuesday as firefighters continue work to contain the Cottonwood Fire south of town.

The Cottonwood Fire is one of four burning across the state that have burned more than 700,000 acres, making this the worst wildfire year in Nebraska history. The Morrill Fire in western Nebraska’s Morrill, Garden, Arthur and Keith counties is the largest at about 570,000 acres, with the Cottonwood Fire following at roughly 130,000 acres.

As of Tuesday morning, the Morrill Fire was 18% contained, and the Cottonwood Fire was 40% contained.

Brady Public Schools Superintendent Ann Foster said it’s good to connect with students again, especially those impacted by the fire.

“They're excited to see their teachers, their friends, their classmates, and to try to get a sense of normalcy reestablished,” Foster said.

The school had closed Friday to turn into a spot for evacuees to stay and have a warm meal.

“I made an all call to our families and to our staff, requesting donations for air mattresses, water, food,” Foster said. “We decided we'd make breakfast burritos, so items to make breakfast burritos, and then I started checking in with families.”

School staff ended up making about 500 breakfast burritos. While some families came by that first night, Foster said every single family ended up having someone take them in. The school eventually shut down as an evacuation center Friday afternoon, with the community center opening up instead.

Foster said school staff and students then focused their efforts on supporting the volunteer firefighters.

“They weren't sitting down for a meal, so we needed to be able to provide them something that was of substance and to grab-and-go,” Foster said. “We made over 1,000 sandwiches that we were able to donate to all of the volunteers, and all of the supplies that came in were from donations.”

Brady community members, businesses and people from neighboring communities brought in donations of water, food and toiletries throughout the weekend. Foster said it’s a testament to how kind Nebraskans are.

“It is so overwhelming in the very best possible way,” Foster said. “I'm just so grateful to be a part of this community and just to see the heart of everyone wanting to come together and support one another.”

Foster said there were so many donations that Brady was able to send some out to fire departments in Hershey, Sutherland, Wallace, Farnam and Hyannis.

Now, the community is seeking monetary donations as people look to rebuild.

“While no one thankfully lost their homes in the Brady area, we have several people who lost fencing and barns and garages and outbuildings,” Foster said. “Now will come a wave of needing to rebuild.”

Foster said there’s an account at Flatwater Bank to collect donations for families, and people can also donate money to the Brady Volunteer Fire Department.

There are also several statewide organizations working to help communities dealing with wildfire impacts, such as the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army and the United Way of Western Nebraska.