It happened again! We had a huge fire on Tuesday, two miles long. The fire wiped out everything on the west side of the farm, except Mom-mom’s house, barn, and other outbuildings. The firemen were able to stop the fire five feet from all of the structures.
We were all scared!
Boomer and I stayed right with Mom. We rode on the back of the four-wheeler and never left it. (Boomer is really bad about jumping off and heading out to see what there is to see when Mom gets off. He always gets in trouble, but he just gives all of us a Beagle smile and does it again. But this time he listened.) The smoke and the flames were horrible.
The cows all circled up, with the baby calves in the middle, just like the books say they do when there is danger. The cowboys came up and stayed with them just to be sure.
At several points the fire jumped into the hay fields and the corn fields rushing right over to toward Mom, Dad, Boomer and my house. It was frightening. But just the day before Dad had disked all the ends by the gated pipe and the road to our place. That’s what stopped the fire there, not the firemen.
The very next day, Wednesday, the Uncompahgre Ditch Company sent the ditch cleaners down to clean out the canal to ready it for the water next week.
Dad talked to the guys said he had a very huge fire yesterday and would they be extra careful, they said they would and took off.
They didn’t!
They swooshed their 8” propane weed burner and burned everything in sight, even burned up our over 100-year-old cottonwood tree, that made Mom cry. Mom and Dad saw the guy swirl the burner around the base of the tree.
Mom, Boom and I, Mom-mom and Talley hauled water to the tree for most of the afternoon, but it finally burst into flames and left this earth. Mom told all of us that she felt like she lost a very good friend that day.
Now the whole north side and the whole east side of the farm have the fences burned to the ground.
What a mess!
Dad has been busy, getting the fire report, talking to the neighbor about repairs, and getting the ditch company to fix the fences.
Mom says her digital camera is a blessing.
Since one of the very long time ditch companies board member is our neighbor to the north, (by two miles) and we get up before the sun shines, by 6:30 in the morning, Thursday, Dad and board member were touring the damage the ditch company did.
The tree fell over around 8:30 Thursday morning. The Ditch company people wanted it to burn up so they didn’t have very much to clean up. (They made the mess, they clean it up, Dad says. The board member and the manager of the company agreed)
They also agreed to the repair of all the fences on the north and east side of the farm.
Around three o’clock in the afternoon the tree eased itself into the canal where it continued to burn.
8:30 that night the fire trucks were back out to our place, as someone passing by saw the burning tree for the first time and called it in to the fire department.
The ditch company, which hoped that they wouldn’t have much to do, vanished in several streams of water after the fire department got here.
So this is where we are, the day after the Ides of March. Hopefully we are on our way to mending.
At least the west side fences are still standing.
Knock on wood!
Fuzzy
Life on a Colorado Farm 
Oh, Linda, I am simply appalled! That is horrible! I am so sorry that you lost your tree, fences and had all your crop ground burned over like that. Letting fire escape verges on criminal if it doesn’t cross the line. I hope that things will be fixed up, but there is no way they will ever be the same again.
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How scary! I’m glad everyone is ok. (Except for your nerves of course.) Thank God for fireman! You’ll be in my thoughts and prayers as things get repaired and back to “normal”.
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I am speechless, Linda, and so sorry. We lost our favorite tree yesterday…it had already fallen last year but the kids loved to play on it. I didn’t realize how sad I’d be when they actually cut it up.
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Boooo….
I am so sorry this is happening to you, especially after you JUST MENTIONED IT.
Glad all are safe, I know it’s too early to try to think of a silver lining, but I know you will find one.
Wishing you peace my friend.
Meaadow
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I follow your blog but have never let a comment before now but I just have to say how sorry I am to read about your disastrous few days. How careless and thoughtless to cause you all this upset. Take care.
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How sad about the tree. There aren’t enough in my part of Colorado, so each one is sacred.
Idiots!
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I am so sorry. I am so horrified. I am so thankful that you and yours are all right. What a terror you must have felt. I pray this is the last of the fires in your area.
Donna H.
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Good God, I hope the idiots who run our levee district don’t turn out to be such losers. All they’ve done so far with the extra tax we have to pay them is use Round-up on the grass that grows on the levee. My grandmother always said the grass holds the sandy soil in place. None of the levee district people have even lived here for more than 20 years. They don’t know diddly, and as long as it’s not their property that’s threatened, I don’t think they care, either. Things are sure not like they used to be, even in rural areas. I’m so sorry about your tree, I probably would have been siccing the dogs on the guy with the flamethrower, or banging him on the head with my shovel. Give some guys an instrument of destruction, and their brains seem to leave them.
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That is the pits..You must feel like you are in a war zone or a fire zone anyway. I am glad no buildings were lost..They better build those fences for you as good as new. I hope you get rain soon:)
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I’m just speechless…
Well, not really, but the words that are running through my head are not ones I’d say out loud, much less write on someone else’s blog. You get the idea…
I hope the District fired the idiots with the flame weeders, at least.
I’m so sorry about your tree, and all the rest.
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Linda, what a terrible few days, terrible fire is dreadful. Thank God your homes were not damaged but that tree, oh how terribly sad.. sad sad, goodness i hope that is it for a while.. you need a rest.. c
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What a terrible week. Your pictures are just heartbreaking. We do hope things will return to normal as soon as possible
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Idiots all around in possession of fire . . . Common sense would tell you & I that you don’t burn when it’s tinder dry, blowing a gale or with complete disregard to the consequences. Of course, we both know that sense isn’t common, either. I’m so very glad no folks or animals were hurt nor homes, barns, machinery, etc., destroyed. About those fences – hope you better than new ones!
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I have to repeat the same as everyone else, we all are appalled and sure feel sorry! I sure have you in our thoughts!!!
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Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse….. I’m so sorry. I hope some lessons were learned. I lost a huge elm tree in an ice storm two years ago. I still feel sad when I come down the hill toward the house… it looks so bare. A raccoon lost his home. He ran out when the workmen cut a limb and it fell to the ground. Thoughts are with you!!
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Those people are crazy. They need to replace that tree, too. You can find them that big, but they aren’t cheap.
I am sick for you all. 😦
*Hugs* ♥ God bless.
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Oh LInda (and Boomer), I’m so very sorry for all the horrible times you’ve had this week. I feel the same way you do about trees. It seems criminal what those guys did. Why on earth would they not have a water truck with them—ready for exactly what happened?? I never start my brush pile w/o having the garden hose right there at the ready!! Sorry, I’m just angry. So frightened for you all.
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This is a very sad situation where your property suffers damage twice by people who are extremely careless. I’m very sorry for your loss. These must have been two very frightening days.
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Just the loss of that tree is criminal!
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Oh Linda, my heart just aches for you and Terry!! As if the first fire was not bad enough..and to lose that special tree…aaarrrr, just makes me angry!!
Fuzzy and Boomer, glad you were good dogs and stayed with Mom. Be sure to give Mom and Dad lots of love during this time. My hugs to you both.
I am glad the buildings were saved, but, oh my, what a mess. I’m just so sorry.
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Bless your heart! We here in Texas know this fear well and the devastating feeling of loss.
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You already know what my thoughts are 😦 Hope things get better for you and these damages get dealt with!
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Unbelievable!!!!! I’m just shocked, especially when i read the title of this post.
I’m so very sad you lost your tree. People have absolutely no respect at all. I would be so mad!!!
For the meantime, I will mourn with you. What a mess.
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Oh yes, definitely knock on wood. It’s just so bad to read of another fire. So sorry for all of you. To have that lovely old tree burnt down too. I’d only been pruning a tree fairly radically back here but it needed to be gone for many reasons. When they’ve been around like that and are part of the familiar landscape, it’s so sad to go like that. Especially because of stupidity. Such a big job to get everything sorted out too. Thoughts are with you all.
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Holy c#@p.
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So sorry to read about your fire, and glad there were people to help you. What a mess. Sounds like you are going to get your fencing replaced…but what about the meantime. I wish you and your family all the best.
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