FIRE, FIRE, FIRE

Today, I am thankful to have a newborn who keeps me up at night ...

Around 11 pm, I put Carolyn in her crib. Knowing that she was not totally asleep and figuring that I would probably be up a few minutes later rocking her back to sleep, I grabbed a book and laid down on the bed in the guest room. Not even 5 minutes later, I heard strange popping noises coming from outside. I figured it was one of our neighbors playing with some sort of fireworks or sparklers. Curious, I got up and looked out the window.

Holy Shit!

My neighbor's front yard and the flowerbed between our houses are on fire!

Already, the smoke was very thick and the flames were quite big, reaching almost to the top of the oak directly in beween the two houses. I quickly grabbed my phone, figuring I would have to call 911, and ran downstairs. I turned on our hose, which thankfully stretched to my neighbor's yard, and started to douse the flames with water. At the same time, I banged on the neighbor's door and yelled into their windows so they would get up and help me. Linda came out just as I had gotten the big flames controlled, but thick smoke filled the entire cul-de-sac and red embers were still smoldering on the ground. She quickly grabbed her hose and we continued to soak everything.

A few minutes later, we heard sirens. We jokingly said, "I hope they are not coming here." But the roar of the engines got closer and before we knew it, about 5 fire fighters came running up to the yard. As she talked to the firemen and got her lecture about fire safety, I went inside and checked on Carolyn, who was sound asleep.

So here is how it happened ... my neighbors had a small fireworks show earlier in the evening. (July 24 is Pioneer Day, a holiday that celebrates the arrival of the pioneers in the west. Fireworks are common). They put the spent firework shells in a bucket with water (like you are supposed to do), but they used a non-fireproof bucket and placed it on their dried out grass. The bucket melted from the heat of the shells and started the grass on fire, which then sparked the nearby flowerbed and tree. I can only imagine what could have happened if I were not wide awake in the front bedroom as the fire started or if our hose had not reached the flames. Although a neighbor must have called 911 to report the fire, it could have been disasterous for both houses if nothing were done before the fire trucks arrived. The fire spread so quickly. And, our cars were sitting only a few feet away.

Ah, the drama is over, but I now reek of smoke. My voice is hoarse from breathing the smoke. My house is hazy with smoke (the windows were open). And, I bet Carolyn will wake up soon wanting to eat again. Or perhaps she will sleep through the night again, as she has been doing the past few nights. Whatever the case, I better go to bed and try to get some sleep. Whoa, that was some excitement.