Friday morning I was awakened by a phone call. "There's a choir over by Friends Church" I thought I heard. "At 3:00 am?", I asked in dubious surprise. Was I expected to go sing with the choir at this time of night? "Look out the window!" was the response.
When I looked, it all made sense. Fire! A huge fireball shot into the night sky, and I quickly hung up and got dressed to go help fight the fire. Running across the river I saw a transformer explode in sparks, and redoubled my pace. Reaching the watching crowd, I found my friend Bert Foxglove. "Is everyone out?" I asked breathlessly. "I think so. Go find out!" Bert urged me. "Around back". I followed where he pointed and made my way to the leeward side of the house. A strong breeze was fanning flames and billows of smoke out from the house, fortunately away from the house next door only a few feet away.
I cautiously hurried between the burning house and its neighbor, and joined the group of onlookers. One person was spraying a garden hose from the faucet next door, on the back wall of the house. Another was calling, "Lucky! Lucky!" through a window, trying to save a pet dog. Entering the house was out of the question. The fire was a hurricane of flames.
"Is everyone out?" I again questioned. "Yes, but the dogs are dead by now" was the response. Helplessly I watched as the garden hose was sprayed first on one side, then the other, trying to keep the side of the house nearest the neighbors from bursting into flame and spreading the fire to them. Flames licked the power lines and soon the power to the homes of the surrounding neighbors went out. All was blackness except for the roaring flames.
A wail went up from the home of the nearest neighbor. Soon I saw an elderly woman being helped from the dark home, to safety some distance from the fire. Not knowing what else I could do to help, I took her arm and helped her down the steps of her endangered home.
"A knife! Does anybody have a knife?" I was glad to have something else I could do to help-- loan my leatherman I always carry. Soon I saw a firehose being dragged from the river, but agonizing minutes passed without any water coming from it. "What is taking so long?" I worried to myself. "God, please don't let anyone be killed or the neighbors houses burn!" I prayed silently.
"Can somebody give me a hand with this hose?" I heard the Baptist pastor on the other side of the house. He had another firehose hooked up to the water mains coming to the houses, and though it was too short to reach any farther than the corner of the house, he was able to keep the side nearest the neighbors cooled with the water.
The next two hours were engaged with holding the firehose and participating in bucket brigades (using five gallon buckets filled from the firehose, since it would not reach far enough). Finally, another matching hose was located and we were able to take the hose around the sides of the house, and work on putting the fire out. Walls of the house were knocked down and the fire attacked and gradually put under control.
Working together with others for a common goal was a good experience, though tiring. I am saddened that it came at the loss of Buddy Cleveland's home and pet dogs. Visiting with him later, I asked what woke him up. He showed me a couple burns on his wrists where burning plastic fell on him while he was sleeping. He doesn't know if the fire was started due to faulty wiring or his wood stove. It was an older house and either one could be the case.
Please keep Buddy in prayer and feel free to send donations to assist him and his brother (who lived with him). He had just retired, received his payout, and made purchases which are now unfortunately gone. So, if you wish to send him donations, I'm sure they would be much appreciated.
Just use:
Buddy Cleveland
General Delivery
Selawik, AK 99770
God bless,
Warren
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