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June 26, 2004 - Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels May 27, 2004 Neighbors come together to battle small brush fire By Bill Choy Ashland Daily Tidings It was a close call for three homes in Ashland Wednesday afternoon as a fire burned a fence behind the buildings on Rose Lane near East Main Street. The blaze was reported shortly after 2:30 p.m. The fire was kept to a small patch of bushes entwining a fence, said Margueritte Hickman, fire prevention officer for Ashland Fire & Rescue. The fire came as close as 15 to 20 feet from the three homes before fire crews were able to contain the blaze. "It was probably a little too close for comfort," she said. Hickman said the cause of the fire was not known. Maret Deniz was hanging out on her patio with friends when she saw smoke wafting up near the fence. "I saw all this smoke followed by flames and I was like, 'What the hell is that?'" Deniz recalled. One of her friends, John A. Cash of Ashland quickly grabbed a water hose and attempted to douse the fire. "I just turned on the hose and started spraying, just trying to stop it before it got too close to the house," he said. "The flames were just going right down the fence and I couldn't stop it, so I called 911." Before fire crews arrived, several residents picked up water hoses and tried to douse the fire. A few people passing by even got out of their cars and searched for the nearest water hose and lent a hand, Deniz said. "I think it was wonderful that everyone came together," she said. "That's why I live in Ashland. In other places, people probably would just have drove by." Deniz added she was grateful the only damage was to the fence, and not her home. Malcom Holt, who lives next to one of the threatened homes, was working on his computer when a neighbor told him there was a fire outside. "There was a lot of smoke in the air and the fence was one fire," he said. "It was definitely surreal to see a fire so close to where you live." DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams