my grandpa told a story in the 60's when he burned wood on a dry day, windy, and the grass was like a foot and a half tall. he lit it, and almost burnt a big part of the farm up. caught on fire. a firetruck pulled up, a guy was cranking a handle to make the firetruck sounds, and they needed a hydrant to get water, and there wasn't any, so they grabbed a few buckets of water and got it out that way