Burning up down here...

It's been hot and dry, but I am talking about burning burning, like wildfire burning.  Maybe that's burning down, not up; I don't know.  Yesterday Thomas called to say that our volunteer department was on standby for a fire near White's Peak.  This is roughly due west of our home about 16 miles, I think.  Lightning started it late morning, and by the time Thomas got back to Miami from work, it was already turned over to the state as a type III fire. 

To fight a type III, the state employs fire fighters who are red-carded, or certified for the incident.  Our department is not red-carded, so we would only be called up for tanker support or other ground support not directly involved in building fire lines, etc.  There is a relief in knowing we wouldn't get sent into the hills, but also a strong desire to want to protect our community.  Sitting at home and watching from afar left us wondering a lot about what is happening and how things progressed.

The view from our house in the early evening - air tankers could be heard flying in to drop water and retardant.  The winds were blowing our way, leaving everyone in Miami hungry for mesquite BBQ, if not also worried about it advancing towards us.

Initially it was moving east, though I think it progressed more in a northerly direction.  The terrain is very rugged, making it difficult to fight, as well as difficult to anticipate where the wind might blow it  The Philmont Scout Ranch evacuated its southern camps and moved them further north as a precautionary measure.  I am sure it was as much to protect them from the smoke blowing their way, as to move them out of harm's way should the fire advance more quickly.

The same shot from the house, just zoomed back out for a better perspective on how far away it is.

Though I fear being called a cat person, I can't help but post a cute animal picture.  With the big zoom lens, I was able to catch the cats from across the yard.  Spooky and two of her three kittens.  I think the one on the left has the markings of a little tiger, and the one on the right has a cute striped tail. 

It was hard to think about much else all evening.  Gratefully, the wind died down.  I kept peeking, and when the sun went down, the plumes of smoke reflected back the illumination of the fire.  The crews on the fire had a long night, as the wind picked up again around 10:30 pm.  I slept well, despite my fear of turning my back on the fire.

Dry lightning rippled through the night sky all evening.  This shot turned out better with the illumination of the lightning in the clouds - taken about 9:15 pm.

This morning the report was that the fire had expanded to just under 1,000 acres.  Ground crews are working on a defensible containment line north of the fire, while air support dropped more retardant and water.  We did have a bit of rain late in the morning in Cimarron, though I don't know if it reached as far south as the fire.

We pray for the fire fighters protecting our community and for all those fighting wildfires across the nation.  And we implore God for rain to quench the fires.