1/ Very short thread on a large forest fire at the southern end of the Bridger Range, which started on Friday. Cause unknown, but no lightning, so quite possibly a careless homo sapien on the foothill trails leading to the College "M" and Mt Baldy beyond. Friday afternoon:
2/ Friday evening:
3/ The response was extraordinary. Planes diving into the dense smoke with retardant. Helicopters descending above the flames with water. Smokejumpers performing heroics to, as it were, draw a line in the sand. Even though still a "Rocky Mountain Type 3 Incident Management event.
4/ Great progress was made, and by Saturday, things were almost under control. Then, the winds whipped up furiously. The fire "crowned" & "spotted" and suddenly a few hundred acres was a few thousand, spreading rapidly north & east.
5/ More firefighters were summoned from Wyoming & Colorado. And, believe me, that's a hard call to make with fires all over the Western US (as happens every August & Sept). But Type 3 had become Type 1.
6/ On Sunday, hundreds of firefighters & more tanker planes and helicopters were battling all day to keep the conflagration from spreading beyond its 7,000 acres, and to try to protect homes in Bridger Canyon. The smoke was dense all day.
7/ Blessedly, relief came on Monday, first with rain, then snow at higher altitudes. Here's a photo this morning by Rachel Leathe of the Bozeman Chronicle (and how fortunate are we to still enjoy fine local journalism):
8/ The latest word is that 28 homes were consumed, as well as many out buildings. While it's terrible, it's far less than I feared. The firefighters are still at work. Propane tank fires are burning off. Embers are smoldering. Much remains to be done as temperatures again rise.
9/ I have developed an immense appreciation for the competence, briskness, & courage of these brave & capable forest fire fighters. Having seen how, in an instant, the fire jumped Bridger Canyon, igniting the Bangtails, the inherent & ineluctable perils of the job are obvious.
10/ Forest fires, of course, are a part of nature. Without them, the lodgepole pine could not propagate. The conifers would age & become vulnerable to beetles. The forest floor would change. Still, in a populated area, one is grateful for these truly brave people.
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