Dangerous Tree

We have a beautiful Cottonwood tree in the back yard. It shades the house in the morning and is really big. We had it trimmed 2 years ago because it was beginning to lean over the house too much. They also took out dead and unnecessary wood. It is really pretty now. However, the other day when it was somewhat windy, but not amazingly so, and the tree was loaded with Tactonis, a very large branch from up very high suddenly fell down. We were in the house and I heard the thump as it hit the roof and then the scrape as it slid down the wall outside our bedroom, just missing the window. Here are a couple of pictures of the branch.





You will notice that I said Tactonis. In the bottom picture those are the green grape looking things hanging from a branch on the right. The kids shoot them with slingshots and collect them and what all. When they open they spew cotton with a seed attached all over the place. It looks like it is snowing. It collects on the ground turning it white. It plugs up the cooler.

Every year we go out several times and burn it with matches. The fire runs across the cotton and is really cool. Well this time we had been gone to a reunion in Nauvoo so it had really built up a thick white layer.

Archie went out to burn it while I was in the house. He lit and dropped a match and he said it just exploded with fire running every direction like-- well--wildfire. I was sitting in my bedroom talking on the phone when suddenly I saw the room lighten and turn orange. I turned around to see a wall of flames at my window. The fire had reached the fallen and now dried branch outside my bedroom window. I ran outside to find Archie running around trying to stop its spread in every direction. In minutes it had covered the entire back yard including the dried grass from last year, some left over leaves and some tall and still green weeds.

I went back inside to get shoes on and saw that the fire was creeping toward the bamboo on the far side of the yard from Archie and he couldn't see it for the smoke. The bamboo is 20 or more feet high, with collected dried leaves at the base and is up against the fence, the new shed and has a tank with 95 gallons of gas up on 4 railroad ties. On the other side of the shed is the 2 year supply of firewood. I ran out to warn Archie of the danger. We grabbed hoses and started spraying the bamboo just as it caught fire. We thought we might be getting a handle on it when suddenly on our left and just up against the gas tank the flames suddenly leapt up over the height of the shed.

Just before this I had grabbed the phone that was still in my pocket and called the fire department. They said a unit was already on the way. Turns out they were in the area and had seen the smoke and were coming to investigate. I gave the dispatcher the information about the proximity of the shed and gas tank and she relayed it to the fire truck. Just as the flames went over 20 feet high by the gas tank the fire truck came in and drove directly to the back yard. I had also started praying fervently. I was worried the tank would rupture or explode and take out Archie.

They quickly got hoses on the bamboo. When they saw the tank in the midst they assigned one hose to just spray on the tank and keep it cool while the others tried to put down the flames. Other fire trucks arrived and went around the yard putting out the fire on the barn, the 4 bales of straw, fence posts, and clumps of weeds.

I ran around front and got a long hose and was walking around the yard putting out small clumps up against fence posts and other things. When one fireman saw me he yelled, "Get out of her, lady." I dropped the hose and ran in the house, where I stayed. They called for more tankers because they were running out of water and eventually we had 3 fire trucks and 2 tankers.

After they left I went outside and took pictures of the aftermath. My forsythia on the west side against the house is damaged, multiple branches of the pear tree are burned and may not live, the bamboo is totalled. The fire went under Archie's tractor. A hole has been burned in the trampoline. But we are all alive and no structures are permanently ruined. For this I am grateful for the Lord's help and seeming miracle of the proximity of the fire truck.

I am also grateful for the volunteer firemen and their prompt arrival and willingness to face danger to help us. I am posting several pictures of the poor burned yard, shed, bamboo, and etc. Grateful we are all alive and still standing.

This is the area where he dropped the match. Usually it takes a lot of matches and you start it in each area, then go on.

The poor burned barn and scattered straw bales and burned grass.

The poor damaged pear tree, the tractor and the missing bamboo in the background.

See the damage on the shed wall. Those are the gas tanks. The top one is still empty. The bottom one had about 95 gallons of gas in it. The bamboo used to be 8-10 feet deep and solid so you couldn't see through it. Up against the other side of the shed and under a shading roof is a pile of firewood about 6 feet high, 14 feet long and 4 feet deep, and just past that is a stack of old lumber that used to be 2 barns that is about 5 foot high, 10 foot deep and 20 feet long. We could have burned for days.


What is left of the downed branch which was outside my bedroom window. That is the sunroom in the background. Luckily we have a 3 foot sidewalk against the North and East of the house.
All this burn was from one match!!!! Done in just minutes!!!!

As they left one fireman recommended that we take out the Cottonwood tree as it is the source of most of the cotton in our yard and is a fire danger. Actually they are dangerous enough that female cottonwoods are banned in Albuquerque because of the fire danger in the cotton accumulations. The city will come cut it down and send you the bill if they find one. Maybe between the fallen branch and the fire we are supposed to be getting a message.