Omaha barn fire leaves woman critically injured and kills family’s animals
By Pete Cuddihy
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DOUGLAS COUNTY, Neb. (KETV) — An Omaha family mourns dozens of animals lost in a barn fire — despite one woman’s attempt to save them.
Dawn Menard was critically hurt in that fire last Thursday.
The Menard family says the barn was their second home. It was a place where their daughters spent most of their time, raising horses and goats.
“It was just a place for them to be able to enjoy growing up and be with their horses,” said Todd Menard.
That was until an accidental fire broke out Thursday afternoon.
“As soon as we got to the highway, you could see heavy black smoke from a mile away,” said Ponca Hills fire Chief Jason Tomich.
Dawn Menard was the first to see the flames. Her first instinct was to try and save the animals stuck inside. In the process, she suffered burns on her hands, back, and face.
“It’s very painful. Very frustrating. I can’t do anything for myself, hardly,” Dawn Menard said.
Along with the barn, the Menards lost two horses in the fire. One of the animals, named Otis, belonged to their daughter Kayleigh. She grew up with him and competed with him in horse shows.
“He was my baby. He was my first horse that I owned. And I loved him,” said Kayleigh Menard.
Also in the barn that night were family cats and the 17 goats their daughter, Michaela, took care of.
“Everything that I had went into the goats. They meant a lot to me. A lot of them were born on the property, the ones that we lost,” said Michaela Menard.
Now the parents, who’ve done everything to support their children’s dreams, are dealing with the pain of seeing them disappear in the blink of an eye.
“It’s hard to see something that you put so much work into just gone,” said Todd Menard.
“The heartbreak that they’re going through, losing their best friend — it’s excruciating for their parents to watch,” said Dawn Menard.
The only way they can get through the loss is together.
“A shoulder to cry on. We understand each other’s pain. So it helps when you have somebody that understands it,” said Todd Menard.
They are remembering the joy their animals and their barn brought their family. While neither the space nor the animals can be replaced, the Menards plan on building a new barn in the future.
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