fire in the lowveld

Around 4:00 Friday afternoon, I could smell fire. That’s not all too common this time of year in the Lowveld here in S. Africa. The ground is so dry that fires pop up everywhere. However, this one must have been uncontrolled and the slight wind made it spread. Fast. By 4:30 I was closing up our windows and doors because ash was falling on my freshly cleaned floors.

 

I walked to the front of the property and the fire was close and spreading fast. Someone had called the fire brigade, but they couldn’t get here fast enough. People were hauling buckets of water and the guys were stomping out the little flames with tree branches full of leaves.

As we watched it get closer to the main house, someone made a second call to come quick. We could hear the hiss and the sounds of trees falling on the driveway, but the worst was seeing the flames surround the water tanks. Every day we pump water to four big tanks. These supply water to the whole property. Three of them, along with all the pipes, were melted.

 

The fire brigade did show up before it got any homes and for that we are thankful. I did think it odd that they left before the fire was out. You could see flames well into the night, burning brush and trees at the back of the property, but by morning, the flames were gone. The smell of fire and signs of smoke, however, were evident.

Thank you to those of you who prayed for us as I tweeted about it. At one point Emma G asked if her and I could sit down and pray. Jesus heard those prayers! My prayer now is that we’ll be able to replace those melted tanks soon!