ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, March 14, 1996 TAG: 9603140069
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: STEWARTSVILLE
SOURCE: RICHARD FOSTER STAFF WRITER
A RETIRED BRICK MASON, ``messing'' with a pesky little groundhog, started a brush fire that swept up Jeters Chapel Mountain. As for the groundhog, "It didn't even burn where he was at.''
The good news is no one was badly hurt and no houses were damaged by the brush fire that swept up Jeters Chapel Mountain in Bedford County on Wednesday.
The bad news is: The groundhog survived.
At least that's the way C.L. Begley sees it.
Begley, a 66-year-old retired brick mason, was sitting on the porch of his mountaintop house off Virginia 635 with his son Curtis about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday when they saw a groundhog pop up from behind a rock to take a drink from a nearby creek.
Last year, groundhogs ate up the Begleys' family garden, so it was a matter of the groundhog or the vegetables.
"The tops were bit off of everything we planted last year," Begley said. "I just walked down there toward the [creek] branch, and I said to my son, 'Run and get my Magnum.'''
Before Curtis get could the gun, though, the groundhog disappeared. Begley looked around for the animal a little bit, but not having any luck, he finished the cigarette he was smoking and threw the butt in the creek. Or so he thought.
"I thought I flicked it into that [creek] branch, but it must not have gone in," Begley said. About 15 minutes later, from inside his house, Begley and his son saw puffs of smoke go by the front door.
His yard was burning, and the fire was spreading through the heavy underbrush up to the top of Jeters Chapel Mountain. Small pockets of fire came within a few feet of the house.
"We tried to put it out as it went by, but it was a losing battle," Begley said. "You can't do nothing with a broom. That's all we had, two plastic brooms. You can see them over there. They just melted."
Shortly after the fire broke out, firefighters arrived from the Stewartsville-Chamblissburg Volunteer Fire Co., the Hardy Volunteer Fire Co., Vinton Fire Department and the state Forestry Department.
They hacked a line at the top of the mountain through the swath of burning brush and followed the fire down for more than two hours, dragging their water hoses across the rough terrain and putting out the smoking spots.
Neighbors on the back of the mountain had pulled out garden hoses because the fire was nearing their yards. By the time the fire was brought under control, several acres of woods had burned.
Begley and his son were treated for minor injuries by rescuers from the Chamblissburg Rescue Squad and Vinton First Aid Crew. Begley, who broke his back two months ago trying to push a car in the snow, hurt it again throwing buckets of water onto the fire. His son was taken to Roanoke Memorial Hospital for observation and treatment for smoke inhalation.
And as for the groundhog, "It didn't even burn where he was at," Begley said. "He was on the yonder side of the [creek] branch, and I was on this side. Oh yeah, buddy, he survived. He'll be back out there tomorrow."
But if the groundhog comes back out, Begley said, he's learned his lesson.
"I ain't messing with him. I'm going to leave that groundhog alone. He can drink that branch dry for all I care."
LENGTH: Medium: 65 linesby CNB