My very first 911 call

I went to the bank this afternoon, and I came out the front of it to go back to my car. Turning the corner, less than 100 yards away, is a hill with a house on top. At the base of the hill was a guy with a bucket, right in front of a little 5 foot wide fire.

My very first instinct was to run and help get the fire out. I actually took a couple of steps, and bumped my elbow pretty hard on our car's mirror. Then better instinct kicked in (or something), and I thought "That hill is pretty dry, maybe I should call 911."
The fire had started at the base of the hill, just below the firefighter on the left. By the time I got through the county Emergency response and was talking to the city dispatcher, the entire first tier of the thing was in flames. (Maybe a minute total) They asked if it was an emergency, or if I could hold. I said "There's a fire." She said "A fire?" I said "A big fire." She asked where I was, told me emergency personnel were on their way, and hung up. It took a few minutes for the engines to get there, the entire hill was on fire by then, I was out at the street to point them into the place.

I think they got it out before the house caught it. The first firetruck went up the house's driveway, and from the ground, it looks ok.

Drew tells me that they don't care who started the thing, they just get it out and move along. I'm not sure if it's true, and I'm not sure exactly what started the thing, but there was an employee from Kuhni Landscaping at the base of the hill, just after the fire started, and it spread really fast.

Anyway, I don't think anyone was hurt, including the idiots running up the thing while the fire was spreading with their rakes and hoes. (Not sure what they planned to do with garden implements with the fire spreading that fast.)

Tom works about 4 blocks away, they had a really good view of the flames.

And that's the news at 3. We return you to your regularly scheduled program, which is being joined in progress.