 BROOK CURTISS/THE PLAINVIEW NEWS The Brunswick Fire Department was called to bring tanker trucks to assist with a massive fire in downtown Plainview. The fire at Plainview Farm & Home was first reported around 6:15 p.m. Departments from Pierce, Norfolk and Osmond were called earlier for mutual aid.  Mearl DePeel stands outside what's left of his two-story home the day after it was destroyed by fire. The windchill was -37 the morning of the fire.  Mearl DePeel points to where the fire started at his home in Brunswick. With a -37 degree wind chill, a 90-year-old Brunswick man escaped a house fire last Wednesday morning wearing “nothing but my birthday suit.” Mearl DePeel was sound asleep when he was startled awake by the smell of smoke around 2:45 a.m. He leaped from bed and instantly saw flames coming from an adjoining exercise and storage room, which was on the west end of the house. DePeel, who was a firefighter for 25 years, knew when he reached for the door handle, he couldn’t get out that way. “It burned my hand,” DePeel said as he turned his hands over so the palms faced up. “They feel like they’re burning today because I froze them out there. I froze my hands and my feet last night.” Somehow DePeel managed to reach a phone near his kitchen to call 911. Despite being naked, DePeel, who will turn 91 on Valentine’s Day, then escaped outside without any clothes on. It wasn’t but a few seconds in the nearly 40-below zero wind chill that DePeel realized he should have grabbed something to wear, so with a cloth over his face, he ran back through the entire house to grab his robe as flames matched him step for step. “There were flames all around me, and the house was so full of smoke by that time, I almost was on my hands and knees and was getting so sick,” DePeel said matter of factly. “I know every corner of that house. I can find my way in the dark without any trouble.” Barefoot and wrapped in only his robe, DePeel stood on his metal deck and watched flames engulf his two-story home of 60-plus years. Although “it felt like an hour and a half,” firefighters were on scene in about five minutes and immediately carried DePeel to one of the firetrucks. DePeel said it wasn’t sadness or fear going through his mind at the time. He was simply trying to survive. “When you’re standing out there in the nude in 37-below weather, you don’t think about much of anything other than finding something to cover up,” he said.  The two-story house, which was one of the first three built in Brunswick, was ruled a total loss. While DePeel was trying to get out of the fire, his daughter, Willetta Lindsay of Oakdale, was praying her father was safe. Lindsay was working at the Antelope County Sheriff’s Office when DePeel called 911. She was standing behind the emergency responder who answered her father’s emergency call.
“I didn’t know he was all right for 30 minutes (after the call),” Lindsay said while shaking her head. “I heard his voice say, ‘My house is on fire at 306 Tracy St.,’ and then he hung up. I had no idea.” “That’s because of the flames,” DePeel interrupted. “The flames were melting the west door while I was on the phone, so I dropped the phone. I figured they’d find it.” It’s been a rough couple of months for DePeel. He just lost his wife, Delores, of 70 years in November. While looking through the house just two days before the fire, DePeel said they had just discovered his wife’s wedding book, graduation invitation and other keepsakes. “We just put it all in one big bag and put it in the buffet on Monday,” he said. “Now it’s all gone up in flames. We lost everything.” Built around 1890, DePeel said his house was one of the first three constructed in Brunswick. Between the fire and water, nothing in the house is salvageable. Daughter Ardith Carr of Elgin said firefighters emptied the entire Brunswick water tower while fighting the fire. The street in front of the DePeel house had several inches of ice on it the following day. Trees and bushes in the yard were drooping due to the thick ice hanging from them. “It’s a total loss. There’s nothing left,” said DePeel, who also lost his hearing aids and teeth in the fire. An account has been set up at Brunswick State Bank for those who would like to make a donation. Please mark it Mearl DePeel Donations. Firefighters from Brunswick and Plainview spent hours at the fire on Wednesday. Brunswick firefighters were on scene for more than 12 hours.  A 90-year-old Brunswick man escaped a household fire early Wednesday morning. Mearl DePeel lost his home from what is believed to be an electrical fire. An official cause has not been released at this time. The fire is considered a total loss. DePeel is in need of clothes — pants with a 42” waist, XL sweatpants, 8-8/12 mens shoes. DePeel also loves to read and would appreciate books with large print. An account has been set up at Brunswick State Bank for those who would like to make a monetary donation. Please mark it Mearl DePeel Donations. Firefighters from Brunswick and Plainview spent hours at the fire on Wednesday. Brunswick firefighters were on scene for more than 12 hours.  The Brunswick Fire Department will be hosting a pancake feed on Sunday, Jan. 13.
The event will go from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Brunswick City Auditorium and is a free will donation.  A massive fire broke out in an outbuilding north of the 14-20 junction on Monday afternoon. Firefighters from Orchard and Creighton assisted the Brunswick fire department at scene, located at 521st Avenue and 868 Road. The building, which was owned by Marvin Young, was considered a total loss.  One driver was transported to the hospital following a two-vehicle accident in northeast Antelope County on Tuesday evening. The car-pickup accident occurred at the intersection of Highways 13 and 20 at about 5:20 p.m. A 2011 Ford Taurus, driven by Lindsay Lafleur, 30, of Madison was heading south on Hwy. 13, and then attempted to make a left turn onto Hwy. 20 when her vehicle struck a westbound pickup. The 2012 GMC Sierra 2500 pickup, driven by Leland Stelling, 85, of Orchard, was registered to Helena Chemical. There were no passengers in either vehicle. According to police reports, Lafleur failed to yield to the pickup and struck the vehicle as it traveled down Hwy. 20. The airbag in her car deployed upon impact. She was transported to the Plainview hospital by a private vehicle with possible injuries. Both vehicles were towed from the scene and numerous departments responded to clean up the accident debris. Responding to the call were fire departments from Plainview, Brunswick and Orchard, as well as the Plainview Police Department, Nebraska State Patrol and Antelope County Sheriff's Department.  A two-vehicle accident occurred early Tuesday evening in northeast Antelope County.
The accident occurred at the intersection of Highways 13 and 20 at about 5:20 p.m. According to Antelope County Deputy John Shaver, one person was transported from the scene. Responding to the call were fire departments from Plainview, Brunswick and Orchard, as well as the Plainview Police Department, Nebraska State Patrol and Antelope County Sheriff's Department. No other information is available at this time. The story will be updated as more details are released.  Helena Agri-Enterprises, LLC at the Brunswick location announce a Plainview senior as the recipient of the Helena Homegrown Scholarship. Matt Hoffmann was awarded a $1,000 scholarship dedicated by Evan Aschoff of Plainview.
Helena is committed to supporting the next generation of agriculture though the Helena Homegrown Scholarship. The company thanks its local customers and communities as it works to grow more than crops. Through the Homegrown Scholarship and its industry-leading intern program, Helena is committed to growing the future generation of ag leaders and professionals. Company officials said thanked Evan Aschoff for his commitment to Helena and his support in growing the next generation of ag professionals in our community.  Courtesy Photo A semi rolled onto its side Friday morning along Highway 14 in northern Antelope County.
Witnesses said the accident occurred near 862nd Road and Highway 14, or about 1 mile from the Brunswick corner. No information on the condition of the driver is available at this time. This story will be updated when more information becomes available.   Fire Prevention Week runs through Oct. 14, and Antelope County is proud to honor the volunteers with the Brunswick Fire Department. Thank you for your dedication.
Members are: Craig Forbes, Ed Wahrer, Matt Meuret, Jeff Macke, Pat Meuret, Loring North, Joe Rumsey, John Meuret, Mark Carpenter, Chris Vankirk, Jerry North, Todd Buck., |
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