My first experience with wildland fire was when I was about 11 years old. A fire started on a rancher's range so most of the people in the valley went to help including my father and I.
The fire was in sage and grass and we were lucky there was no wind. Not having fire fighting tools my father and I each grabbed a shovel to throw dirt on the fire. This would take the oxygen from the fire and putting it out. I was amazed how the fire did not burn everything and that some of the sage and grasses were left untouched. Another thing that I noticed and actually scared me was how the fire did not go with a straight fire line but what I would describe as tongues would go out and could easily surround someone if they did not pay attention. I had always thought that fire would burn everything in its path but I learned that day that the fire can leave areas totally untouched. It was a very educational day for me as well as exciting.
Hi Frank,
ReplyDeletePretty incredible you experienced that at such a young age. It sounds like you guys lived in a close-knit community. The way you described how fire can burn areas while leaving other areas completely untouched reminded me of how people describe their experiences with a tornado. I can see why the experience would have been exciting. It certainly would have stuck out in my memory.