Up in flames

One month ago, last night, we got one of those middle-of-the-night phone calls that nobody ever wants to get. Glen's mom was on the line, saying that the machine shed at their farm was on fire.

We could see the blaze from our place; Glen's home farm is only a couple miles away. Glen rushed over there, but by the time he arrived, there was nothing anybody could do but watch as the fire departments battled the flames.

Photo by Glen's sister, Vicky Herkenhoff

The shed was a complete loss — along with everything stored in it. 'Everything' includes all of the farm's tractors, the TMR mixer, the skidloader, and a long list of other equipment. Glen's brother summed it up when he said, "Basically, everything with a motor was in that shed."

Photo by Glen Frericks

Since the farm's shop was in a corner of the shed, all of the shop equipment was lost, too. Glen's uncle brought a tractor to the farm the next day, but there wasn't even an extension cord left to plug it in with.

Needless to say, this wasn't how anyone in Glen's family wanted to start the new year. Thankfully, the building and equipment were insured. Some items are irreplaceable — like Glen's grandpa's old tractors. But, all in all, no lives were lost and nobody was injured.