I was 45 minutes away from home (feeling glum because I had left the hike), when a neighbor called. She asked “does someone have a key to your house? There is a fire and we need to turn on your sprinklers.” The person with a key was not nearby. When I reached the intersection near my home, all I could see were flames and smoke. I thought, “they couldn’t save my house.” I rolled down my car window and asked the fire fighters near the road if they saved the house in the back. The said “yes” and the feeling of relief is something I can’t even put into words. The Fire Department told me that my neighbors' quick actions saved my home. They were using all of my hoses. So did the Fire Department. The fire came within about 12 feet on one side of the house. I guess there was a reason for me to leave the hike. As I continued to help hose down, one of the fire fighters said “you're hired.”
Fire fighters using two of my hoses to water down hot spots behind my home.
A neighbor using my hose to water the lawn on the side of my home.
The Forest Service creating a fire lane on my vacant lot next door to my home.
Small fires burning behind my home, behind the fire line, as the Fire Department stands ready if needed.
Fire fighter in my backyard.
When my elderly neighbor passed away a few years ago I “inherited her Virgin Mary and Jesus,” because my granddaughter loved to visit her and her statues. There is still smoke coming from the leaves/under brush. I think she was looking out for me this day.
You can see how close to my home the lawn burned. I had new mulch put down while I was on the hike. It caught fire in several areas. Thanks to my neighbor, the fire didn’t reach the mulch next to my home.
I was too anxious to ask his name, or snap the photo, so the firefighter took this selfie.
As daylight faded, and the fire department left, I could see the small blazes from my yard.
In the dark, it looked even more ominous.