We had a very close call from a grass fire on Sunday 12/12/21 as did another Guild member. The instant and massive outpouring of help from neighbors as well as first responders evacuated all animals on all affected farms and limited damages to grass, windbreaks, fences, and -- sadly -- one hay barn and an entire store of winter hay for about 70 animals. No other buildings burned and no people were injured. A couple of horses suffered burn injuries that at this point appear to be minor and were unrecognizable due to being covered in soot. The fire started on a day of high wind and the source is still under investigation. It spread breathtakingly fast. Though we evacuated all our animals (except the cat, who reappeared the next day unharmed) with the help of neighbors under the direction of the Fire Dept. But we found a couple of enormous holes in our emergency preparedness that we are now addressing. IF YOU HAVE NOT MADE A PLAN, OR RECENTLY PRACTICED IT, PLEASE DO SO IMMEDIATELY! County Road 78 Grass Fire - Wellington Fire Protection District (smugmug.com) I hope the link works. The photos are awesome. Aerials taken by drone on the day after.
