Reflections from Crumbly Acres: Bathurst Burgess Drummond North Elmsley Fire

We've had a fire ban for a couple of weeks. The dry leaves keep blowing into the garage, I sweep them out again. In the meantime, something has happened in our county.

I smelled smoke a several hours before I heard a siren, in the morning. Then, a fire truck in the afternoon – our BBDNE volunteers. Next, two, and three trucks, as well as the volunteers in their cars. They have green flashing lights. The Rescue truck followed.

A sixth truck went by (3:17), another went by back into town, sirens going and lights flashing. Most people pulled over, eventually. This is what I thought: they're getting water from town, confirmed by Lake 88 radio:

Lake 88

24 mins ·

Firefighters on scene of outbuilding fire on 3 Bay Rd off Elmgrove Rd. Motorists asked to be aware of trucks transporting water. No injuries

Two volunteers were stationed at Elm Grove Rd. and Three Bay Rd. directing traffic, I drove by to see how close it was to us. The wind is blowing smoke this way. Thank goodness for our volunteer firefighters. Things are tinder dry, and the wind is fierce.

This is an issue with cottage country seasonal residents, some don't want to pay their fair share of taxes, to provide a base, yet when things happen, you have to have the infrastructure in place. Many of us, obviously, live here full-time. The roads are narrow, and there isn't room for vehicles to pass. I took a drive to see if I could spot the fire from the opposite shoreline. All I could see what heavy smoke, being driven by the winds.

Fire: Otty Lake from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Irony is, it's
International Firefighters' Day!
Begun in 1999 in Australia.

It is a little lake, with some old cottages, and some new. I canoe on this lake.

Our firefighters are part of: Bathurst Burgess Drummond North Elmsley Fire Rescue (BBDNE)!

BBDNE firefighter trucks from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.
This is the truth about rural firefighting. The trucks had to drive the 10k back into town to refill with water. Thank goodness for our BBDNE firefighters

I took a drive out there this morning. It's a beautiful cottage road, with many full-time residents. It looks like a workshop was totally devoured by flames. You can see where the trucks gained access by a side road. The former workshop at the top of this hill. Lots of mud.