A sad day in our community

 A prairie fire started on Saturday and was stopped by our very hard working volunteer firemen. They worked all night to get it under control and went home about 6 am on Sunday morning. About 11;30 the winds picked up and stoked the embers. The fire gained a whole new momentum and took off. Within a very short time it was into a housing area.

We heard several mutual aid calls for firemen from neighboring towns. I heard that we had over 100 firemen from 20 departments and they fought hard all afternoon, but the dry grass and the high wind were tough opponents. By the end of the day 8 homes were lost as well as outbuildings and equipment. It could have been so much worse. They saved most of the homes and there was no loss of life. But I'm sure it was hard for them to lose what they did.

 One of the homes lost belonged to a woman who I call a friend. She welcomed me into the community when we first moved to the lake and she led our Thimbleberries quilt club. I am so sad that she lost everything. But if I know her she will be counting her blessings that she is still alive.

Sometimes life on the prairie can be hard, but the people here are wonderful. There have already been accounts set up at local banks to help the families who have lost everything.

Most of all today I am grateful for our emergency personnel. Most of our firemen and EMT's are volunteers who still have full time day jobs. They give so much to our community and I hope they know today that they are appreciated more than words can ever say.