Some drama today, forrest fire within 1/4 mile of my house

[PigButtons]

I live on a small mountain in Northern Alabama and there is a small canyon ( called Vinson Hollow ( pronounced Holler)), West North West of my property. About three o'clock I walked outside and smelled smoke and down in the hollow it was dense and white with the wind was blowing it our way. It looked like 15 to 20 acres moving at about 200 yards an hour and by 5 o'clock it was less than a half a mile away and I could see the flames in the top of the smoke. We got our bug out bags ready and were ready to go, but 8 years ago our neighbor had logged his part of the hollow and when the fire hit the clearcut the fire crews were able to contain the blaze. Praise God for the Volunteer Fire Fighters, the neighbor's logging, and the cliffs along the ridge that blocked the flames from climbing up to our level.

This was not a drill.

 

[hpshooter]

I live on a small mountain in Northern Alabama and there is a small canyon ( called Vinson Hollow ( pronounced Holler)), West North West of my property. About three o'clock I walked outside and smelled smoke and down in the hollow it was dense and white with the wind was blowing it our way. It looked like 15 to 20 acres moving at about 200 yards an hour and by 5 o'clock it was less than a half a mile away and I could see the flames in the top of the smoke. We got our bug out bags ready and were ready to go, but 8 years ago our neighbor had logged his part of the hollow and when the fire hit the clearcut the fire crews were able to contain the blaze. Praise God for the Volunteer Fire Fighters, the neighbor's logging, and the cliffs along the ridge that blocked the flames from climbing up to our level.

This was not a drill.

Glad you are safe.

 

[Walt Krafft]

Glad you are ok. Had a lot of smoke here today in north Arkansas from burns.

 

[DirtySteve]

Glad it turned out well.. I fight fires in the summer months..60 yrs old, but someones got to do it..

Edit: Clear a 100 foot perimeter around your house, more is better. If you have a metal roof that is great. If you don't, when you need a new roof go metal.. Asphalt shingles burn very easily.. I have seen 120 foot flame lengths in grass fires..

 

[ben lurkin]

Had that happen a few summers ago. We were on standby to evacuate if the wind changed direction. It wasn’t a pleasant night listening to the bulldozers cutting fire breaks only a block away. Glad to hear you’re ok!

 

[ttfreestyle]

Glad it worked out for yall.... sounds to close.

 

[chop house]

so, keel mtn, eh? i have some burn to make out in jackson county. guess i better wait til after this thursday's rain. thanks for the info, and the cautionary tale! we watch the weather, but seldom the local news.

 

[Jager]

Not many things scare me. But fire run amuck is a fearsome thing, indeed. Hat's off to Steve and all the other fire fighters out there.

Glad it turned out okay!

 

[PigButtons]

so, keel mtn, eh? i have some burn to make out in jackson county. guess i better wait til after this thursday's rain. thanks for the info, and the cautionary tale! we watch the weather, but seldom the local news.

Yes sir, keel mtn is home.

 

[PigButtons]

Thanks to you all. Great family here, heartfelt gratitude for your support.

@DirtySteve, thanks for your service, I was a volunteer here for many years and as a younger man I'd have been down there too. As for the roof, it's poured in place concrete, so even better than steel. But thanks for the advice.

 

[Danoh]

That is too close! Thank God it didn’t get to you. Wife and I got caught in the Gatlinburg fire a few years ago on vacation, it’s incredible (and terrifying) how fast fire can move.

 

[akajun]

sure it wasn't a controlled burn? its that time of year in the piney woods down south. FYI hardwood forest wont burn worth a crap so that usually stops it if there's no firebreak put in.
I just put in a few fire breaks this year for some burning Im gonna do.

 

[FNSafari]

I live on a small mountain in Northern Alabama and there is a small canyon ( called Vinson Hollow ( pronounced Holler)), West North West of my property. About three o'clock I walked outside and smelled smoke and down in the hollow it was dense and white with the wind was blowing it our way. It looked like 15 to 20 acres moving at about 200 yards an hour and by 5 o'clock it was less than a half a mile away and I could see the flames in the top of the smoke. We got our bug out bags ready and were ready to go, but 8 years ago our neighbor had logged his part of the hollow and when the fire hit the clearcut the fire crews were able to contain the blaze. Praise God for the Volunteer Fire Fighters, the neighbor's logging, and the cliffs along the ridge that blocked the flames from climbing up to our level.

This was not a drill.

Make a donation to your volunteer FD. If they are anything like the ones here they are struggling for members and funds due to the incredible demands of training, equipment, etc. that has come out of OSHA.

 

[PigButtons]

sure it wasn't a controlled burn? its that time of year in the piney woods down south. FYI hardwood forest wont burn worth a crap so that usually stops it if there's no firebreak put in.
I just put in a few fire breaks this year for some burning Im gonna do.

Not a chance it was a control burn. You couldn't be more wrong about hardwood fires. Lots of dry leaf litter and many dead trees because of a three year drought about 7 to 10 years ago. Add in a little wind straight up a narrow canyon and it'll run. I worked many wildland fires and our area is 80% hardwood.

We've had gov't helicopters and light aircraft overhead all morning assessing the damage.

 

[PigButtons]

Make a donation to your volunteer FD. If they are anything like the ones here they are struggling for members and funds due to the incredible demands of training, equipment, etc. that has come out of OSHA.

Amen brother. When I first joined it was pretty straight forward. But between OSHA and the insurance companies, by the time I left it was a total change, and much harder to get volunteers.

 

[DiffEQ]

Glad you're OK.

 

[PigButtons]

A news story about the fire.

MSN

I couldn't climb all the way down the hollow because of the cliffs. And a pic of the forest floor near the fire. Plenty of fuel, those guys must have been busting it.

 

[Brians356]

If you have a metal roof that is great. If you don't, when you need a new roof go metal..

Metal roofs are more entertaining in a hailstorm, too.
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[DirtySteve]

Metal roofs are more entertaining in a hailstorm, too.
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Yes but they will save your house in a fire..

 

[Brians356]

Yes but they will save your house in a fire..

Whaddya mean "but"? I'm saying ... "and they're more entertaining in a hailstorm". A win/win deal.
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