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| View of the fire from my deck |
by Jean Henry Mead
An unprecedented amount of fires are burning across the
county, the majority of them in the West. One of them isn't far from my mountain
ranch. The Medicine Bow-Russell’s Camp fire has burned more than eight square
miles of mountain timber during the last two weeks and the smoke presents serious health problems. High winds have hampered the efforts of some 620 firefighters, who
have only been able to contain 25% of the blaze with the help of slurry
helicopters.
Wyoming’s largest ever fire, The Fontennell in the
Bridger-Teton National Forest, has devastated nearly forty square miles, with no
containment due to high winds in the western part of the state. Fires are also
burning in the Shoshone National Forest near the Montana border and across the
southern corridor of the state. Smoke blown by strong westerly winds, from not
only the Fontennell fire but the 25,000 acre Sheridan-Johnson county fire, made
Casper, the state’s second largest city, appear to be shrouded in fog. More
than 30 ranches have had to be evacuated so far.
According to Bridger-Teton spokeswoman Mary Cernick, “It’s
still a very active fire, and by active I mean it’s growing and making runs and
its behavior isn’t predictable.” The unusually early fire season is due in part
to a lack of precipitation and early drying of grasses although the Fontenelle
Fire is blamed on a downed power line. Temperatures in the high 90s and low
100s have made firefighting even more hazardous and I can’t imagine so many
volunteers risking their lives in the heat in their heavy protective clothing.
Our neighbor to the south has experienced even more
devastation, its most destructive fire season in history. The Colorado Springs’ fire has
already destroyed nearly 350 homes and 30,000 residents have evacuated, not
knowing whether they have homes to return to.
Some of our other bordering states, Utah, Idaho and Montana, are
also burning and new fires have been reported in other areas of Wyoming, making
it a smoke-filled state. I’m most grateful to the brave firefighters who have risked their lives to contain the fires in my own area as well as across the
country.
3 comments:
What's the latest on your fire, Jean? Colorado Springs' Waldo Canyon Fire stole the news until people got bored. No one talks about the one above Ft Collins anymore. And yet these fires rage on, destroying everything in their paths. A horrible, and yet inevitable situation. Stay safe.
The Laramie Peak fire (the one nearest us) is increasing in area due to high winds and the smoke is so bad that we have to keep the house closed. Experts have theorized that it won't be out completely until it snows. The huge fires to our west and south are also out of control, the last report I heard. We need a good rainstorm, without the lightning.
jean, when do you usually get your first snow. Sounds like a long time to have to wait. Here's hoping for a nice, long rain.
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