Bucyrus Heavily Damaged By Fire | Video

Alexander Gorney | 10/18/2012

The fire started a couple of miles west of Bucyrus at around 3:00 yesterday afternoon and firefighters would take on the flames until this morning. Firefighters worked all night in an effort to contain an estimated three to four thousand acre wildfire. When dawn approached, the sight was devastating.

"It`s terrible. It`s terrible. Just plump terrible. It shouldn`t have happened but it did," said Mayor Jim Schaf.

This is what the town looked in the morning as evacuees returned. Smoke was still rising. Some flames were still burning and 24 structures including four homes were destroyed.

"I was pretty sick when I drove by and saw all these homes burning. I was out on the highway when I drove by at that time. Not a very good feeling. Worse this morning when the sun comes up," said Hettinger Fire Chief Mark Faller.

As the fire broke out Wednesday afternoon, Highway 12 was closed to everyone but firefighters. Residents were also told to evacuate.

"We didn`t know if it was going to be coming to Bucyrus or not. Adams County Sherrifs come by and told us we need to get going. We need everyone to get out," Schaf said.

For firefighters, it was a battle involving more than just the flames.

"Seventy mile per hour winds probably, pretty tough to do anything with it when it`s that windy. Travels pretty fast. I hope I never see another one like this," Faller said.

Around 20 volunteers were helping firefighters control the blaze using their farming vehicles.

"I would assume if we didn`t have all the tractors and disks and dozers on the head of that fire, it would have grown quite a bit larger. It helped save some homes," Faller said.

As residents of this close knit community came back to see the rubble of some of their neighbor`s homes, they imagined that without the firefighters it could have been worse.

"I praise the fire department. They did one heck of a job so it`s just, I commend them," Schaf said.

As for now, the residents will reflect.

Most of the 25 or so residents have made their way back to town to see what`s left of this close-knit community.

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