Aftermath of the Milne Fire
The Milne fire, east of Fountain, has burned a little over 3,300 acres inside a 5,000-acre perimeter. As of Tuesday, the fire is contained.
No homes were destroyed but the damage elsewhere is not hard to find.
Walker Crane is staying busy rebuilding his father’s fence, which was ruined by the fire.
“The wind picked it up yesterday and blew up into our world and toasted quite a bit of land,” Crane said.
He said at least 3 quarters of his family’s 35-acre property burned.
“We lost two big trucks full of tools, all kinds of outbuildings. The fire department did a great job, though. They saved the home,” Crane said.
The fire came even closer to the home next to Cranes’ property. The burn scar shows how the fire spread to underneath a gate, almost approaching the front door of the house.
RELATED: #MilneFire contained, 5,000 acres burned
“I’d say probably 30 feet or 20 feet. We’ve had them come up as far as the corner fence post and burn the fence post before. But this is the first time it’s actually crossed our place in two places,” said homeowner Joe Stephenson.
When the fire crossed, it took his barn and parts of his fence.
“Things can be replaced but human lives can’t. That’s the most important thing to us. Nobody got hurt,” he said.
In his 20 years of living in Hanover, Stephenson said, “We’ve been worried for the last 10, 12 years and we’re always worried.”
He worries that this latest fire could be the sign of an early fire season.
“Never had anything like this happen,” Walker said.
The cause of the fire hasn’t been released.
