by Volecia Plafcan

Created on: May 07, 2008

My grandmother's house was so far away from civilization, she had always been teased that she had to pipe in sunlight.

When my grandfather was alive, he kept a huge area around the house cleared and nothing but the green, green forest surrounded it. It really was an isolated place and everybody east of the Mississippi River loved to visit it.

It was a cold, cold day in January when my son and daughter and I paid my grandmother a visit. We went down almost every weekend, anyway and she always seemed so grateful to see visitors. I knew she got so lonely.

Grandma didn't have garbage service living that far out in the country so what served as her dumpster was a huge steel barrel that she put the paper trash in and burned. My son offered to take out her trash for her for he knew he would have the privilege of lighting the fire. It was a really dry January and there were plenty of barren trees, vines and bushes that led way over to the evergreens in the forest. I told him to be very careful for a fire can get out of control in a minute. He said he was okay with it and out the back door he went.

In a few minutes, he came running back in the house, white as a sheet and yelling, "Grandma! Grandma!" We looked out the window and sure enough the fire was burning dead, dried grass, etc. and had, indeed, gotten out of control.

We grabbed some tree limbs and started beating out the fire but, the harder we beat, the further away it got. Running to fetch buckets of water was like spitting in the air.

Some neighbors had seen the smoke and come to help. Even with them helping, we were just fanning the fire, causing a bigger and wider flame. It had grown into, at least, a half mile radius, when someone suggested we call the fire department. Well, we were seventeen miles, as the crow flies, centered within three towns and were informed that where we were would be out of their jurisdiction - to call the Forestry Service - which we did.

Our arms and backs were getting tired, but, we had to keep beating the flame, which was now really getting out of control. The land it had burned was as black as night. It seemed another hour or two went by 'til we heard engines coming down the lane to my grandmother's house. Oh, thank the good Lord! I had never been so happy to see anyone in my life.

It had taken them forever to get there and we all just plopped to the ground except my grandma and she had to talk with the people. They couldn't find my grandmother's place because it wasn't on any map they

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