Hole in the Wall Wildfire

 We interrupt the regularly scheduled series to bring you breaking news of the Hole in the Wall Wildfire. Ignited by a lightening strike on Sunday evening, the fire has now reached a size of approximately 600 acres. Today's good news is that the winds have calmed somewhat and so there may be a chance to get the beast under control before it does any damage to man made structures. The calm also means that the smoke has settled in the area and so it is hard to see outside, let alone breathe! That is not a comfortable situation when it is almost 100 degrees and we have no air conditioning!

 Yesterday we watched from a ridge on our back pasture as the wind stirred the flames and pushed them northward.

If you click on this photo you will see the Forest Service helicopter surveying the extent of the fire yesterday morning. The area is very rugged and dangerous to fire fighters. Chances are they will let it burn as long as it is not threatening homes in the area.  There is a public meeting tonight where we will learn more about the Forest Service plans.

 This shot shows the fire blowing up yesterday morning behind our bunkhouse. It is not as close as it looks in the picture.

Here you see our home and the bunkhouse in front of the fire. There are at least three miles of sage brush flats between us and the flames.

Last night we had a search and rescue call and didn't get home until midnight. It was amazing to see the entire mountainside glowing in the dark. Each tree seemed like a separate collection of red embers and it looked like a cheerful village shining in the black night instead of the destructive force we know it to be!