Rural Carthage woman praises Globe carrier in grass-fire threat

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Ruby Harker (right) puts her arm around her Globe carrier, Diane Edmondson, this week in a gesture of gratitude for Edmondson’s possibly life-saving efforts. Edmondson saw a wall of flame bearing down on Harker’s home about 3:30 a.m. Thursday. She woke Harker, called authorities, and then helped Harker use a garden hose to keep the wildfire away from her home. GLOBE | BILL STEWART

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August 3, 2012

Rural Carthage woman praises Globe carrier in grass-fire threat

By Kelsey Ryan Globe Staff Writer The Joplin Globe Fri Aug 03, 2012, 11:38 PM CDT

JOPLIN, Mo. — For Ruby Harker, who lives along County Road 110 southeast of Carthage, an early morning pasture fire near her home could have been deadly, she said, had it not been for a Globe carrier who alerted her, called authorities and then helped her keep the fire at bay.

“I’m real proud of her,” Harker said. “If it hadn’t been for her, we’d have been gone, and it probably would’ve caught the other houses on fire.”

The carrier, Diane Edmondson, has delivered the Globe for about 10 years, and was driving her regular rural Carthage route when about 3:30 a.m. she saw the flames in the distance.

“There were no lights on in the house, so I pulled in, knocked on the door and got the lady up,” Edmondson said. “We got the hose out and drug it around the yard, and it (the fire) got within about 20 feet of the house before we got it put out. I stayed with her and just helped until three firetrucks got there, and then I went on with my route.”

Harker said she suspects the fire started from nearby neighbors burning rubbish.

“That fire was coming,” she said. “I imagine our whole place would have burnt.”

Edmondson said she’s helped with grass fires before, but nothing quite as big.

“It was just one of those things you just kick in and did what you had to do,” she said.

Jason Martin, captain with the Carthage Fire Department who responded to the scene, said the recent drought has caused an escalated risk of fires in the area.

“It’s as dry as I’ve ever seen it,” Martin said.

“It’s atypical,” Martin said. “We’ve had had several at night this year. A lot of people think it’s safer to burn at night — burn trash, brush pile or whatever, but it can catch a field on fire away from them. One little spark can blow through the air and travel a good distance. Heat generated by fire makes wind. People should be cautious.”

“We’re thankful the driver (newspaper carrier) took the time to stop and notify the resident, and apparently she assisted with fire control around the house. She should get something for that.”

Fire area

The fire Thursday morning burned over 20 acres of grass, brush and some timber, according to Carthage Fire Department officials. Crews were on the scene for about an hour and a half. No exact cause of the blaze had been determined.

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Rural Carthage woman praises Globe carrier in grass-fire threat

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