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Crews from Nehawka had to wait for mutual aid to fight a fire at their own fire station.
Several firefighters from neighboring cities came to help with the fire around 8:30p.m.
"My whole department -- about 15 people -- we stood and watched and waited," said Nehawka fire chief Sean Huckleberry. "You never know how someone feels when they're waiting on you to get there -- 'til you wait on someone else to get there."
The rescue squad was totaled. The front of it had melted. The shell of machinery shed fire house was in tact but the inside sustained major damage.
Five fire trucks were inside the fire house. It's unclear if any of them can be salvaged.
"When you report to the fire and it's in your station," said Chief Huckleberry, "Everybody's equipment -- protective clothing is inside the station -- and there's nothing you can do but wait until someone else arrives."
From our vantage point, we saw firefighters from Plattsmouth, Murray, Union, Manley, Weeping Water and Avoca on the scene.
The chief wasn't sure how the equipment would be replaced. He said federal grants are getting harder to come by for small villages.
The last census gave Nehawka a population of 204.
Nehawka is a 45-minute drive south of the metro.
