The Fire

Well, today was a nice day to smoke a couple of briskets. I decided that on top of the deck was okay, since I'd watered pretty well earlier. Take note that North Texas has been very, very dry.

After about 2 1/2 hours of smoking, I decided to take a break, and relaxed a bit. A short while later, my neighbor (who had been out painting), rang my doorbell, and with the phone in his ear to 911 yelled, "you got a fire."

I didn't know I could move so fast. At the base of the deck, there were some leaves that had ignited, and involved several square feet of my deck. I grabbed the fire extinguisher, pulled the pin, turned it upside down, and...watched it fart some white dust. Super.

Plan B - garden hose. That works wonders, thanks very much. About that time, the fire engine arrived, and pulled all the way around back. Pretty mortifying, to say the least.

Both the fire department and the police department tried to claim the briskets for evidence.

Thanks to my great neighbor, all is well. The response from the FD was impressive. No more than 4 minutes could have elapsed.

Thanks, everyone. Glad to know we're watching out for each other.