Frantic dad makes phone call while fire rages around him

Summary: Two young girls were tragically burned to death in an explosion and fire. The girls had been sitting in a break room waiting for their dad to finish working.

The incident: Dylan Danielson was anxious to complete his job duties as a custodian at the Horizon Biofuels facility in Fremont, NE, because his two daughters, Fayeah and Hayven, were waiting in the break room so he could take them to the doctor.

Suddenly, Danielson heard an explosion and saw the building starting to burn. He pulled out his cellphone and called his former wife, Brittney Short, to tell her that a fire was raging around him and to ask her to send someone to rescue the girls. While Danielson was still on the phone, there was a second explosion.

The phone went dead.

The response: In total, three explosions inside the plant rocked the neighborhood, prompting emergency responders to race to the facility. But they couldn’t enter the building because the fire was still burning and the structure was too unstable.

About 24 hours after the explosions, responders found the remains of Danielson and his two daughters.

The aftermath: Officials said the incident was caused by the ignition of fugitive wood dust in a shaft.

The local community was devastated by the loss of Danielson, 32, Fayeah, 8, and Hayven, 12.

“Hayven will always be a beautiful, goofy, caring and bright ray of sunshine who gained her angel wings too soon,” read a GoFundMe page started for her mom.

“Fayeah was the most loving, energetic little girl you would ever meet,” said her aunt, Brittany Swires. “She didn’t deserve to have her time cut short. Neither did Hayven. They were amazing girls with a bright future.”

(From the September 15, 2025, issue of Safety Alert for Supervisors. To start your no-obligation trial subscription to the publication right now, please click here.)