First of all, we are all safe, and expect to remain so. Yesterday a fire started a couple valleys to the west of us. A house caught fire, which caught the yard on fire, which caught the forest on fire, which quickly spread to 100 acres of forest on fire. It certainly looks, shall we say, dramatic from our street. It smells like a campfire even in our home. And when I woke up this morning, there was a layer of ash on our car in the driveway. It certainly felt dramatic and urgent when the sheriff drove up the street and closed off our trailhead with police tape. And then the local police patrolled up and down our street every half hour making sure all our questions were answered. We were advised to pack a “go bag” in case of evacuation, and assured that we would be notified clearly and obviously if it got to that point.
Needless to say, Bill and I slept poorly last night, listening to aircraft and helicopters flying overhead even though our windows were shut up tight against the smoke. But we had a plan of action and a pile of stuff waiting by the front door for just-in-case.
This morning things are calmer, the firefighters having spent the night battling the fire without heat and winds. But today will again be hot and gusts may reach 35 mph. I’ve taken my walk early while the air quality is still relatively good. I expect to still see slurry planes and smell heavy smoke and watch billows rising behind our mountains. Things will probably get worse today, but we will probably be out of the woods by tomorrow. If worst comes to worst, we’ll just leave for our trip a few days early. Thankful to be prepared and flexible!
Update The fire is now 20% contained and today is supposed to be cooler and less windy. It’s a bit surreal to be living in a declared disaster zone, but people are cautiously optimistic that this thing will be curtailed soon. We’re not unpacking yet, but we did sleep better last night.
Magrilless 