The FIRE this time

‘Be prepared plan’ softened panic, but still, time was wasted on non-essentials

- DIANA RIGELMAN

At first there was just a pleasant hint of smoke. It smelled of wood, grass and nature as it wafted through windows.

When I looked outside, I saw a small plume of smoke rising from a neighboring hill. I wondered if someone had called it in.

Fire. A four-letter word that’s well respected this time of year.

I could see charcoal color start to run across the grassy expanse. It reminded me of how a cigarette burns. As with each draw of a breath through a cigarette, red embers glowed, blackening the earth in a jagged pattern.

Alarmingly, smoke and embers were heading in my direction. That’s when the phone beeped — announcing a Level 1 Evacuation Alert. The danger was real and unfolding quickly. Stay tuned.

What to do now?

Luckily, irrigation sprinklers were already on. As a precaution, I set out another hose and sprinkler to water down all that I could. I’ve never been in the line of a fire before. My nerves and imagination were kicking in. What to do next?

Before I could answer my own question, there was another beep from the phone.