In the story, Lord of the Rings, the main characters are fleeing in a huge underground cavern from a fiery demon, Balrog. It a very dramatic scene the heroes run across a very high and very narrow rocky bridge with the Balrog “hot” on their heels. Gandalf the wizard stops and turns. With his staff, he strikes the bridge (weakening it) and states “You shall not pass”.

Of course, the demon laughs, eats Gandalf and then makes a toasty treat of the remaining heroes.

No, that’s not right. Read it yourself to find out the story. The Lord of the Rings, J. R. R. Tolkein.

Interesting, but what does this have to do with Erywilde? Is there a Balrog in the lake? Hiding in a cave? No, no, but there is a big fire story to tell with a aluminum bridge and everything. Here it is, 100% true and accurate. I promise.

“Once upon a time, there was an old man and his grandson who needed to burn large piles of branches, trees, grass, leaves, stumps, etc. These piles had been drying in the Summer sun for months as the faraway city of Atlantis prohibited burning in the summer. Grandfather did not want to invoke the ire of the gods in Atlantis so he waited until the Fall and the ending of the seasonal ban.

With his grandson, the old man approached the biggest of the three piles of brush. Big it was. Piled on a hillside, the uphill side was about level with the ledge from which it had been thrown. The downhill side was at least fifteen feet high. But surrounded by water on one side, raw dirt on the other and mostly dirt on sides three and four, the old man decided to burn this pile first because it was the safest and least like to get out of control, thus angering the gods.

The pile did not seem very densely packed and grandfather did not know how quickly it would burn. He stretched an extension latter from the uphill ledge out to the top of the pile. He then crawled across the horizontal “bridge” with a 5 gallon container of diesel fuel. The diesel fuel was going to act as an “accelerant“. Leaving the ladder and fuel on top the pile, the old man descended and decided to burn all the leaves, grass, etc. near the pile in a series of small, local fires, so the large pile would not catch the surrounding area on fire as it burned.

Armed with his trusty 500,000 BTU propane blow torch, Grandpa begin burning an area around the pile.  Squeeze handle, whoosh – a large, blue tongue of flame roared out! Squeeze, whoosh. The pilot flame was yellow and licked around the end of the torch.  Squeeze, whoosh!

Grandpa sees a little brush hanging out of the big pile that he decides to neaten up. Squeeze, whoosh. Oops. A small fire begins in the main pile. Fire in pile grows. Pile starts to burn. Rapidly. Grandpa looks up the hill and sees his grandson. Thumbs up. Started a bit early but okay.

Grandpa’s glance carries to the right of his grandson. Not okay! He sees the five gallons of diesel fuel on top of the now rapidly burning brush. Glad that it wasn’t gasoline (NEVER use gasoline!) he ran up the hill and started his clamber out over the ladder. He moved slowly because he was worried about stepping through the ladder’s rungs, breaking a leg and having to crawl back to his grandson through the roaring flames.

Slowly, so slowly (it seemed), he crept across the ladder. The flames were rising. The heat was beginning to build. He reached the fuel just before the flames. Now he pullled on the container to get it back to safety, carefully, carefully. Nearer to safety. The last rung. Made it!

Now the fire is really beginning to roar. Flames shooting 40 feet into the air. Heat rolling from the pile, driving Grandpa and Grandson back. Leaves in the overhanging trees wither. A small tree 10 feet from fire spontaneously ignites. Large logs in the pile are buring in a roar. Almost no smoke as the fire is so hot.

So hot.

Whew, that was close.

……….. Now, two more to go!

🙂

Frank