[Sweet Gum Minis]

Around 5pm today my daughter and I went out to toss hay out to the goats and I heard a siren and saw a cop car go down the road but thought little of it until I turned around in the driveway and saw the fire...

*Photos maybe big, didn't resize before uploading*

There is a creek behind the doe barn about 30-40 feet away but its a steep banked creek so the fire would have jumped it. We're surrounded by kudzu and vines so the fire spreads pretty quick.

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You can see most of the does and kids in this photo while I was wetting down the barn and brush. I didn't want those hot embers to catch anything over here on fire.
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Driveway view...
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View from the tracks which run behind our house. These tracks are old and abandoned. People walk them and that's how they think the fire was started. Kids.
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The big tree on the right is on our property...
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The brought in bull dozers and cleared a break to contain the fire. Then they brought in the hoses and sprayed it down. Here's what it was like after they sprayed it down around 7:30pm...
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http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a62/Go ... e/A066.jpg
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Hubby, Steve and son Matthew...
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Steve, Matthew and daughter Hannah...
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View back to our place. Bottom building is the doe barn, building above that to the left is the storage building and our house.
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Needless to say we were freaking out and are so thankful its over.

 

[liz]

Ashley, Thank God you were spared!! My goodness that had to have been very scary for you and your family...there was definately a guardian Angel at your place today.

 

[Sweet Gum Minis]

Yes we were very lucky and I'm so thankful! ray:

 

[Muddy Creek Farm]

What an eventful day you have had!!! I am so glad everyone is safe. ray:

 

[Di]

I think of all the "natural disasters" fire has got to rank among the top "things I fear the most". Thank God everyone's OK.

 

[Sweet Gum Minis]

They came out again last night to check it and were out again this morning with fire trucks spraying it. Some new fires had popped up. They said it was too hot to get all the hot spots out so it'll smolder but should just sizzle out. They're watching it.

 

[StaceyRosado]

I know I told you this on IM but boy I am so thankful you all are safe and the goats too. That is CRAZY close to the house!

 

[goathappy]

That is scary!!! Thank the Lord you and your goats are all ok!!

 

[Sweet Gum Minis]

Thanks everyone! They've been out here several times today checking. There are small fires still going and it did rain today. Some kids on a 4-wheeler came up to us to let us know there's another fire spot going on so that was good that they're watching out too.

 

[kelebek]

Oh my gosh - I am so sorry - but I am glad that you all and all the goaties are ok!!! Was it sparked by the train??

 

[sweetgoats]

Well, Thank the Lord that you are all ok.

 

[Sweet Gum Minis]

That tracks not used so no it wasn't by a train. People walk the tracks sometimes so its hard to say how it happened. The forestry commition thought it was kids and he did talk to some.

 

[kelebek]

well hopefully ray: It will not happen again....

 

[enjoytheride]

Thank goodness it's still green (although maybe it's always green there???) If it had been drying that would have been so hard to stop.
I'm glad that people were on top of it and got it reported so fast.
Scary.

 

[sweetgoats]

I can not believe they did not evacuate you. That was really really close or it just looked that way. Are the goats ok? Was the smoke bad around them?

 

[Sweet Gum Minis]

Under all that fresh kudzu is tons of dry dead kudzu from last year. That stuff just dies where it is and turns brittly brown. So that's what caught fire so easily and let it spread so fast.

It has rained some today, not enough to ensure all the last embers are out though.

 

[Hailee's Herd]

Glad you are all OK!

 

[redneck_acres]

Thank goodness you are all okay. We had our barn burn down a long time ago-lost all of the kid crop for that year-thankfully we didn't lose our house though or any of the big goats.