I was literally less than one or two minutes away from leaving the office Saturday evening after putting out the Sunday paper and getting the stories online when a call went out shortly before 5 p.m. over the police scanner of a house fire.

Prior to hearing the call, I had planned to go home from work and pick up my husband and children and then head over to the benefit for Alden resident Doug Johnson at the Freeborn County Fairgrounds.

I sat for a few seconds to see if I could hear more about the extent of the fire but quickly realized I needed to instead go to the house fire.

The fire was on Pillsbury Avenue, a street over from Freeborn Avenue, where I used to live after I first got married.

I drove on the Front Street extension toward Garfield Avenue, and as I got closer, I started to see a large amount of smoke billowing into the sky.

I turned from Garfield Avenue onto Ramsey Street, only to find the road blocked off right past the railroad tracks that intersect with Garfield.

I found a place to park and began to walk toward the house.

The street was filled with smoke, and I quickly found Albert Lea Police Department Lt. Darin Palmer, who offered to walk with me closer to the fire, about four houses in.

I had anticipated a quiet Saturday at work, so needless to say, I wasn’t dressed for being outside for a long period of time on what was one of the coldest days of the year.

I and the others there were relieved to hear that everyone had made it out of the house safely. Smoke was coming out of multiple windows and the front door, and flames could be seen from the front right window.

I probably stayed for about 20 minutes until I started feeling some pain in my hands and ears and thought it might be best to get back to the office after hearing about warnings of frostbite and hypothermia.

As I walked back to my car — eager to get back to the warmth of the Tribune — I couldn’t help but be touched by the commitment of the firefighters, police officers and ambulance crews who remained behind to perform their duties.

Later, I found out they were there for a total of three hours and that additional firefighters from Glenville and Hayward were also called in to assist.

Day in and day out, these men and women work in uncomfortable circumstances, often putting their own lives on the line for our benefit. They leave their families and loved ones behind on a moment’s notice to help their communities.

I am thankful we live in a community where these services are available and for people who are passionate about their jobs.

 

Sarah Stultz is the managing editor of the Tribune. Her column appears every Tuesday.