I came really close to losing my greenhouse yesterday to fire

[Cadillactaste]

So scary...never can I thank my neighbors enough for lending a hand to get it under control before the fire department got here to finally put it out. If it not for them...I would have surely lost my greenhouse.

My lungs...tanked while trying to move the garden hose to the nearest faucet...gather all buckets. Neighbors came with rakes and shovels. The smoke was crazy...flames so high!

I thank God for three outside faucets...and an amazing group of neighbors. As my lungs tanked and I had to go back into my home...and watch it take place from a window. The smoke was horrendous...

My green go light was if that flame touched the flat part of the lawn. I had mentally placed where my trees were inside the greenhouse. Maples...ginkgo...Bald cypress. My trees that I would have moved earth to save. The rest...wasn't quite the priority once put in a mental situation I must choose quickly.

Thank goodness it didn't come down to that.

Video footage of the charred aftermath.

Cadillactaste on Instagram: "Dang... this clearly shows... how close it was. Thank God for neighbors... and three outside faucets,buckets,rakes, and shovels. Oh, and a garden hose...which I forgot to take the watering wand off. They were like, why i

3 likes, 2 comments - cadillactaste on November 5, 2023: "Dang... this clearly shows... how close it was. Thank God for neighbors... and three outside fau..."

www.instagram.com

For understanding... the gazebo is my cold winter area...to the right...is the bank the fire was. It went right up to the lawns edge. I can't recall being so afraid.

 

[penumbra]

I am so glad that you are ok alongside all your plants and such. That would have been a terrible fright for anyone to go through. Sincerely hop you are ok and that your lungs did not suffer too much.
On the other side, what a beautiful house and location. We all have enjoyed your bonsai.

 

[KateM]

Scary. Hopefully you are okay. My husband suffers from asthma and I know it's no fun.
Best wishes and looking froward more posts from you.

 

[rockm]

Happy things turned out relatively OK!

 

[Cadillactaste]

I am so glad that you are ok alongside all your plants and such. That would have been a terrible fright for anyone to go through. Sincerely hop you are ok and that your lungs did not suffer too much.
On the other side, what a beautiful house and location. We all have enjoyed your bonsai.

Thank you...it was horrifically scary.

Also thanks for the kind words of enjoying the bonsai...and my home. Yes...truly blessed.

 

[Cadillactaste]

Scary. Hopefully you are okay. My husband suffers from asthma and I know it's no fun.
Best wishes and looking froward more posts from you.

Then you understand all to much. Thing with my lungs...they take time to heal...where asthma you tend to recover much quicker. That's at least how the pulmonary specialist states it. I'm asthmatic tendencies long term effects.

Thank you. For your kind words.

Happy things turned out relatively OK!

Thanks. Gosh...I can't possibly thank our neighbors enough. They saved my greenhouse. Without them...there was no way to get that under control. Just my husband and two boys as...I was pathetically useless once I gathered things and got the hose around to the closest faucet. That smoke...my lungs were tanking on.

 

[coltranem]

Glad to hear things are relatively ok and we're able to save the green house.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

You didn't mention the cause of the fire. Was someone burning leaves?

 

[Cajunrider]

I am glad that you didn't lose your greenhouse. I used to live close to the marsh that have marsh fires that went out of control once in a while. I have learned from that and create fire breaks for protection of important structures of my property.

 

[Cadillactaste]

You didn't mention the cause of the fire. Was someone burning leaves?

No one was burning leaves. Accidental...my husband tossed out the ash bucket that hadn't been added to in 4-5 days. Apparently...there was a hot ember. 30 years of always following the same regiment. We got a freaking hot ember.

He had just blown leaves over the hill...the other day. So that fed it. Once it got started.

 

[Cajunrider]

No one was burning leaves. Accidental...my husband tossed out the ash bucket that hadn't been added to in 4-5 days. Apparently...there was a hot ember. 30 years of always following the same regiment. We got a freaking hot ember.

He had just blown leaves over the hill...the other day. So that fed it. Once it got started.

Uh oh. I am so glad y'all dodge the bullet then.

 

[Cadillactaste]

Uh oh. I am so glad y'all dodge the bullet then.

Thanks... I'm just glad he didn't fall asleep he had said he was going to take a nap in the basement. Some game that was on. He decided to watch the last 5 minutes. Seen smoke come across the window outside...thought it odd. Our chimney has never dropped smoke so low...then got up to check. Noticing the woods on fire.

Had we not had our neighbors help. That fire would have gotten to the greenhouse...and possibly our home. Feeling quite blessed we were spared.

 

[PerryB]

I'm so glad that you didn't lose any plants or your greenhouse!

We had a fire in our greenhouse in January of 2019 that killed almost all plants (including a 30 year old tropical bonsai) and forced us to rebuild the greenhouse---and move out of our house for 2 months. Our greenhouse is attached to the east side of the house, and when the firemen came through the house to get to the fire the smoke just billowed into the house.

Ours was caused by an electrical fault in the heat pump we used to heat the greenhouse. Also, I was at work and our neighbor noticed the fire, woke my husband who was sound asleep, and called the fire department!

Thank goodness for good neighbors!

 

[Cadillactaste]

I'm so glad that you didn't lose any plants or your greenhouse!

We had a fire in our greenhouse in January of 2019 that killed almost all plants (including a 30 year old tropical bonsai) and forced us to rebuild the greenhouse---and move out of our house for 2 months. Our greenhouse is attached to the east side of the house, and when the firemen came through the house to get to the fire the smoke just billowed into the house.

Ours was caused by an electrical fault in the heat pump we used to heat the greenhouse. Also, I was at work and our neighbor noticed the fire, woke my husband who was sound asleep, and called the fire department!

Thank goodness for good neighbors!

Neighbors again...come to the rescue. But absolutely horrific what you went through. Thank goodness no loss of life. Tragic the loss of trees. Those are personal to us.

 

[Carol 83]

Sounds like a close call. Glad your greenhouse and home weren't affected.

 

[Cadillactaste]

Sounds like a close call. Glad your greenhouse and home weren't affected.

Thanks...way to close.

 

[Paradox]

Scary.
Glad things were gotten under control before they really got out of control

 

[Cadillactaste]

Scary.
Glad things were gotten under control before they really got out of control

Thanks. Those flames were so high. So close to the greenhouse for comfort. I'm very rural...our fire department is volunteer. I am so fortunate for all the neighbors who came to battle that fire to keep it from spreading near my home and greenhouse. It was to close for comfort. Once said and done. I found I kept getting the shakes from the intensity of what could have happened. But...all is fine...and I'm on some steroids and a new inhaler to help heal my lungs. So all will right itself soon.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Glad you saved the greenhouse and trees. Yard fires in rural areas can be a major problem with sparks from trash and yard waste burning as well as ashes as in your case. It really is good practice to keep the area near your house cleared of dead or especially flammable brush. Here in NC pine needles can be a major issue as folks like to use them for mulch and they will go up in flames at the least provocation. With respect to ashes from fireplaces, wood stoves, fire pits and grills it is always a good idea to wet‘em down instead of relying on letting them die out by themselves.

 

[Cadillactaste]

Glad you saved the greenhouse and trees. Yard fires in rural areas can be a major problem with sparks from trash and yard waste burning as well as ashes as in your case. It really is good practice to keep the area near your house cleared of dead or especially flammable brush. Here in NC pine needles can be a major issue as folks like to use them for mulch and they will go up in flames at the least provocation. With respect to ashes from fireplaces, wood stoves, fire pits and grills it is always a good idea to wet‘em down instead of relying on letting them die out by themselves.

Yes,thanks...true enough..the Ravine had all our leaves blown into it the day before. But...also kept it from spreading into the yard as there was no litter of leaves to devour.

Yes, talk of soaking ash bucket has been mentioned. smart...for sure. 30 years we've never had an issue using that regiment. But...never say never I reckon.

Volunteer fire department means...extra time you don't have. As no one sits on call at the station. My neighbors...they were my saving grace.