Photographed, Brasstown, NC Scanned, restoration: Raleigh, NC Post written: Raleigh, NC

April, 1974 – June, 1975 Spring, 2020 July 25, 2022

Blogger’s Note

This post contains two versions of the same story. You can start the video below and hear the same words and see the same pictures as you would if you decided to read my traditional post below.

Watch the video: Click on the arrow to start the recording. You can watch fullscreen by clicking on the small box in the lower righthand corner.

One night …

Just before Robin and I reached our turn onto Trout Cove Road our quiet drive back to our home was shattered. FIRE!

As we watched the flames in the darkness, the reality of our folly hit us. We had built our house way back, deep in the woods. Our home was surrounded by the same woods we now were watching burn.

We knew that a forest fire might be a problem, but now we could see what the danger could look like. A spark and our woods could burn too.

The fire was a scary sight! Tonight our home probably would be safe. We knew it was several miles away – but we still worried a bit since it was all uphill, in a sparsely populated area with only a few homes and narrow gravel roads. The Brasstown fire equipment and volunteer team was equipped to protect homes close in, but there was no immediate help for homes like ours. A tanker engine was unlikely to travel roads like these to reach our home.

This fire was already large but there were no fire trucks – no one around and no way to get help quickly. We continued to our old home in Pinelog and asked our buyers, David and Rebecca, to call the fire in. Thankfully it had already been reported.

Then we returned to the fire. Of course I had my camera, so I grabbed a few shots as we waited. After awhile, the fire crew arrived in pickup trucks. As they started, they told us to head home – we couldn’t help and would be in their way. A restless, late night. We worried. Perhaps about 1:00 am we were called and told not to worry ….

The next morning

No smoke at the house. I grabbed my cameras and Robin and I headed down to the fire. Lots of smoke and smoldering leaves but few flames and no homes were threatened. The fire crew was still working – several had worked through the night.

Now, in the early morning, workers were still beating back the remaining flames and smoldering leaves by hand with hoes and rakes and shovels.

Hard to imagine working in the smoke and heat through the night …

Now containment was started

The dozer had just arrived. A firebreak had to be cut just uphill of any remaining fire.

After deciding the route, one man led the dozer through the woods, establishing the perimeter.

Everything was knocked down, but small trees and bushes popped back up and the dozer had to make multiple passes to clear about a 10 foot wide path.

Then a backfire was started …

The backfire flames were allowed to spread, burning a lane of land barren of leaves and sticks below the dozer path. Then the backfire flames and embers were covered by hand. Slow steady progress was made as the containment perimeter was extended – we hoped the gap was wide enough so no wind would blow embers over the firebreak.

The fire crew worked through most of the day. The land still smoked but sometime in the afternoon the men decided they were done and it would be safe to leave.

Breaks were infrequent

I took advantage of a break to walk over to each of the men and thank them.

Amazing guys! These were the men we would depend on if a future fire was closer to us.

Heading home

Robin and I talked quietly about what we should do …