Fires out in the Country

Melissa Sandfort

I’ve lived on both sides of the street, so to speak. I’ve lived in town where my insurance agent loved it because the nearest fire station was only one mile away. That was good for homeowners insurance. I’ve also lived (and still do!) in a rural community where the closest fire department is only five miles away but you have to have a well for the truck to hook into for water, and their philosophy is to only save what they can of the structure or foundation.

Another big difference between the two is that when I was growing up, one of my weekly chores was to burn the trash. We’d collect it in the garage and it would always take me at least 15 minutes to get the fire lit. When mom asked what took so long, I’d tell her it was windy and the match wouldn’t spark. In truth, I was just striking a match just to watch it burn, literally. I missed that about living in the city where we couldn’t burn trash.

But back here on the farm, we burn boxes, plywood, wood scraps – you name it and if it melts, we burn it. It also helps that we’re friends with the fire chief!

Field fires can be very dangerous though if left untended and uncontrolled. Listen to my grandfather’s story about his experience with fighting an 80-acre fire with no fire truck in sight.
Listen to Grandpa explain

Until we walk again …

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