Published: July 16, 2008 05:19 pm            

Lightning strikes, but hay field saved

Imagine it’s the end of a long day. You get home from work at around 7 p.m. on July 14 and now you're headed to your other job as a volunteer fireman. Then you get the call: "A bale of hay is on fire in your field." You head to the fire station to get a fire truck. However, you have to drive past the fire to get to the fire station for the truck. In the distance, rain is coming (not fast enough) but -- as you can tell by the photo that accompanies this story -- the lightning beat the rain to the hay bale.

The fireman is William Terry, fire chief of the Ranchettes Volunteer Fire Department. During his trip the get the truck, he answered his phone several times from concerned folks about the fire. Meanwhile, I (his wife) was at home and a vehicle came into the driveway beeping the horn and hollering, "There is a fire in the hay field, there is a fire in the hay field. I said, "OK, he is gone to get a fire truck."

I sat back down because I couldn't help him, then another vehicle came into the driveway and hollered, "Fire in the field." I said, "Thank you for telling me, he is gone to get the truck." I don't think these people understood that my husband was a volunteer fireman and he had already gone to get a truck.

I don't know who the people were that came to the house, but I do want to thank them very much for letting us know about the fire. Two bales of hay were lost but the rest of the field that William (Booty) Terry and family just baled last week is fine.

The volunteer firemen in our area do a great service in our community and deserve our appreciation.

Thanks again for your calls.

        

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