'Honorable mention' goes to Crosby photo at Ag Expo

Lauren Crosby, part-time staffer at The Odessa Record, submitted a photo she took for the newspaper in the Ag Expo Photography Contest this year, receiving 'honorable mention' for her efforts.

The photo depicts the runaway wheat-field fire that took place in July of 2010 and which was the paper's front-page photo the week after the fire. Firefighters thought they would soon be mopping up, but the blaze of unknown origin flared into a major conflagration as the wind picked up and drove it through irrigated wheat at the Jay Scrupps farm and on into sage brush and pasture land.

The Steve Schmierer family was evacuated from their farmhouse with only what they could carry with them. Fortunately, firefighters were able to save the farmstead, but the battle against the spreading blaze took several more hours to get under control.

Judges of the photo contest said they were impressed by the scope of the fire with its great clouds of billowing smoke juxtaposed against one tiny fire truck in a vast field of wheat.

Many talented photographers from throughout eastern Washington entered their works into the contest. Besides the ribbon she won, Crosby also received two complimentary tickets to attend the Ag Expo. It was her first time attending the event.