Grass fires have been a big problem in the area this spring. The wet weather of Monday and early Tuesday caused a much-needed lull in the fire calls, but its beautiful outside now and the forecast is for sunny weather and warmer temperatures ahead. Hopefully, that wont translate into more grass fires.
Reporter Brian Gray wrote a news story for last Saturdays edition about the recent rash of grass fires wed planned it Friday morning, and all day Friday the scanner was busy with report after report of burns getting out of control. The timing of Saturdays story, unfortunately, was perfect because a whopper of a fire broke out on Easter Sunday.
The official report says that 18 fire departments participated in extinguishing a blaze that burned about 1,000 acres of land off Center Road in rural Monroe. Firefighters were on the scene for about four hours, and no one was injured.
Because it was Easter Sunday, the Times did not have a photographer at the scene. Fortunately, a reader, David Murphy of Monroe, was on the scene and took some photos, which he graciously shared with us. It was our lead photo on the front page of Mondays edition.
But that wasnt end of Mr. Murphys day. Because grass fires have been a problem throughout the state, and because this one was a particularly large fire, other news outlets wanted a photo. A television news channel in Madison called first. Then the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Finally, the Associated Press asked for a picture. I was in e-mail contact with David throughout Monday morning, as he had to give permission for the photos to be used. The Associated Press had to contact him directly. This has been kind of fun! he e-mailed.
I mention all of this to remind you that if you are at the scene of a newsworthy event and take pictures, or have get a great feature photo youd like to share, please send them to me at editor@themonroetimes.com. Please make sure to include contact information. We may be able to use them, perhaps even on the front page. I cant guarantee that the AP will be calling you to send your photo out statewide, but you never know.
I have one more related thought. A reader pointed out in a comment to the fire story that Monroes firefighters now have spent two consecutive Easters fighting large fires. Last Easter was the house fire that tragically resulted in the death of Jeffrey Sullivan. Im glad the reader made that connection and comment, because it serves as a reminder of the work and sacrifices are public safety personnel make for us.
Reporter Brian Gray wrote a news story for last Saturdays edition about the recent rash of grass fires wed planned it Friday morning, and all day Friday the scanner was busy with report after report of burns getting out of control. The timing of Saturdays story, unfortunately, was perfect because a whopper of a fire broke out on Easter Sunday.
The official report says that 18 fire departments participated in extinguishing a blaze that burned about 1,000 acres of land off Center Road in rural Monroe. Firefighters were on the scene for about four hours, and no one was injured.
Because it was Easter Sunday, the Times did not have a photographer at the scene. Fortunately, a reader, David Murphy of Monroe, was on the scene and took some photos, which he graciously shared with us. It was our lead photo on the front page of Mondays edition.
But that wasnt end of Mr. Murphys day. Because grass fires have been a problem throughout the state, and because this one was a particularly large fire, other news outlets wanted a photo. A television news channel in Madison called first. Then the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Finally, the Associated Press asked for a picture. I was in e-mail contact with David throughout Monday morning, as he had to give permission for the photos to be used. The Associated Press had to contact him directly. This has been kind of fun! he e-mailed.
I mention all of this to remind you that if you are at the scene of a newsworthy event and take pictures, or have get a great feature photo youd like to share, please send them to me at editor@themonroetimes.com. Please make sure to include contact information. We may be able to use them, perhaps even on the front page. I cant guarantee that the AP will be calling you to send your photo out statewide, but you never know.
I have one more related thought. A reader pointed out in a comment to the fire story that Monroes firefighters now have spent two consecutive Easters fighting large fires. Last Easter was the house fire that tragically resulted in the death of Jeffrey Sullivan. Im glad the reader made that connection and comment, because it serves as a reminder of the work and sacrifices are public safety personnel make for us.
