So it’s Oct. 11, around 7:30 p.m., and I just come home from picking up some food, and what do I come home to? What looks like a huge fire in my backyard!

The first thing I do is call 911. There are trees in our backyard, and there’s a trailer park right behind us, which was the likely source of what I thought to be a real fire. Not noticing any lights, and I sure didn’t hear any sirens, I didn’t think anyone else had responded to it yet. About that time, my father came home. I told him there was a fire, and he ran out to it right away. By that time, it was getting bigger, and I still didn’t hear any sirens or see any lights. He tore his shirt climbing over several barbed wire fences with the thought that people could have been burning to death inside their home.

I had called 911 five or ten minutes ago … What was going on? Why have I not heard any sirens or seen any lights yet?

My mother sees a lone policeman coming down our street, she ran out and waved him down to tell him about the fire, which was right behind our house. He tells her it’s a controlled burn. Oh, now they tell us. My dad emerges from the woods telling me the whole place was surrounded by fire trucks. Not one of them had their lights on. Wow. So I guess I feel stupid for calling 911.

Now I feel bad for calling an emergency number for something I thought was a genuine emergency, great job on informing the people in the neighborhood, Oak Harbor Police Department. Maybe next time inform the people in the surrounding neighborhood, or put an article to inform us about it in the newspaper beforehand, or at least turn your emergency lights on so we know someone is already there.

It’ll save us from wasting 911’s time, and save my dad from having to buy a new workshirt next time.

Sara Howard

Oak Harbor