Firefighters who spent hours waging battle with a brush fire in the prairie two miles northeast of Post, just under the rim of the Caprock, did not know precisely what they were saving during the late afternoon of Sunday, March 18.

As it happened, social media reports by Jency Anciso resulted in approximately 40,000 prayers being sent that day to the owners of the Ragtown Gospel Theater. According to co-owner Chip Polk, "The fire was stopped 10 feet away from the building, and no flames touched the walls."

Help had arrived from additional fire departments, but Polk was quick to state, "I do not buy into coincidence. This was God's hand."

His wife, theater designer and co-owner Robin Polk, recalled inviting firefighters inside the theater afterward. "We felt an overwhelming relief," she said. "I was thinking, 'How can we ever repay these men for what they did?"

She recalled, "They were all smoky and gritty as we invited them in, and their responses, like most making their first visit, is that they were blown away. I mean, their lower jaws actually dropped. One fireman told me, 'Lady, we thought we were just saving a metal building. We had no idea.' ...

"The next day, several drove back with fellow firefighters who had not seen the inside. They asked permission to take pictures and videos inside the theater."

Dramatic stories from the Bible are staged at the Ragtown Gospel Theater at 3 p.m. each Saturday. These are original plays, with more than three dozen having been written by playwright Chip Polk. The plays are directed by, and often star, his brother, longtime professional actor Glenn Polk.

The present Saturday attraction features Glenn Polk as Simon Peter in "Peter, the Rock." Tickets can be purchased online at ragtown.com or by calling (877) 724-8696.

Looking back, two couples - Chip and Robin Polk, and Glenn and Twila Polk - purchased the land for the theater as partners in 2002. It previously had been used as a golf course. The theater is located off US 84 and, while the entrance to the theater has since been paved, there is nothing to indicate anything lavish when approaching the venue. Chip Polk likes to joke, "As you drive in, we make sure to lower your expectations."

Not until one enters and proceeds past the lobby is a visitor flabbergasted.

"We wanted to build a theater that accurately represented a first century Jerusalem plaza," said Polk. "My wife, Robin, designed it, and she did a ton of research first, learning how to depict the specific features she found."

Financing took some time and Polk said construction took 19 months - with Chip, Glenn, Robin and Twila doing more than they expected. When the theater was completed in 2007, the final investment was close to $2 million ... for a theater in the prairie. Slowly, word spread to travel groups and fascinated individuals.

"We're doing well in terms of reach," explained Polk. "Some drive from San Antonio for every production. Church groups come in from Dallas, Austin and San Antonio. We are experiencing people becoming aware of us in distant places."

Indeed, they also heard from the International Christian Assembly of Hong Kong, which has seven congregations in multiple languages, including English. They had seen a videotape of Chip's play, "Sanai, Mountain of God," and requested permission to stage it.

Both Chip and Robin Polk mentioned a pool of "at least 50 volunteers," who show up and, according to Chip, help out weekly with everything from cleaning to performing.

"The theater," he said, "began 11 years ago with just the four of us. It does not represent any one church. Volunteers have become family; we even eat together each Saturday night. A percentage of volunteers also help financially; I believe all feel a sense of ownership.

"This was a complete surprise to me, although Glenn has been a part of theater communities."

The Polks have worried about dry conditions many times. Chip Polk said, "We put this in God's hands from day one, knowing there are things we cannot possibly control."

On March 18, he noticed northbound lanes on US 84 busier than usual. "Students were returning from spring break. A lot of people were returning from seeing (Texas) Tech play basketball in the (NCAA) tournament in Dallas. The fire started off the highway. My guess: Somebody flicked a cigarette out of their car."

He learned of the brush fire at 4 p.m. "from a fellow that boards his horses on our property. He was moving them, and advised us to move our buses.

"Glenn and I converged at a place on top of the Caprock where you can look down and see the tops of our buildings. From that angle, it looked like our theater was engulfed in flames. My wife broke down crying."

Robin explained, "I felt total heartbreak, disbelief, engulfing sadness. Not just for the building, but the faces, the names, everyone who had ever helped us."

After leaving their wives at a building near the north end of the parking lot, the Polk brothers raced to the theater. Chip said, "Glenn and I went inside the building and everything was fine. We looked around, wondering what to save, if any one thing would make a difference. Instead, we just turned off the air conditioning, so fans would not draw smoke into the building. Then we were ordered to evacuate.

"Flames looked to be almost 10 feet from the theater, and as high as the top of the building."

Polk applauded the Post Volunteer Fire Department. "The fire chief ordered two pumper trucks down to pump water on the theater and the hills in back. He had a bulldozer cut a fire break in the ground in front of the theater. They were all great, but I wondered if they had enough equipment."

That was when he felt blessed by miracles.

Polk said, "When I walked out, I saw all kinds of equipment everywhere." He learned that the Post firefighters had been joined by four highly trained strike teams from fire departments in Arlington, Denton, South Lake and Aledo. Each had been on a training exercise, teaching how to fight brush fires. Instead, they volunteered to help fight a real one.

"They came with suits and trucks and worked side-by-side with Post firefighters," said Polk.

That same afternoon, said Polk, a fire was fought near Amarillo. When it was deemed under control, the West Texas A&M Forestry Service re-routed five planes from Amarillo that were filled with fire retardant. They came sweeping in, dropping chemicals -- sort of like crop dusters, only larger," he described.

With thousands of prayers arriving from across the state, the danger ended.

"This was a miracle," said Polk. "No bad news; burned grass will grow back. Flames came so close, driven by so much wind, and all this unexpected help arrived. Then the wind supernaturally shifted, and turned the fire around the theater. Yes, we were lucky, but we were blessed."