Last Friday [March 14] we were under a Red Flag-No Burn Ban, but on the way out of County Road 231, I noticed some burns with two large smoking hot spots. The Beaver bridge was closed, so we headed back home.
In 30 minutes, the fire increased from 2 to 75 (Scientific method of counting). On the way back, there were 75, 10-30 ft.-tall hot spots, with a massive amount of smoke and flames down low.
I called 911 to request firetrucks and water; 911 refused three times to call a firetruck since the Forest Service was doing a controlled burn and had it under control with a full crew. That was not true. There was not a single Forest Service person or equipment present.
I called the local fire department where 40 years before I had been a volunteer fireman and EMT for about 12 years, and they couldn’t respond with a truck and water, although I begged them.
The Forest Service criminally endangered my life and did not contact me. If the wind had shifted only slightly, we might every easily have burned to death during the night. I have been bedridden 23 ½ hours a day for 10 years.
Burned undergrowth was directly across from our driveway. Although I have extreme vertigo, I was desperate. I headed up our driveway with a hose and a sprinkler to do what I could. Almost to the top, I found myself off balance and running backwards, 50 feet down the driveway, unable to regain my balance.
When I fell, I hit with such force, I was unconscious. My wife called 911 and after a long wait for the paramedics, I was taken to Eureka Springs Hospital where I was given a CT scan that indicated I had bleeding in the brain, a life-threatening condition, and was taken to Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville.
I suffered great physical pain and anxiety. How can the Forest Service do a controlled burn during a Red Flag-No Burn? The wind was gusting up to 60 miles an hour on Friday, March 14, 2025. I hold the Forest Service responsible for my injuries.
Ron Horton