Scarey Summer of Wildfires

Today I just read another article about Wildfires in the WEST that are threatening three towns in California, famlies and their homes!  It has been a scarey summer for many folks in the WEST and the Plains too this summer.

We can hope for more SNOW and RAINS coming with fall, winter, and spring! Get out your mittens and snow shovels!

This has been the summer of Wildfires in the WEST and Heat on the Plains with haze in the area in CO yet today from fires burning other places!  With dry conditions from less snow in the mountains last winter, the summer has been a very dry one even in the high elevations and tundra areas along with plains. 

Wild flowers are less plentiful this summer with less snow but the rains have been like gifts of gold all summer when they have come North from the SW monsoon rains.    The Plains have been hot too with severe draughts for farms with even a large wildfire in Nebraska back home.

I have heard that 100 miles of the Platte River is completely dry now!

There was a second wildfire in our area that started naturally in a remote area of Beaver Mountain.   It took firefighters two hours to walk to it and a helicopters brought in water from Lake Estes so the fire didn't go too far but we could see the smoke from it. 

Wildfires are still burning in SW Colorado near Pagosa Springs, Wyoming, MTN, Idaho, Washington and California.   There have been fires in Oklahmoa and South Dakota too near Custer.  Fires are going to be happening more in the WEST with higher temps from climate change.

This summer we have see the HIGH Fire West of Fort Collins take many homes and one life.   Then later came the Fires in Colorado Springs with the largest fire in CO history taking homes and the Boulder fires caused evacuations too.  It was sobering to see the High Fire driving to Co in June with many hazy days and making for anxieties all summer.

I spoke with a woman at a concert recently who lost her HOME in Conifer, CO last April.  This fire burned many acress and homes during a prescribed burn that went wrong during high winds!

She was renewing her spirit in a music concert of DAKOTA BLONDE with her husband.  They lost everything and have not decided if they will rebuild or not.   After four months she said some green is starting to come through again but they are not sure as it was so devastating.

West of Fort Collins fires were burning when I came to Colorado in June.   It was scarey to see the huge clouds of smoke coming out of the canyons West of Fort Collins on my way up Big Thompson Canyon.

In our town in Colorado the fire started June 23 about noon from a reported electrical wire rubbing on a tree with very hot temperatures and VERY dry conditions!     Our place was evacuated for the day and if the HIGH PARK fire equipment had not been called over for airpower to take water out of Lake Estes in HUGE bucket loads and long hoses, the story might have been very different!   The volunteer fire department did their best and the fire burned 22 houses and two more building in High Drive but it was headed over Deer Ridge if it has not been stopped that same day!

There was a second wildfire in our area that started naturally in a remote area of Beaver Mountain.   It took firefighters two hours to walk to it and a helicopters brought in water from Lake Estes so the fire didn't go too far but we could see the smoke from it.  

In the HIGH DRIVE FIRE in June, if it had gone over Deer Ridge to take homes of friends and it could have gone right into town!  Thanks to all the firefighters and equipment from the HIGH FIRE to help and swift evacuation with quick actions by RMNP.   This fire was ONE THIRD of a mile from us --  so we are grateful for many things now this summer with hopes or more wildflowers in future summers and more snow this winter and next spring to bring more water to the Platte River, the Colorado River and other rivers of life!

 I even heard an elk bugling this week so fall must be on it's way and the mountains are bare in need of snow!  We can hope for the flowers and new birth for areas devastated and lives torn up!