In recent weeks, Christmas letters from friends and relatives living in places like Colorado and California were filled with stories about the wildfires which caused much damage in those states in the past year.

After Thursday and Friday, area residents have their own stories to tell. The South Central Cattlemen's Association is collecting donations of feed, fencing supplies and money to help those affected by the fire.

The biggest of the fires occurred Thursday afternoon when winds gusting near 60 miles per hour fanned embers in a pit about XX miles north of Guide Rock which earlier had been...