Burn baby burn! Using common sense.
By jillhill
@jillhill (37353)
United States
October 3, 2012 8:00am CST
We have been in a drought for several months. The trees are dry. The lawns crispy..and we have even had more rain the several other states. Last weekend someone in our town had a bonfire. He lives on the edge of a field of corn. Well the fire sent sparks into the field and burn up $25,000.00 worth of corn, which his insurance company has to pay for along with the cost of four fire departments who answered the call. Last night my neighbors had a bonfire. The flames were shooting up so high I thought they might start a tree on fire and if it did we would all be in trouble. Our neighborhood is older and all the big old trees hug each others branches...so if one would go...possibly all of them would start on fire. Don't you think that in a drought area you would be very careful of starting a fire? I just prayed that the flames would die down enough to be contained in their pit. I don't know why they lifted the burning ban a month ago. It's so crispy now it's scary!
6 people like this
12 responses
@2004cqui (2812)
• United States
3 Oct 12
Its amazing the numbers of people who don't look at life through the (eyes) of logic! If you express logic they get mad at you! If they ask you what you think and they don't like the logical answer they get mad at you! People tend to jump from "could" to "should" or "I can, so I will" without any thought process at all.
Our summer place is in close proximity to over 800 fire pits and the humans that own them. Then you have mom and dad who let their young son and his friends go up by themselves and the situation escalates. The mentality being, well no mentality at all: Lets make a really big fire with mom and dads firewood and get really drunk, pass out and wake up in a forest fire! Ya just can't win!
@2004cqui (2812)
• United States
3 Oct 12
This just reminded me of something that happened when my sister and I owned a condo together a milenia ago. We were helping with a party. The project was to slice french bread really thin, cover it with garlic, melted butter and grated Parmesan then TOAST it in the broiler. I popped them in and she said and I quote-"now lets go to so and so's place and get the vacuum cleaners" to which I replied-"good, then when we come back we can buy a couple of tickets to the fireman's ball". She didn't know what I meant! I had to explain it to her. Is this natural selection?
@koopharper (7599)
• Canada
3 Oct 12
Scary stuff. A few years back we had a close call. Came home from shopping and noticed up by the barn next door they were fighting a small grass fire. I asked my wife if it looked to her like they had it under control. A puff of smoke out of the barn roof was answer enough for me. Told my oldest son to grab a couple shovels and we ran to help. We were needed badly. Both of those older guys were running out of gas if you know what I mean. I told them to worry about the corner of the barn which had caught. My son and I had fresh legs and managed to get the grass fire out. Then we all worked to finish saving the barn. We made it by the skin of our teeth. The grass fire could have torched half the township in the weather we were having and I don't know where we would have been had the barn gone up. It all started with burning trash in a barrel. Just the sparks in the grass got it going.
1 person likes this
@koopharper (7599)
• Canada
3 Oct 12
I would have turned him in myself. Frankly my home would be at just as much risk as his. Save him from his own stupidity at the same time.
@carmelanirel (20942)
• United States
3 Oct 12
And I take it his fire was NOT in a pit...
This is why I am behind on clearing the back, because we have also had a dry summer. But for the last 3 weeks or so, we have been getting rain so I started again, except my fire is in a pit, lined with rocks, I stay with it especially if the fire is big, and I have a hose ready just in case..
This is why I am behind on clearing the back, because we have also had a dry summer. But for the last 3 weeks or so, we have been getting rain so I started again, except my fire is in a pit, lined with rocks, I stay with it especially if the fire is big, and I have a hose ready just in case..1 person likes this
@carmelanirel (20942)
• United States
4 Oct 12
I burn leaves, but only a few that are left on the ground, not a whole pile because it is too dangerous to burn too many leaves at once.
@CatsandDogs (13963)
• United States
3 Oct 12
Some people have all the book brains in the world but not a lick of common sense. I mean, how much common sense does it take? Really! We have a bon fire pit in our back yard but it's away from the trees in the center of our yard and it has a couple of chicken wire fences around it and over it to help keep the sparks from getting too far out. Plus we keep a hose nearby JUST IN CASE for we never know for sure what could happen so we're very prepared. However, we keep the fire minimized so it doesn't have a chance to get out of control. Geeze spruce! Common sense can go a long way!
1 person likes this
@yoyo1198 (3641)
• United States
3 Oct 12
We've had a burn ban throughout the summer and I don't think it has been lifted yet. And we've had several good rains in September. It truly doesn't make sense that your neighbor would have a bonfire. And for what reason? It's not holiday time that I know of. You would think people would use a little common sense, huh?
1 person likes this
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
5 Oct 12
I have to admit that I would not be one that would start a bonfire or something like that when I knew that everything was dry. However, I do think that there are a lot of people that don't have that kind of common sense. With the drought that we've had this year, we have had harsh burn bans in place and even over the 4th of July holiday, they even had a complete ban on fireworks, down to the little sparklers that children love to play with to reduce the number of wild fires that there were in our county.
@KrauseHome (36445)
• United States
5 Oct 12
Personally you would think the area would be a little more cautious, and place warnings on the News, etc. I know around here they have and will fine you for campfires, etc. They even are saying no wood stoves, fireplaces, etc. due to lack of rain. Personally I am sure everyone is continuing the enjoy the prolonged warmer weather, but it is causing a lot more fires.
@Kashmeresmycat (6369)
• United States
3 Oct 12
I read some of your comments and all I can say is "burning leaves in a fire pit????"..are you kidding me! That's the dumbest idea yet!
I remember a friend of mine getting a horrible burn on her leg from someone burning newspaper in a pit. The newspaper flew up in the air and came down on her leg. It was not pretty and it was a good sice too.
I'm glad he was cited for this, maybe he'll think twice next time. What a fool.
@cynthiann (18612)
• Jamaica
4 Oct 12
I lived through three years of drought many years ago whilst on the farm and it is scary. The neighbour is very irresponsible and should be reported to the police or whatever department is responsible as you could have all lost your homes. Maybe as a precaution, then it is time to get the trees trimmed. A just in case policy as people can act so dumb!
@millertime (1394)
• United States
5 Oct 12
You would think that people would look at the local conditions and make good decisions. Unfortunately, that's not always the case. I guess the people thought that if the authority lifted the ban, then it must be safe. They relied on someone else to do their thinking for them. I bet they'll think twice before doing that again though. 
@creativedigital (110)
• United States
4 Oct 12
That is scary. The city should keep the burn ban until you get enough moisture to prevent flash fires. Some people just dont have common sense when it come to stuff like that.I think that guys insurance should have investigated the fire and said we dont cover accidents caused my your own stupidity. That is why insurance rates go up because people have claims caused by their own doing.
