From The Corner Of My Mind

* I started receiving calls from W-daughter #2 shortly after noon yesterday about the fire that was near her house. Of course I was working and couldn't immediately leave to go to her. I felt helpless. But as luck would have it, I got to leave early and headed to Bridgeport from around the Saginaw area. As I got out on 287 I could see that the fire was big, and with lots of black smoke. From serving on the fire department I knew that the black smoke meant it was something other than grass burning. It was the end of the month so I had to stop by the office and turn in some paperwork, then I made my way out to her house. As I turned onto Wilson Prairie cemetery road off of 920 I could see that the fire was very close to her house. I got to her house and saw that the fire was south/south east of her home. The smoke trail was missing her house though so I was hoping that it would at the very least just go behind her house and not get into the field immediately adjacent her house. She jumped in the truck with me and we made our way over to the Wilson Prairie cemetery to see just how close it was, as the cemetery is about a half a mile from her house as the crow flies. When we arrived, the fire had not yet jumped WPC road but was coming fast toward a very new looking white house and white barn. About that time a Game Warden showed up with lights and sirens and told us we needed to leave, but we couldn't go back the way we came. I told him that we had horses in the pasture behind us, but he told us to leave. So we made our way across to 2123 and circled back around to the cemetery where there was a crowd watching the fire from there. When we got back, the fire that we were watching just minutes earlier had already jumped WPC road and the head was moving fast towards the pasture that her horses were in. My daughter then broke into tears. I wanted so bad to jump onto the back of one of the many trucks that came by us and help fight the fire. I guess it's true "Once a fireman, always a fireman." We couldn't do anything but pray and watch as many firefighters from numerous departments attacked the head, along with a helicopter and two airplanes loaded with fire retardant. The helicopter was attacking the head and flanks as fast as he could load water and go. The white house and barn that we saw before were completely engulfed in fire and smoke making it impossible to see either. After what seemed like 20-30 minutes, the fire trucks started coming out of the trees and pasture from the direction of the head of the fire and it looked like they had the head contained or slowed down. They then filled back up with water and about 10 brush trucks, and the chopper started towards the west flank that had then broke out again and was moving north/north west. All of this was taking place just in front of us at about a distance of less than a half a mile. The firefighters and chopper got the flank knocked down and it looked like by 6pm they had it, at the very least, contained and in control. From our position it looked like the horse pasture had been missed, but they wouldn't let us down there yet to check and make sure. After watching for another 10 minutes or so, as the smoke cleared to the east we could make out that the white house and barn were still standing. We couldn't see if they had any damage, but they were still there. W-daughter and her boyfriend later checked to make sure the horses were safe. The pictures above show just how close it came behind her house. I would say that it came within a couple of hundred yards just east of her home.
I can't tell you how much we appreciate our Firefighters, and support crews that assisted with this fire. I was on the fire department many years and although it was always nice to receive accolades, I never asked, nor expected it and neither do these guys. Today I feel it is my responsibility to make sure that this group of firefighters, pilots, forest service workers, and law enforcement personnel that worked so diligently to attack this fire get the rewards they deserve. Thank you so much for taking the time to be on call. Thank you for leaving your family and jobs to respond. Thank you for leaving your families, your family dinners, Thanksgivings and Christmas to respond. Thank you for working so hard in this heat to keep us safe.Thank you for risking your life to fight these fires. I will be making a donation soon and I'm asking my readers to please do so. I read on Facebook yesterday that our fire departments are running low on funds from fighting the many fires this year. It has taken a toll on equipment and manpower, and the funds need to be replenished.  If you see a firefighter today, buy their lunch and make sure and thank them for what they do.

EDIT: Horses were safe and sound.