Sweet. Don't Die.

Oconee County Firefighter John Vangotum sprays down hot spots as firefighters battle one of several small forest fires along the railroad tracks near the Victoria Station subdivision on Tuesday, June 30, 2009 in Watkinsville, Ga.

I texted a friend while i was at the scene of a wildfire along the railroad tracks in Watkinsville, Ga., and thats what they said. "Sweet. Don't Die." Probably the best advice you can give anyone covering a wildfire. Well really the best advice you can give someone.

When i critique student work and i see brush fire coverage, i always have to remind them to have the right gear. You shouldn't be that photographer who is at the scene
of a wildfire and have great access and try to get shots with a 20mm lens of the crews working without the right Nomex gear. Yesterday i broke that rule, straddling the line of good judgment and complete dumbass.

I went as far as i could without endangering myself and as far as i could without getting in the way of the Oconee County Fire Dept. Turns out a passing train from the Hartwell Railroad (The Athens Line LLC based on a 2005 article) managed to spark the fires as somehow brakes from the train will send sparks into the dry brush. Remember back to third-grade science class: heat (sparks) + fuel (dry brush) + oxygen = FIRE. I got dirty and found myself wondering if my shoes would melt as well as getting a face full of steam as i was following the fire crews. When i got nervous for my safety and everything kinda hit me, I left. There will be more wildfires. I got my pictures and i bailed.

I missed a few photos of people using garden hoses to wet down their back yards. OCFD saved a few structures before i started wandering around and getting up and into the face of the fire.