The picture of the house being burnt at 141 Harry Brown Road was not a good choice for the front page of the newspaper.
It was upsetting for several reasons.
Did it demonstrate the training, valor, dedication and skill of the firemen involved?
Did this picture respect the history of that house?
A previous article clearly explained the intensive training that occurred.
This picture makes it look like a picnic.
Where were the marshmallows?
You could have showed the training.
As to the history of this house, this is where I grew up.
This property was clearcut when we moved there in the ’50s.
The house started as a logging camp cabin.
We spent years remodeling the house and planting trees.
The trees are still growing.
The decision to burn the house is understandable.
Ironically, my father, Harry Brown, was a fire warden for the state Department of Natural Resources.
He would have approved of the training involved and I am sure his ghost was standing by with a water bucket, sand and a Pulaski just in case.
Hopefully in the future you will see beyond the cozy picture.
Toni Brown Wade
Dry Creek School 1958, PAHS 1962
Sedro Woolley
EDITOR’S NOTE: The photograph, which was not set up by the PDN, was of firefighters relaxing after two days of hard work on the training burn.