I spoke too soon

I posted Tuesday morning about our farm’s lack of rain and our wariness of fires, noting that Jude and I were safely inching along. Later that night we got an automated call warning us that a fire was spotted about 15 kilometers (10 miles) south of us. We starting packing our emergency supplies into the car until we got an all clear an hour later.

It was really windy that day, and likely a broken-off tree limb snapped a power line. It was caught and responded to quickly by officials and volunteers. Damage was minimal and no one got hurt. But it was a gut check all the way, especially since our truck lacked a live battery.

The wind had blown in smoke from the huge Mount Underwood blaze 80 miles south of us, but a slow steady rain dispatched it nicely. That fire has destroyed 8500 acres and remains stubbornly out of control. The storm system we’re in is supposed to last through next Tuesday, and it’s already given us about 50 mm (2 inches). It’s keeping the air clear even though the wind is blowing strongly out of the south. Hopefully that will help the Underwood firefighters. Please keep them and the evacuees in your thoughts.