HomeMy WebLinkAboutDamage from Forest Fire 021005Ex?
Thursday, December 5, Ion-,
`I'm Sorry' Fails to Correct Damage
Caused by 'Man-Made' Forest Fires
BY D. A. ANDERSON by people who are careless.
Information and Education Homes, barns, improved pas-
Chief I tures, valuable forests, hay
Texas Forest Service crops, wildlife, and other im-
COLLEGE STATION (Spl) -~provements go up in flames.
A large forest fire, caused Each fire rings with the words,
by carelessness, was extin- "I'm sorry." Need such be?
guished. An investigation, which And, except for those persons
immediately followed, led to the who were touched by material
home of the person responsible loses the news account is soon
for it, forgotten in this workaday
"I'm sorry," was the reply. "I , world, only to be r e p e a t e d
didn't mean for the fire to get l again.
away." ! A careless burner need only to
Today these words ring in my1witness an elderly couple of
ears whenever I see a fiery poor means standing, with misty
grass or forest fire. eyes, by the smoldering ruins of
One Dies their home. They have lost all
Why? Because art elderly per- their earthly possessions, with
son was burned to death as a no place to go. "What shall we
result of this person's careless- do?" they say.
ness. I was a witness to the pass It Off?
event, and the vivid picture still Could we say "I'm sorry" and
remains in my mind today. pass it off? No, not intentional-
Yes, it happened in Texas, in ly. Yet, many people who allow
the piney woods of deep Eastjfire to escape contribute in one
Texas. And it happened because way or another to the misfor-
someone allowed a trash fire to tune of a fellow man. Why must
escape to forest land. this be?
It is true that deaths from for- There are even people, with
est fires are uncommon in Tex- arson in their heart, who pur
as, but they do occur from time posely et forest and grass fires.
to time. And, someone careless Records of the Texas Forest
vM a fire may someday be the Service show that, during the
cause of taking another human calendar year 1967, a total of
life. Must they? Could you say, 586 fires were caused by sud1f
`,I'm sorry"? people.
But, aside from human life, Generally, the arsonist will set
extensive damage from grass many fires at one time, some-
and forest fires occurs arcually,,times as high as 20. And he gen-
erally picks the day when he
can do the most damage. Spite,
jealously and many other ex-
cusses are given for such wan-
ton acts on his part. It can be
said, in the words of one proph-
et, "they have burned up the
temples of God in the land."
Over 99 per cent of the fires
in Texas are mar.-caused. They
can be prevented if only you
and I are extremely careful
with the use of fire and encour-
age others to do the same.
Let's not have to say, "I'm
11