At noon today, a firetruck zoomed past our house with sirens and horns blowing. That's never a good thing. Alan stepped outside and saw that there was smoke coming from our neighbor's place. Responder truck after responder truck zoomed past the house, from all sorts of neighboring communities.
We watched from the edge of our pasture, being thankful that the wind was keeping the smoke and fire from our own pasture. (Our pasture stops at the treeline you see in the distance.)
It appears that perhaps two cigarette butts were tossed out of a passing car on the highway which started two separate fires about 100 yards apart, burning three pastures, and coming VERY close to homes.
What's even a little more concerning is that it wasn't too long ago that new gas lines where buried in this area.
Thankfully, the country road we all live off of stopped the fire from spreading farther north into thousands of open land pasture acres. And thankfully, responders were able to put out both burn areas. (I don't have photos yet of the second burn area.)
Alan will be getting the tractor out and creating a fire stop line around the area on our farm where the house, garage, barn, chicken coops, and hay storage are on the farm. A little proactive activity, since we haven't even begun to see the last of summer, and all it takes is a tossed cigarette butt from a passing car on the highway to cause such a disaster.
Anna, that is just crazy!! I live in North Florida and earlier this year there were wild fires everywhere in the area and a little north in Southern Georgia. Thankfully we finally got our summer thunderstorms back so the land is much wetter now. But this past weekend a few fires started in the national forest just to our West. We received a major rain storm that really helped it out, but yesterday morning the smoke started again. I believe that half of our wild fires start from cigarettes being thrown out of passing cars. It's so sad that something so little could cause so much harm!!
Posted by: Lacey | August 17, 2011 at 05:53 AM
I think that throwing cigerette butts from the card should be considered littering and be fined in the same manner. It could have very easily been your field, home or barn and animals.
Posted by: inkypaws | August 15, 2011 at 07:20 PM
When I look at these photos, I can smell the bitter burn smell. So scary when everything is tinder dry there. Great idea for Alan to create a safety line for your farm. Keep safe!
Posted by: Shellie Daniel | August 15, 2011 at 06:57 AM
So glad your property was okay. Scary it could have been worse.
Posted by: Jennifer | August 13, 2011 at 04:41 PM
It is rather stupid that car makers have done away with ash trays, of course morons are going to toss them outside the windows without a place to stub them out. I bought my 2005 Prius from a smoker and he had an ash tray in his car. If you are going to smoke in your car why wouldn't you have an ash tray? It's awful that there are people out there that don't care whose property they damage, how many people will go homeless because they are so stupid. Thank goodness you and your neighbors were spared those horrors. Praying for you all.
Posted by: Rose Kerry | August 09, 2011 at 10:01 AM
Anne, I'm so glad to hear that you are all safe and sound.
Nicky
Posted by: Nicky Taylor | August 09, 2011 at 08:11 AM
"The world is not your ashtray. Keep your butt in your car." Ha ha ha ha ah!!!! That's awesome, I would absolutly support that bumper sticker business!
Posted by: MicheleP | August 08, 2011 at 05:18 PM
So glad your okay. Stay safe.
Posted by: Connie Pruitt | August 08, 2011 at 01:05 PM
Thank goodness you're all ok!
Posted by: Jennifer | August 08, 2011 at 07:57 AM
What a scary thing to happen. So glad you and neighbors are safe and all your precious animals and property were spared. Thank the Lord for this. Margaret
Posted by: Margaret Morris | August 08, 2011 at 07:18 AM
Oh, Anna, how scary! So thankful that the fire did not get to you. I used to live in NJ and people would throw out their cigarettes all the time and start fires up in the Pine Barrens that would burn thousands of acres. It is just so careless and destructive. Building a fire break is a very smart idea. We would hate to lose any of your "kids" or property. Wish I could send you some of our wet humid weather up here in Michigan. The mosquitoes are about to carry use away!
Posted by: Sandy H | August 08, 2011 at 07:05 AM
Arg! Don't get me started on cigarette butts! They line all the intersections in cities across Amerca! People seem to think they are small and no big deal. They're full of arsenic! And how many fires are started with them? I'm so happy to hear you were spared from that fire!
Posted by: Kathy Martin | August 08, 2011 at 04:45 AM
I have a lot of nasty comments on the tip of my tongue for people who are so ignorant/uncaring/malicious as to toss cigarette butts out their vehicle windows, ESPECIALLY during the dry season, but I'd better BITE my tongue because my nastiness would do no blippin' good. I'm so glad no one lost anything in those fires, and feel for the responders who had to do battle in your heat.
Posted by: michelle | August 07, 2011 at 08:42 PM
Oh, I"m so glad that your neighbors are okay! Freak out.
Posted by: Shala | August 07, 2011 at 08:33 PM
Anna, I'm so glad you, Alan and the farm are safe XoXo I can't believe people can be so careless ... I'm thinking of you :)
Posted by: Robb_eeie | August 07, 2011 at 07:33 PM
Wow! I can't believe in an area suffering from drought someone would be this stupid. After dealing with smoke from a nearby forest fire that has been burning since May (and has just recently gotten better-pretty much ruined the whole summer) I have little patience for such reckless behavior. At least our fire was started by lightning and that is easier to understand. Two fires at once seems a little odd, unless the second fire started from a spark from the first one. Good luck and I hope you get some rain on those dry pastures!
Posted by: Susan | August 07, 2011 at 06:26 PM
I agree with Leslie! Why stop putting ashtrays in cars? Stupid/thoughtless people that toss butts out windows anyway probably never use the ashtray anyway. Grrrr.
Fires do freak me out. We got VERY lucky about 4 years ago with our house fire. Scary stuff. Thankfully we lost nothing of any real importance and had a wonderful insurance Co. ( Please be sure you have a good policy and it is paid up!) You never know when the unthinkable can happen.
Thank the good Lord you where missed. Great idea the fire break. The pics of the parched pastures in heartbreaking.
Blessings, love and hugs sent to you, Alan and the critters :)
Posted by: Carol Dee | August 07, 2011 at 02:20 PM
Ooooooooo one of my biggest pet peeves ---WHY do people think they can throw those out the window?? I'm so glad it was tended to immediately, sheesh you'd think people would be more careful with it being so hot & dry!!
Posted by: Michelle | August 07, 2011 at 02:16 PM
Yet this is the first mention of any fires in the area (aside from the one that burned all of west Texas earlier) Cross your fingers that some other good samaratin doesn't throw out some butts on your fence line. Workin on the fabric storage shelving today, the girls have all gone home moms tuckered out. truckin for my rich wheat farmer son in law tomorrow. Har Har on the rich part!.... plow them rows deep & wide.. Love, Dad
Posted by: DK Wight | August 07, 2011 at 01:46 PM
Whoa, scary. First, I am a rabid anti-smoker. Second, I want a bumper sticker that says, "The world is not your ashtray. Keep your butt in your car." You know what I learned this year, though? Newer cars do not HAVE ashtrays! I use mine for loose change, and the 2009 vehicle I bought in April has no ash tray! So I guess if you smoke, you HAVE to toss it out the window.
This whole thing is stoopid, and dangerous.
Okay, I'm done now. I'm just glad the fire didn't get totally out of control.
Posted by: leslie (crookedstamper) | August 07, 2011 at 01:36 PM
Oh ZOWEE, how scary. I hope nobody was hurt. Fires freak me out!
Posted by: Chris Hauck | August 07, 2011 at 01:01 PM
Glad you are safe and sound! Hope you enjoy the rest of your Sunday. : )
Posted by: Beverly Blair | August 07, 2011 at 12:40 PM
Oh Anna! How frightening for you and Alan and your neighbors too. I'm so thankful for you all that the responders were able to put it out before even more damage was done. It makes very good sense indeed that Alan create a fire stop line. Gotta protect the homestead.
Stay safe! You and yours are in my thoughts and prayers!
Jennifer
Posted by: Jennifer Woodward | August 07, 2011 at 12:40 PM