The first phone call came during dinner. “You know you’re under an evacuation order? There’s a fire.” We already had no electricity. Now high winds and fire threatened.
The argument between winter and spring is fierce in the Ozarks. One refuses to leave. The other insists on coming in. This is where high winds happen.
Do We Leave?
There was no immediate reason to evacuate. The fire was on the hills above us. It was driven away by the winds.
If we evacuate, we have goats, chickens and cats to take too. Two friends offered their places for us to stay, but the crowd would be a bit much.
Saving Thunderstorm
Rain arrived behind the high winds. The fire died down. It burned 750 acres, two houses and some other things.
By the next day the fire was starting up again. It was a no high winds and fire routine, only the fire slowly working its way through the fallen leaves. We watched it as it crept across a field and started down the hill toward the house.
Damp ground, dew and killing frost ended this gambit. Or so we thought.
Another Round
Smoke rose up from the hill beside the house. I walked down the road and saw a line of fire stretching up the hill. High winds and fire were at it again.
This was still a small fire burning leaves. We watched and waited.
Our neighbor arrived. He’d called the sheriff and fire department. His house was in danger!
His house was not in danger. It was across the road from the fire and almost a mile away.
Fighting the Fire
The Salem Fire Protection Department arrived. Four big trucks turned into the driveway. Men put on their gear and marched off to stop the fire.
A few hours later, the trucks left to stop another flare up on the hill behind us. This one burned down a house.
Our hills were blackened as though a prescribed burn was done. We were lucky.