At 17:52 -0800 31.10.2003, lazarus wrote: > Dear heavens, that's close. I imagine they had the brush cleared well > away from the house beforehand, then. Too many houses neglected to > keep an clear area, and the fire fighters weren't able to save them. Yes, indeed. Every winter/spring, my parents hold a 'burn party', cut as much brush around the immediate area as they feel necessary, and have friends over to help cut, carry, and watch it burn (controlled burn, obviously!). I'm sure that helped a little, but I also am unbelievably grateful to the firefighters, who turned on all of our lawn and grove sprinklers (they were still running 3 days later), moved our own garden hoses around (and we assume, used them), and even borrowed our shovels and axes (they were found in random areas near scorch marks). It's pretty clear that they made a stand at our house to prevent the fire from jumping the road and destroying the ca. 10 homes on that side of the canyon. That they were able to turn it away is almost beyond belief. The weird thing is that these firefighters are all anonymous, and we have no (direct) way to thank them. It makes me want to go and hug even the firefighters here in Wisconsin! :) - Nancy.