Fire

Texas has 254 counties. 250 have burn bans in effect. We are included.

On my way home from work, I noticed that a dark black roiling cloud of smoke was in front of me. I immediately called the sheriff's dispatcher and reported it. She said that it had been called in. As the road angled, the smoke was on my right...on the road parallel to the one I was traveling on. The other road...was the north end of MY road!

When I got home, I ran into the house and told Sam. This was due west of us.
My niece drove by (on the road that I travel on the way to work and back home) and took this photo. The forest service helicopter was picking up water from a nearby pond. Someone timed them...a turn around was only four minutes...the close proximity of ponds and as it got later in the day the wind abated...both were instrumental in our all volunteer fire departments controlling and extinguishing this fire.

Yep. My niece was rubbernecking. Had no business in the area. There was more traffic on this road in that short time than there is in a week!

A neighbor to the east of us was at her son's place to the west of us...that kept a much closer watch.
The only loss of buildings was the barn where the fire started. Thank God! We were told that the fire came within a few feet of that person's home. He was extremely lucky.

We are still waiting on word about why the fire started...and how many acres of timber were burned,

While the smoke was roiling...I had an evacuation plan. I called the dispatcher and verified my number and asked her to please call me if the fire got really out of hand and we needed to evacuate.

First...call the neighbors in the trailer immediate to our east...she was laid up with shingles...bless her heart.
Then...I scoped out my quilts, guns (Hey! Remember I'm in rural east Texas...it's okay here), and photo albums. And then we kept a close watch on the smoke.

Up the hill closer to the fire, neighbors and friends were gathered where they were told to wait with tractors outfitted with plows, discs, and blades to help the forest service cut a firebreak to keep the homes from succumbing. Sam had his mower attached to his tractor and didn't go change it out. The forest service and fire departments did their job.

We drove down the road this morning...the fire was far enough off the road, that we could see no damage. The house and barn where the fire started are isolated and cannot be seen from the road. Only 3 or 4 homes were evacuated.

I've rambled enough. All is safe.