Little maple sugaring set back

tracto-man · Mar 8, 2017

Was working on a tractor in the garage
and smelled smoke. Popped out the door
and everything was white/gray. Started
heading into it and realized My little
bit of sugarbush had a small fire. God
knows how it started, but it was only
about 4x4 big, so I grabbed the dogs
water bucket. To buckets later, thanks
to the blasted wind, it was probably
40x40. Okay time to call the fire
dept. Got awefully close to the
propeign tank. 10 5 gal buckets saved
the shed and some of my motor toys, got
myself all full of smoke. Then the
fire dept got to play around for a few
hours. Still wondering how the heck it
started. I hadn't been out there all
day and its not within 50 yards of the
road. No trees touching the power
lines either.

2underage · Mar 8, 2017

I am glad that you did not have much of a loss but sorry about the big scare. You may never know how it started but be glad you saw it in time.

Janicholson · Mar 8, 2017

A piece of glass, or a few square inches of aluminized plastic can focus the sun and get an ember started. Then the wind accelerates the thing into flame. Look for glass where it started, Plastic will have burned up. Are there kids around? Jim

Steve@Advance · Mar 8, 2017

That will get the ol' ticker to pumping!

Good thing you caught it when you did!

Place I worked back in the 80's, there was a big grassy field behind the shop. About once or twice a year the grass would catch fire, always in the same spot. It was unlikely anyone would have been back there, pretty inaccessible.

Always was a mystery how or why it would start, always in the afternoon, on a hot day. The only explanation was a rumor the previous owner may have buried some drums of chemicals so he didn't have to pay for disposal!

johnny ga · Mar 8, 2017

had an electric fence start a fire in the pasture one day at lunch glad i was there.

ohiojim · Mar 8, 2017

I thought you were working on some pre-boiled sap....

sms · Mar 8, 2017

It's good no more damage was done. I was shown once how easy it is to put out a small fire in the leaves or grass with a rake rather then water. Just rake it into itself so it burns in one place and doesn't have fuel to spread. Hope this helps someone.

tracto-man · Mar 8, 2017

That was my idea but that latest about 10 seconds. The wind was blowing so much heat and smoke I couldn't breath within 40 feet.

tracto-man · Mar 8, 2017

I know for a fact nobody from my family was in there.

I went back and check the area it started out. There is a lot of glass in this woods but didn't notice any around. Found a upside down pop can and a few other shiny pieces of trash. Seems one of these things would be the most logical explation.

Gonna start cleaning it all up this weekend.

Little maple sugaring set back

tracto-man

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2underage

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Janicholson

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Steve@Advance

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johnny ga

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ohiojim

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sms

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tracto-man

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tracto-man

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