On 12/6/2015 3:16 PM, rbowman wrote:
On 12/06/2015 02:54 PM, Don Y wrote:

It was common (apparently still allowed) to "burn leaves" when I was
growing up. Town asked that you'd check with the fire marshall before
doing so (as he could then advise if forecast was not appropriate
for burning -- winds, etc.).

I get a little nostalgic for the smell of burning leaves.

Leaves are OK. I have a problem with fireplaces, though. I suspect
something in the wood (saps, etc.) that upsets allergies.

Then, of course, you have the Moe-rons who try to burn oleander
clippings!! Sheesh! It's a wonder some people can survive their
own stupidity! :

Apparently, this wasn't enough to satisfy her indignation. So,
she took it on herself to call fire department and "report" it.
"What's the address, ma'am? ... Yup, he called earlier today
and was advised it would be a 'good' day to burn".

(sigh) You can choose your friends, but NOT your neighbors...

Spring and fall are the times when the Forest Service does their controlled
burns, and private parties burn their slash piles, ditches, and so forth. A
friend who is a volunteer fireman in a rural area says it's very common for
someone driving by on the interstate to call 911 and report a fire. They have
to respond and find someone burning slash in the backyard.

One evening a couple of years ago, I had a strong smell of burning wood
*inside* the house. Given that I almost ALWAYS have a kettle of water
on the stove (tea), I immediately suspect I may have left something
nearby and it had caught fire, etc.

Nope. whew But, where the hell is that STRONG smell coming from?

Most of rear of house is glass. Happened to look to the back yard to
see the sky behind us bright orange. No, not a "far off glow" but,
rather, light that you could *read* by!

Turns out a neighbor's house had caught fire (short in car battery).
House burned to the ground. Fire department came (second time; the
*first* time they doused the car fire -- but apparently not
completely!) and refused to enter the home. Woman who had lived
there was a horder -- hallways were filled with stacks of newspaper,
boxes of "stuff", etc.

They just let it burn and tried to contain it from spreading to any of the
neighbors' homes.

Of course, they may have regretted the decision, later, when the city had
to pay replacement cost for the home -- "failing to douse the original
fire!"

Ooops!

Of course, a good percentage of 911 calls are garbage anyway. I don't mean the
obvious pranks and false reports, just good neighbors calling in anything. 'See
something, say something' my butt. With the ubiquitous cellphone in hand, there
is no intermediate step that involves assessing the situation.

We're ready for the block wardens.

Yup. Neighbor was out attending a leak at THEIR water main. Squad rolled
up...
"What's going on, here?"
"Nothing, officer, we're just trying to fix a water leak!"
"frown We had a report of 'suspicious activity' at this address..."

Neighborhood Nazi's. "Vee awl must have UNIVORM behaviour, UNIVORM
thought, yah?"