An Update on the Fires — “It’s Truly Miraculous”
March 20, 2026 —
Over the past week, dangerous wildfires swept through the Nebraska Sandhills, threatening The Prairie Club and our neighboring communities.
Thanks to the tireless efforts of local firefighters and an unexpected snowfall, our property and nearby homes have been spared. We are incredibly grateful for this miraculous outcome.
Read / watch the full story from News Channel Nebraska here.
Starting on March 12, high winds and dry conditions fueled aggressive wildfires that moved rapidly through the canyon and toward our club. Evacuations were ordered as the flames approached the Pines Course and surrounding residential developments.
Throughout Thursday (3/12) and into the night, crews worked tirelessly to contain the raging wildfires, driving the service roads to protect homes and structures while coordinating with overhead aerial support to waterbomb active threats.
By Friday (3/13) morning, their heroic efforts were aided by an unexpected (not forecasted) inch of wet snow, allowing the hottest flames to subside. All day Friday, volunteer crews stood at the rim of the Snake River canyon, facing west, carefully monitoring and treating a dozen or more unpredictable spot fires that continued to burn through the canyon’s grasses and low cover.
At one point, 18 different fire departments had sent support to the south of our property, an amazing display of solidarity. While the fire claimed nearly 20,000 acres locally—and over 600,000 acres statewide — we are profoundly relieved to report that The Prairie Club suffered no substantial damage to our golf courses or primary structures.
While we are currently safe, our area remains under a Red Flag Warning, and our team continues to monitor smoldering debris in the canyon. Our hearts are heavy for the ranchers and communities across Nebraska who are facing devastating losses.
How You Can Help
The outpouring of care, prayers, and questions about how to support our community has been overwhelming. If you would like to help those most impacted, please consider supporting the heroes and ranchers who need it most right now:
Valentine Volunteer Fire Dept.
224 S Hall St.
Valentine, NE 69201
Action ➡️: Send or mail in checks directly to the department.
The primary source of support for us, our Valentine Volunteer Fire Department made up of our local community, spent that latter half of last week driving the service roads by our property, protecting the homes in the Pines Reserve, and coordinating waterbombing efforts with local aircraft to douse spot fires along the canyon.
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Valentine Rural Fire Protection District
224 S Hall St.
Valentine, NE 69201
Action ➡️: Send or mail in checks directly to the department.
Mostly responds to all requests made outside of Valentine city limits. Please be sure to denote “Volunteer” in your check so that the funds go directly to the department.
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Nebraska Cattlemen Disaster Relief Fund
4611 Cattle Drive
Lincoln, NE 68521-4309
Action ➡️: Mail checks and learn more at nebraskacattlemen.org/disaster-relief-fund
This is calving season for our ranchers. Many have lost thousands of acres of grazing pasture, they’ve lost head of cattle, loss of fence, and are hurting significantly. 100% of proceeds will support beef cattle producers who are being impacted by these fires.
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Nebraska Sandhills Rancher Fire Relief Fund
Action ➡️: Learn more on their website.
The purpose of this fund is to help victims of the wildfires in Nebraska and assist in disaster recovery, primarily in Garden, Morrill, Arthur, Keith and Grant counties.
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Thank you to everyone who has reached out, prayed, and supported us this past week. We look forward to welcoming you back to the Sandhills soon.