Time to eat some crow!

Furby · May 11, 2008, 01:11:40 AM

Several weeks back we were in a dry spell and folks were taking care of their leaves as usual by burning them.
My Mom decided to get some of the ones in the back yard burned the same day they issued warnings against burning.
There was a front coming through the next day that was going to be extremly windy with very low humidity along with the already dry weather.
So they issued a burn ban after several wild fires.

Their fire was allowed to go out as usual.
The next evening, my Mom returned home with the kids after running some errands and after being home for a bit, noticed smoke out by the dog house that is next to the burn area.
By the time they made it out there and got hoses hooked up, two bikes were completly burned of all plastic and rubber and it had burned through the roof and back wall of the insulated dog house.
They managed to get it out.
The heavy wind had stirred up the ashes and there was just enough of a hot spot to ignite some leaves between the bikes and the dog house. Once the bike tire caught, things went fast. :-\

I've been burning all spring as well, as I had a ton of brush of my own, as well as my neighbor's brush to get rid of. I also have lots of scrap wood to get rid of, so I've been burning often.
I gave my Mom a hard time over the fire as there was a burn ban on that day and if the neighbors hadn't done their leaves a few days before, they may have lost their house, as the fire was headed that way.

Today I was out working on laying some bricks for a walkway and decided it was a good calm day to burn while I worked.
I got a fire going and kept it loaded with wood.
At one point I loaded it up good and noticed an old pine stump, the weathered kind folks like to display in their yards, had a root that was a little close and had started to smoke a little from the heat of the fire.
There was only about 2" of black on the end, so I turned the stump sideways and moved it further away from the fire.
I needed a break as my back was bothering me and I wanted to see the weather on the news, so I stepped inside. :

It was 6:15pm.
The weather was just starting on the news and I logged in to check the forum as I watched.
After a bit I logged out and as I set the laptop down and got up, my neighbor walked up to the open back door and asked if I wanted to be burning the split wood as well?
They had just gotten home and seen something wasn't right.
I made it to the door to see the wood pile up in flames.

I had been inside for 38 minutes based on my last active time here on the forum.
The pine stump was completly gone, not even a pile of ashes really.

I grabbed the hose I had just inside the door as I knew the one out side would just reach the fire pit and not the wood pile.
That one had a bad fitting, but I didn't take time to find another hose.
I really didn't care about the wood as I had thought to myself earlier that I needed to get rid of it anyways, but I didn't want the White Birch tree to catch fire.
No chance to put it out with a garden hose, but I was able to soak the area around it and then just keep the fire tamed while it burned.
All told I lost a cord to a cord and a half of wood that I really didn't need, was soaked from almost head to toe from a leaking hose and no real damage to anything else.

But.................

Today I eat crow, as I get to tell my Mom what happened!

:D :D :D

Think I can sell my lumber as kiln dry now ??? ;D

beenthere · May 11, 2008, 01:52:20 AM

Sorry to see that happen to ya Furby.
Good pics and good reminders of what can happen with fire.

Warbird · May 11, 2008, 01:55:03 AM

DanG! Thank God no one got hurt and there was no serious property damage. Good job on getting it controlled. Last year a guy was burning up here when there was a burn ban and he ended up starting a forest fire that cost quite a few people their homes. :(

Stump Jumper Jr · May 15, 2008, 07:40:19 AM

How many crows did you eat Furby

jokers · May 15, 2008, 09:39:50 AM

Takes a big man to fess up Furby! Glad it didn`t get any worse.

We had a county wide burn ban a few weekends ago, there were something like 99 brush and grass fires requiring a fire dept. turnout in the 3 day period preceding the ban and my county is neither that large or populated.

Roxie · May 15, 2008, 12:13:15 PM

Just glad no one was hurt! To show that it happens even to "federal experts", here's a link to what happened in our county last week.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20080506_Controlled_burn_gets_out_of_hand_in_Chescos_Nottingham_Park.html

Patty · May 15, 2008, 12:32:42 PM

Happens to the best of us.

You haven't lived until you see the wall of fire threatening to burn down your farm, or worse yet, your neighbors farm.

In Iowa the wind never stops blowing (until the temps reach 99° or better :

) and fires are a threat. I remember one time my mom burned half a county before they got it under control. She and dad replaced the neighbors fences for miles!

isawlogs · May 15, 2008, 12:45:57 PM

We used to burn all the time in the spring when I was young . The grass would be green in no time after that . I grew up and smartened up some , if that grass gets green and purty , its going to need get cut .... :-\ So ... ya dont burn , it takes longer to get green and purdy and I dont need to cut it as early ... So now there is a burn ban on at all times concerning the lawn . ;) ;D

sawdust · May 15, 2008, 08:41:28 PM

Crow is easier to eat fresh.

I know ;D

OneWithWood · May 16, 2008, 02:28:10 PM

Furb, are you going to post the recipe in the Food section? :D

Glad no serious damage occured and you still have all your hair.

SeeSaw · May 16, 2008, 02:55:20 PM

Furby,

I reckon all of us have had to eat crow at some point in our lives. Personally I never have gotten used to the taste. However, with age it gets a little easier to swallow.:D Glad it wasn't worse.