And not from a chimney fire... I was down in the cities most of the week for work. I got back yesterday around noon. Jen and I were laying down for a nap when suddenly the dogs were up and barking like mad and I smelled smoke really strong. I Checked the stove and it was fine. I looked out the window and couldn't see our neighbors house the smoke was so thick. I ran out side and could see flames in the trees to the northeast, directly up wind of us. I yelled at jen to get the dogs and the bug out gear into the Subaru and get ready to leave. Fortunately, we had previously planned what we needed to take and it was all kept in a very specific place. I got the sprinkler up on the roof to wet it down and called my neighbor who has a dozer, unfortunately he was in the middle of track work and was not available to freshen up our fire breaks. About this time the local departments start rolling in. The township parked a 1600 gallon foam rig in my drive way, foamed my roof and surrounding yard. They eyed my wood pile but I talked them out of it, reasoning that if the pile goes the house is already gone. About this time two heli-buckets showed up. There is a top soil harvest site just south of us and fortunately their ponds had thawed. The lakes are all frozen yet. The pro crew from the forest service showed up and set a back burn directly in front of the fire and were talking about back burning my fire trail on the south flank in case it came through the woods. They ended up dropping retardant instead. The IC told the township to cut back some dead trees that were near the neighbors house. None of their saws would start. Not even a cough. I ended up loaning out my 395, 576, 455 and 10-10. I gave them my 5 gallon can of mix and asked them to use that first. The situation was pretty hairy for over an hour. About this time the fire seemed like it was dying down, the winds decreased and shifted. In the end, the fire stopped about 150 yds from our house. Way too close. Some how one of the township guys managed to straight gas my 395. It's fooked. All four chains are destroyed. We lost about 6 chick's in the brooder. I think they got too cold. I had damped the stove and cut the power on the way out the door, so in the event of a fire there would be one less hazard to worry about. All in all, 6 chicks, $100 in chains and a $600 power head is a small price to pay for saving my house. I appreciate everyone that came running when we were in trouble. I made sure to thank them personally and had donuts & coffee waiting at the ICC this morning when they showed up for mop up. Going forward: I plan to widen my fire trails a bit and get a brush mower so I can keep them trimmed. Dry grass was the biggest hazard with this fire. The wood pile will be moved further from the house. Now that we have the four wheeler, hauling a hundred yards to the house is no big deal. When we add on to the house, it will have steel roof. I need to tear into my 395 and see if it is salvagable...
Scary stuff dan!! Good no one was hurt. http://www.grandforksherald.com/new...ep-crews-busy-northern-minnesota-north-dakota
Holy smokes! Glad to hear you got through relatively unscathed. Waiting for pictures from you autopsy of the 395. That sucks.
Wow, glad you only ended up with a dead saw, dull chains, and down 6 chicks. You had a plan, and your quick thinking and preparedness saved a lot more than you lost. So it was a brush fire that went out of control?
Glad to hear no one was hurt, and your house was safe! As a fire chief, you would have a new saw and some new chains for equipping them to do the job.
That's the kind of excitement no one needs!! Glad you got out relatively unscathed considering what could have been.
Looks as tho you and the FD/Forest Service make a good team redneckdan ... you all got it out... in time... great job... great story... great outcome...
YIKES! I live up against 2000 acres of dry reeds and woods... I've often thought of the nightmare a brush/forest fire would be in there.... YIKES!! Glad you made out ok! Nice work! Quick thinking and quick moves is always what's needed in these situations....
If those were Marines who were going into Combat with improperly maintained rifles, they would have been court-martialed. Township should reimburse you for gas, chains and saw... They should also publicly commend you for your assistance.. They didn't save your house. YOU DID!!!! Glad to hear that you made it through okay.. Interesting article about a fire several years ago that I read while studying Forestry. http://www.fireleadership.gov/toolb...12/lsr12_AmericanForests_Article_July1981.pdf
Holy crap! Likes others asked, what was the cause of the fire? Yeah seriously less than a grand in losses to save your house is a drop in the bucket. Hope you at least get some more firewood out of it
Aren't dogs wonderful? Yours have earned their retirement! Mine saved my property once. They surely don't like fire, and know it's something to insist you pay attention to. The labor that goes into maintaining good firebreaks is significant, but well worth the effort, as your scenario proves. You had a pretty dramatic day. I'm so very glad you and your loved ones came through it without harm. I'm curious...how does that retardant impact the land, and your roof/home? How do you, or can you, clean that?
Wow! Glad everyone is ok! The day your chainsaw collection saved the neighborhood - that's one you'll never forget! An FHC legend for sure! And they all thought you were crazy!!!
