Tongues of flame licked her neighbourhood

My sister is safe.

Her house is safe.

Two houses across the street burned to the ground and the entire neighbourhood is in shock and smelling like smoke.

But everyone is back home again.

They were saved by dissipating winds and by Herculean efforts of fire fighters who protected the houses from a two-day wild-fire that licked at the edge of my sister’s street.

This fire started on Friday the 13th.

My sister returned to her house on Sunday, June 15. That day was her birthday.

Talk about poetic justice.

Thank you for the messages.

18 Responses to “Tongues of flame licked her neighbourhood”


  1. 1 Megan

    Whew!

  2. 2 Megan

    Whew!

  3. 3 Beth

    Thank God!

    The post title titillated me and made me giggle, though.

  4. 4 Allison

    Glad to hear that everyone is okay.

  5. 5 chancelucky

    That’s great news. I”m not even sure how to respond to actually momentous personal news in a blog, but I’m relieved for you and your family.

  6. 6 jacy

    I didn’t even know about these fires! So sorry, and so glad to hear your sister and her family are safe.

  7. 7 gifted typist

    Megan, you can say that again

    Megan, oh, you did

    Beth, yes thanks is a big word in their household at the mo.
    You thing you. I didn’t even think of that interpretation but now that you say it ….

    Allison, every is safe and sound, thanks for your thoughts

    Chance, just responding is enough. Thanks

    Jacy, thanks. I was at the cottage with no TV, only radio and the internet. I felt strangely cut off and helpless. The blogging seemed the only thing I could do.

  8. 8 Dale

    Thankfully everything turned out alright for her. I was shocked when I heard about it all happening.

  9. 9 YAM

    So sorry to hear about your sister’s experience with the fires — very glad to hear everyone is okay.

    The winds were swirling around pretty bad this weekend, no wonder it was so difficult to get things under control.

    The community certainly rallied around those folks who were evacuated and the fire fighters are very brave.

    Time to clean up after Hurricane Juan now so this doesn’t happen again. Apparently the fallen trees created great fuel for the fire plus the fire fighters had to crawl through that stuff. Frightening.

  10. 10 gifted typist

    Dale, big sigh if relief all round,but not too big as the exhale may stir up those embers and start things up again

    YAM, yes I heard the fire marshal talking about that. One disaster begets another. Is it bone dry in your parts?
    Certainly an emotionally draining day with the mother of Karissa being charged with first degree.

  11. 11 chelene

    GT, I missed your first post but I’m very glad everyone is okay.

  12. 12 Write Procrastinator

    Hurrah!

    Molsons and poutine for all the firefighters!

  13. 13 Gifted Typist

    Chelene, you’re forgiven for the first-post thing…

    WP, I’ve ordered them up, shall i order in extras for you?

  14. 14 YAM

    Yes GT very dry here also but glad the winds died down.

    Yes, a sad day here yesterday — everyone and their dog apparently out heckling the mother of the murdered girl. I don’t get that — why did they all gather around waiting for her to come out of the courthouse to scream at her? It’s a bizarre thing for such a sleepy little place. First degree, and she’s the only once charged.

  15. 15 Gifted Typist

    YAM, I heard the heckling on the radio. It seemed medieval or something.

    BTW, we’re talking about the woman who was charged with murdering her 12-year old daughter last winter. She pretended the girl ran away but the frozen body was found on a riverside a few weeks later. It’s an NBC movie of the week sort of narrative, only real. Horrifying as YAM well knows.

  16. 16 barbara

    I am so glad to hear the good news. I’ve been thinking of your sister and her family a lot since the news of the fire.

  17. 17 Gifted Typist

    Barbara, thanks for the thoughts, she really did appreciate the messages that showed up here.
    Now you can start thinking about my paper cut!

  18. 18 Write Procrastinator

    “Molsons and poutine for all the firefighters!”

    Mais oui.

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