To the editor:

We recently had the unfortunate experience of having to call 911 to report an out-of-control fire which had spread to our yard from a neighboring property. It was a very windy day, which made matters even worse. The fire devoured some of our wooded property, spread to the open pasture, and was now threatening to destroy our house and our barn.

Within 20 minutes of calling for help, the Southern Brown Volunteer Fire Department, Southwest Bartholomew Volunteer Fire Department and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources had arrived. My husband and I were both amazed at how quickly they were able to assess the situation, develop a plan of attack and execute it, and they did so with a minimal amount of resources. They all worked very well together and did a spectacular job of getting the fire out.

The Southern Brown fire department returned later that day to make sure that the fire was completely extinguished. They walked and re-inspected the entire affected area one more time.

We are truly blessed to have this dedicated group of volunteers in our community and cannot thank them enough for what they did. God bless you all.

Sincerely,

Amy and Dennis McCarthy, Brown County

Send letters to [email protected] by noon Thursday before the date of intended publication (noon Wednesday on holiday weeks). Letters are the opinions of the writer. Letters must be signed by the author and include the writer’s town of residence and a contact number in case of questions. Only one letter every two weeks, per writer, to allow for diversity of voices in the opinions section. Please be considerate of sharing space with other letter-writers and keep your comments concise and to the point. Avoid name-calling, accusations of criminal activity and second- and third-hand statements of “fact.”