Yesterday afternoon our normally quiet little street got a little crazy when a fire broke out in the "green space" behind our house. (Green space is in quotes because it's called that, but we live in the desert and this field behind us is nothing but brown and dry.) We were enjoying a relaxing summer-time afternoon. I had just taken the boys to get ice cream and we were getting ready to set up the slip-n-slide. Trent and his buddy Zack were jumping on the trampoline when they noticed smoke coming from the brush just behind our neighbor's fence. As small flames became visible they brought our garden hose back there to try to put them out. The wind picked up a little and the fire started to spread so I called 911. 
They had the fire contained within a few minutes, but not before it melted some fences and burned an acre and a half.
The next two pictures were taken from Trent's bedroom window. From up there it was easy to see just how much of the field had burned.
The fire fighters stayed around for a couple more hours soaking the field with water and trying to eliminate any hot spots. A nice gentleman from the Utah Department of Natural Resources Forestry Division came by to talk to me and Trent. He sat on the porch with us for quite some time, talking to us about what we saw and eventually having us give a written statement. Naturally it would appear that we may have been responsible. Luckily, all of my children as well as Trent's friend were present and accounted for when the fire started.
Eventually the slip-n-slide party commenced and we were left to think about the events of the afternoon, offering a prayer of thanks that the homes that surround this field were spared and that the lives of all the people, especially the children, were protected. 
I gave them our address and hung up and waited. And waited.
After ten minutes, the fire covered the field and the fire trucks still hadn't arrived. My neighbor called 911 again and was told that the trucks had been sent to another address in the southern part of our city with a street name that was similar to ours! She gave them the name of our neighborhood and the correct street name and within a minute or two, fire trucks from Saratoga, Eagle Mountain, Bluffdale, and Lehi were on the scene.
They had the fire contained within a few minutes, but not before it melted some fences and burned an acre and a half.
The next two pictures were taken from Trent's bedroom window. From up there it was easy to see just how much of the field had burned.
The fire fighters stayed around for a couple more hours soaking the field with water and trying to eliminate any hot spots. A nice gentleman from the Utah Department of Natural Resources Forestry Division came by to talk to me and Trent. He sat on the porch with us for quite some time, talking to us about what we saw and eventually having us give a written statement. Naturally it would appear that we may have been responsible. Luckily, all of my children as well as Trent's friend were present and accounted for when the fire started.Eventually the slip-n-slide party commenced and we were left to think about the events of the afternoon, offering a prayer of thanks that the homes that surround this field were spared and that the lives of all the people, especially the children, were protected. 
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