Fire conditions remain high in wake of wildfire

Your home can burn to the ground because of your neighbor’s actions.

Now that I have your attention, allow me to expand on that very accurate statement. As all of the readers are almost certainly aware, we recently had a wildfire in the Mat-Su that threatened a large number of people, burned more than 50 homes, and destroyed an untallied amount of property. People literally ran for their lives, and the lives of several dogs and other pets were lost to the wall of fire and heat that overwhelmed Willow.

I was on the initial attack, running head-on into that wall of heat trying to curb its advance and provide more time for residents in the immediate path of danger to escape. The fire blew up extremely quickly, much quicker than is imaginable to someone outside the firefighting profession.

As an example of how quick it happened, imagine lighting a candle on your child’s birthday cake and immediately all eight candles ignite. As your child blows the candle out two seconds later, the curtain on the other side of the kitchen catches fire behind you and you find yourself surrounded by fire and smoke. It’s that quick – a wildfire can double in size in seconds and can run at 10 miles per hour or more once it gets to the tree tops.

Before the Sockeye fire was even contained, many in the public were screaming that fireworks “had” to be the cause and it was time to ban fireworks. People were organizing pickets to protest the fireworks stands, completely unaware that the owners of the stands had already closed all stands due to the extreme fire danger. The stands’ owners work closely with the fire department, and provide fire prevention information with every purchase as well as remind people of the law that fireworks are illegal anywhere in the Mat-Su outside of Houston with very few exceptions on the New Years’ holiday. They have even provided access to property for customers who want to shoot off fireworks legally.

As the firefight continued, people were making public outcries for the name of the person who started the fire so they could personally attack them. When the news broke that the state had filed charges against two people whose actions likely caused the fire, by their own accord. In fact, according to the news stories, the people responsible did not deny that they had used fireworks the day before in an area where fireworks were not allowed and admitted that they’d been burning piles of debris inappropriately. According to media stories, the persons stated that a burn pile got away from them and they evacuated and dialed 911.

What it all boils down to is a tragic error in judgment and that same mistake is made every day by people throughout the Mat-Su. Watching my Facebook wall as people I respect gather their cyber-pitchforks and attack complete strangers demanding they should lose their home, or suffer a fire to understand the fate of the victims, or have their pets killed, or lose every dime they’ve ever earned in their life to repay the victims, I am saddened not just because of the judging done in what they said, but also the hypocrisy of the statements. Many people who were screaming for justice are the same ones who decry us any time we tell them to keep their own fires within the law.

Fire departments often get dispatched to unsafe burning practices. I’ve had knives pulled on me, I’ve had people scream at me, I’ve had people threaten to sue me and the city for violating their civil right to do whatever they want on their property. A fellow fire official in uniform and driving a fire department vehicle even had a gun pulled on him and ordered to exit the property when he dared to tell them that they were burning unsafely. There can be no double standard when public safety is on the line — what’s good for the goose will be good for the gander.

The risk is still there, right now as you read this. Has there been rain? Yes. Does that make it less likely for wildfire to occur? Yes. But do those words protect you? No. Your home is still at the mercy or a turn of weather and a poor decision by a neighbor or your own poor decision, and their home is at your mercy. Burn safely. All of the rules on burn permits were written with the ash of lost homes and forest; respect them and obey them.

Oh, and don’t be mad when I ask you to tone down your fire or put it out. It’s our job to protect the public, not your marshmallow craving or trash disposal.

Captain Christian M. Hartley is a second-generation emergency responder with 15 years of experience, and currently works as the Training Officer with Houston Fire Department. He can be reached at chartley@houston-ak.gov.