Valentine fire puts spotlight on heat dangers

The news story sounded familiar.

A fire roars out of a canyon, destroying 10 homes and forcing 200 people -- including everyone in a hospital -- to be evacuated.

Firefighters struggle to contain the blaze, and airplanes were called in to make slurry drops.

"We've have trees crowning, exploding, fire tornadoes, real thick smoke, can't see, or breathe, and extreme heat," a firefighter said.

But this time, the story wasn't coming from the California foothills, but from right here in Nebraska.

The fire broke out in a canyon about a half-mile north of Valentine on Sunday afternoon, raging through a canyon and igniting some houses on the north edge of town, burning through a city park as well.

More than two dozen fire departments from South Dakota and Nebraska helped fight the fire.

We've known it's been hot -- you may have noticed the Gazette's "Century Watch" on the front page, listing the days above 100 degrees for the year, which today stands at 11.

But the Valentine fire should bring the danger into focus.

McCook had a record 110 degrees Sunday, following "only" 106 Saturday and 103 Friday. Scottsbluff, Alliance and Sidney also broke records over the weekend, and Chadron, with 112 degrees, broke the previous all-time record of 110 set on July 12, 1954.

That's hot.

But imagine how hot you would feel, climbing into bunker gear and heading toward a fire. In Valentine, four firefighters suffered minor injuries, including two with heat exhaustion.

Local firefighters were called out at least twice over the weekend as well.

We're grateful that these brave, dedicated men and women, many of them volunteers, are willing to respond to fire calls when the temperatures are in the triple digits, but let's do our best to make sure they have to do it as little as possible.

For those of us who are able to burn trash, let's forget about it for a while, and find another means of disposing of our refuse. When driving in the country, make sure to avoid tall weeds, which are tinder-dry and can easily ignite from the heat of an exhaust system.

Make sure your household electrical system is in good working order, and avoid using extension cords on overworked air conditioners.

And, make sure you and your animals drink plenty of water, and if you have to work outside, take frequent breaks.