KAJ
Well-known member
This past Friday morning, there was a fire in the woods behind our house. About 6:00 A.M, a next door neighbor rang our doorbell and told us there was a fire behind our house. The kids were off from school that day so we were getting ready to leave for a previously delayed trip to Disney World.
I went outside in our backyard and found her brother in-law soaking the back of our 4 ½ ft. wooden fence and part of his backyard. The fire was discovered after their dog barked to go outside. No telling how bad the fire would have gotten if it had gone undetected. The county brought in two fire trucks, one of which was completely blocking our driveway. However, that was an extremely small price to pay to keep our house. The fire burned about 1/2 acre of woods and took at least 30 minutes to put out. The fire department left about 8:00 A.M. We then left for our trip.
Our neighbor told us the fire department returned about an hour later and stayed until about 2:00 P.M. They went through the area again and thoroughly soaked it down. Before we left, one of the firemen told me that my neighbor probably kept our fence from catching fire by soaking it down and the area around it. He also told me that if wind had been blowing, things could have really been bad. I was then told by another fireman that they have put out several of these fires in the past few weeks.
After we returned home earlier this afternoon, my wife and I walked through the burned area. The fire got as close as about 15 to 20 yards from our fence. That may not seem close but it was too close for us.
The cause of the fire is up for speculation. Friday I was told by our kids that in the past, they have seen signs of a camp fire. I knew that some kids in the area built forts in the woods but I never had problem with it so I did not bother them. There is also a possibility it caused by careless relative of a neighbor flicking a cigarette butt but nothing can be proved. (The neighbor made this speculation). Lighting has been ruled out as cause because of no storms in the area for more than a couple of weeks.
Because the woods are actually a preservation area in the middle of three different neighborhoods, we cannot cut down any trees. However, I have been told I can rake up brush and pick up dead wood. Within the next two or three weeks, I will be cleaning up about 15 feet behind our fence. We have lived in our house for almost 11 years, and this is the first time this has happened. We are all very thankful the situation was not worse.
Karl
I went outside in our backyard and found her brother in-law soaking the back of our 4 ½ ft. wooden fence and part of his backyard. The fire was discovered after their dog barked to go outside. No telling how bad the fire would have gotten if it had gone undetected. The county brought in two fire trucks, one of which was completely blocking our driveway. However, that was an extremely small price to pay to keep our house. The fire burned about 1/2 acre of woods and took at least 30 minutes to put out. The fire department left about 8:00 A.M. We then left for our trip.
Our neighbor told us the fire department returned about an hour later and stayed until about 2:00 P.M. They went through the area again and thoroughly soaked it down. Before we left, one of the firemen told me that my neighbor probably kept our fence from catching fire by soaking it down and the area around it. He also told me that if wind had been blowing, things could have really been bad. I was then told by another fireman that they have put out several of these fires in the past few weeks.
After we returned home earlier this afternoon, my wife and I walked through the burned area. The fire got as close as about 15 to 20 yards from our fence. That may not seem close but it was too close for us.
The cause of the fire is up for speculation. Friday I was told by our kids that in the past, they have seen signs of a camp fire. I knew that some kids in the area built forts in the woods but I never had problem with it so I did not bother them. There is also a possibility it caused by careless relative of a neighbor flicking a cigarette butt but nothing can be proved. (The neighbor made this speculation). Lighting has been ruled out as cause because of no storms in the area for more than a couple of weeks.
Because the woods are actually a preservation area in the middle of three different neighborhoods, we cannot cut down any trees. However, I have been told I can rake up brush and pick up dead wood. Within the next two or three weeks, I will be cleaning up about 15 feet behind our fence. We have lived in our house for almost 11 years, and this is the first time this has happened. We are all very thankful the situation was not worse.
Karl
