On the afternoon of April 1, two Mississippi State students knocked on our door and told us that the grass and underbrush in our yard was on fire. They noticed it as they were driving by on Highway 82 and were thoughtful enough to turn around, tell us about the fire, and call 911 on their cell phone.
They helped us lay out garden hoses until the fire deprtment arrived, then helped the fire department until it was out. The whole affair lasted several hours. The firemen, as usual, did a great job.
Fortunately, the fire only got about 15 feet from our house. It did, however, slightly damage a guest house in our backyard. I feel sure that if the students had not awakened us from a nap it would have been tragic.
When we asked them their names, they said, “Garad” and “Derek.” They didn’t give us their last names and didn’t want any publicity, but we are taking this way to thank them.
Mr. and Mrs. Vanlandingham are from Starkville.