I suppose there was after all this dry
weather straw or muck drier than usual, and the cinders were hotter
than usual. The whole was on fire in an exceedingly short time; and
everything was down in less than an hour. Two engines came from Eye,
and all the population of the town (as the fire began shortly after
two o'clock in the afternoon). It is entirely owing to these that my
house, and the farm (Sewell's) on the opposite side of the road, were
not burned down. At the beginning of the fire the wind was N.E. which
blew directly towards the opposite farm (Sewell's): although the
nearest part of it (tiled dwelling house) was 100 yards off or near
it, and the great barn (thatched roof) considerably further, yet both
were set on fire several times. All this while, the tail of my house
was growing very hot: and shortly after the buildings fell in burning
ruins, the wind changed to N.W., blowing directly to my house. If this
change had happened while the buildings were standing and burning,
there would have been no possibility of saving the house. As it was,
the solder is melted from the window next the farm-yard, and the roof
was set on fire in three or four places. One engine was kept working
on my house and one on the opposite farm.
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