I've been going back and forth from our new house to our old house - about a 30 minute drive on back roads - to get the old house on the market this spring. Yesterday, I was planning to do some yard work at the old house but on my way I saw fire trucks heading down a nearby road. When I got to the house, the air was thick with smoke and there were ashes falling like snowflakes. I figured it was a good time to make a run to the neighborhood Home Depot for some grass seed etc. thinking when I got back the fire would be out and I could get to work.
NOT!
When I got back, about 40 minutes later, there were firetrucks parked in front of my neighbor's house and crews heading off into the woods beyond his property line. Within a matter of minutes I could see flames 30-40 feet high in the woods. Then I was giving permission for firetrucks driving across my lawn to get to the woods....and one big tanker truck from Norwich got stuck in mud once it passed into my neighbor's yard. They had to have a wrecker come and winch it out afterwards.
The fire crews finally got the flames under control but not before they had reached the stone wall on my neighbor's property line....about 250 feet from my house
My neighbor is not the best at keeping a neat yard and his house is literally surrounded with thickets. If the fire had reached his yard, his house might easily have been lost - and my house is only about 80 feet downwind from his. Pretty scary day!
The fire started on the other side of one road,...something to do with power lines there but it's not clear what. The firemen were saying that a power line fell - but the CT Light and Power guys were saying there were no wires down. The newspaper quoted a fireman who said a witness had seen a bird fly into a power line and then "explode" but the official cause of the fire has not been reported yet. It burned about 10 acres all told.
Luckily nobody was hurt and no buildings were damaged - but it came too damn close for comfort. I was surprised - unlike some western states, we don't typically have a big problem with brush fires...especially not in "mud season"
NOT!
When I got back, about 40 minutes later, there were firetrucks parked in front of my neighbor's house and crews heading off into the woods beyond his property line. Within a matter of minutes I could see flames 30-40 feet high in the woods. Then I was giving permission for firetrucks driving across my lawn to get to the woods....and one big tanker truck from Norwich got stuck in mud once it passed into my neighbor's yard. They had to have a wrecker come and winch it out afterwards.
The fire crews finally got the flames under control but not before they had reached the stone wall on my neighbor's property line....about 250 feet from my house
My neighbor is not the best at keeping a neat yard and his house is literally surrounded with thickets. If the fire had reached his yard, his house might easily have been lost - and my house is only about 80 feet downwind from his. Pretty scary day!
The fire started on the other side of one road,...something to do with power lines there but it's not clear what. The firemen were saying that a power line fell - but the CT Light and Power guys were saying there were no wires down. The newspaper quoted a fireman who said a witness had seen a bird fly into a power line and then "explode" but the official cause of the fire has not been reported yet. It burned about 10 acres all told.
Luckily nobody was hurt and no buildings were damaged - but it came too damn close for comfort. I was surprised - unlike some western states, we don't typically have a big problem with brush fires...especially not in "mud season"
