Burned But Still Blessed

About 3am, Ryan's annoying cell phone ring woke us up. He's not on call I thought to myself. Who could be calling? Then Ryan told the person that he'd be right out. Now wait a minute, he's not on call. What's going on? Ryan hung up the phone and I asked him about his random phone call. His reply had me up out of bed and getting dressed in a matter of seconds.

The wood pile was on fire.

Half asleep, I made a poor attempt to put some warm, cotton clothes on as Ryan did the same and we were headed out the door. He grabbed the hose and I headed behind the garage with it. In addition to the wood pile, the pasture was also burning. I started hosing down the grass fire which was up against the garage. And although the garage is beyond repair, I began hosing it down too to keep it from burning. While I did that, Ryan was moving his old ford which was backed up near the wood pile.

My neighbors 6 year old son had woke crying for his mom. This woke John, the dad. He got up to use the bathroom and happened to look out the window. The flames woke him right up to. John called 911 and then called Ryan.

I had the grass fire almost out but the far edge was beyond my reach with the hose spraying. Just then Ryan came back around the garage with another hose to hook on. He started spraying the wood pile while I went and moved the van out of the way for the firetruck. The Deputy sheriff showed up first but right behind him was the Clermont Fire Department.

It didn’t take them long to have the fire out (Ryan had soaked it pretty good to start with). Then they began unpiling Ryan’s wood pile so they could make sure the fire was out. As they chucked the wood pieces out into the pasture, I was sad for all the work that Ryan had done cutting and piling the wood. Small price to pay for getting the fire out.

Just as they were finished rolling up hoses, our furnace kicked on, which kicks on the blower on the wood burner. Right then embers started floating out the top of the chimney. The awestruck look on the fireman’s faces said it all. They stood talking for a few minutes before they came over to Ryan about it. It was then that one of them (our friend, Jerry) said well, I hope we’re not out here again in a few hours.

Do you think I was able to rest, or even sleep peacefully after that?

In the morning, when Ryan went out to feed the fire around 7am, it was ablaze again. Great. Ryan was able to manage this smaller fire on his own and didn’t need the assistance of the fire department. As soon as he was done, the addition to the chimney that had been added earlier in the week was removed in hopes that that was the source of the problem.

With a stack of firewood burned outside, we are so blessed by how God was involved with the details of the fire:
1. That our neighbor woke up and looked outside.
2. That we had water pressure to put out the grass fire and the second fire. With our previous well, that wouldn’t have been possible.
3. That it was cold but bearable (40 and windy)
4. That the grass fire didn’t carry. The pasture area behind the wood pile doesn’t get mowed or grazed and provides fuel for a fire.
5. That the fire burned to the corner of the wood-sided garage and around behind it but never burned the garage.
6. That it happened on the night of the year when we would have one extra hour in the night.
7. That the fire didn’t burn the whole wood pile. Most of the wood can be somewhat salvaged. Since it will be burned at some point, it’s okay that it’s all black and partially burned now.
I am so incredibly thankful. It may have burned a row of wood but we are so blessed. I’m thankful for my neighbors and for the Clermont Fire Department.



As I type this (Sunday afternoon), Ryan is out in the timber gathering up another load of wood that he cut earlier. That will come home and get added to the wood pile.