[AT] Tractor story

[Edward Tabor]

Real lucky it did not spread, for sure!

Ed

Kyle Sands wrote:

>>Trashing the grass is part of the fun.
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>Well, I didn't say I didn't ENJOY playing in the mud :-)
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>>BTW, how did your firewood get  burned up, in the fall?
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>It actually was burned up a year ago February. It was a pile of green ash probably about 3-4 cords and was stacked about 50 feet from the house to dry so we could use it this year.  We always dump our ashes from the stove in the woods not far from the house and of course there are usually deep snowdrifts all over.  So out of force of habit, I dumped ashes with live coals in them.  There was basically no snow on the ground at the time however and the wind was gusting up to and beyond 40 mph.  Two hours after I dumped the ashes, I looked out the basement window and saw smoke which I assumed was coming from the chimney being whipped to the ground from the wind.  I investigated and instead found a small grass fire working it's way along the perimeter of the lawn.  It wasn't alarming, but with the wind I wanted to get it out as soon as I could.  I rushed outside to start battling it when I emerged from the door of the attached gargae and looked to my left.  There was the entire wo
> od supply completely engulfed in boiling flames.  It was an inferno!  Dad was home at the time and I informed him what was going on and we went out to do what we could.  One hose was half-frozen so we were able to use some water which was enough to knock down the heat enough in one section of the pile so we could go after another section.  It didn't take long before that cooled-down section was back in full blaze but we found we could use a rake to knock sections of the woodpile down to allow the intense heat to escape and that allowed the water to have more effect.  It took us about two hours to douse the flames and then get the ground and ashes cooled down. A couple of neighbors came by to help out.
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>   The wind had blown embers into the pile and amazingly enough that's all it took.  There were two spot fires visible as well that had been blown out by the wind and never burned more than a 3 foot diameter circle.  The wind was blowing parallel to the house; had it been blowing towards the house, the garage would have been fully engulfed before we even knew there was any problem.  It is only by the Grace of God that the fire never advanced into the tinder dry walnut/oak/ash woods adjacent to the wood pile.  Simply put, it was a huge adrenaline rush!
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>Kyle Sands <>< Huntley, MN
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