Wildfire picture

[Hatchdog]

Yesterday afternoon I noticed some ash and dead cold embers on my patio which is unusual even with all the fires burning in the state. Figured there must be one close and when I went around the front of the house (upwind) there was some smoke in the distance. Checked the website for area fires and found a new one had started about 20 miles west of me. At that time it was 30 acres. About an hour later it was 2000 acres and this morning it’s 5000. We had to make a run to the local grocery store which is where I took this pic. From where I’m standing it’s 15 miles to the fire as the crow flies per a web calculator site I found. My place is pretty much directly inline with the direction the fire is burning but with that distance plus a major highway between me and it I don’t expect to have any issues. Unfortunately it’s supposed to be very windy today and tomorrow. Fortunately there is a big body of water nearby and the fire fighting agencies have been making lots of water drops on it.

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[MuddyWaters62]

I will send a prayer to ask the Lord to spare you and yours from harm. Best wishes to you Hatch.

Muddy Waters 67

[RanchRoper]

We are completely smoked in. Can’t see 100 yds.

[Sir Henry]

Stay safe my friend.

[Shakey Jake]

I feel for all of you up there. We're getting too much rain and y'all can't get enough.
Jake

[Headhog]

Hoping for the best for you. '

Paul

[markiver54]

Thoughts and prayers are with you! Be safe!
Sure wish I could send the torential rain we're getting from Fred to you.

[Hatchdog]

Thoughts and prayers are with you! Be safe!
Sure wish I could send the torential rain we're getting from Fred to you.

Yes, it would be nice to meet both Fred and his pal Grace!

[Hatchdog]

The first picture was taken Sunday around 5 PM. The pic below was taken Monday around 3 PM from the same location. Then last evening around dark we drove north about 5 miles as the crow flies and took this pic of the fire itself. I was surprised to see the flames as close to the highway as they are. Still a ways off tho. The fire is burning to the NE which is somewhat quartering away from my place. Unfortunately it is heading directly to an area called Loon Lake which is nearly surrounded with cabins and upscale homes. There is a pretty big level 3 (go now!) evacuation area and it extends all the way to the lake.

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[Shakey Jake]

Yikes!
Jake

[220]

Stay safe, best advice I can give is if you arent set up to defend your home evacuate as early as you can.
When we got hit last year the fire had burnt about 60.000ac in a around 10 days when it took off it burnt over 1 million acres in a day. It was spotting 8 miles ahead of the main fire front.
We have a large body of water to our east about 20sq miles, it didnt even slow the fire just went straight over it, smoke and weather conditions made it impossible for aircraft to fly.
We made the call to stay and fight but did so knowing we would loose electricity, all communication and there would be no help coming. We had 2 fire trucks, tractor with a tank and pump, safe area to evacuate to with backup water storage, generator, pump from the creek supplying over 2000gal an hour to house and neighbours Earth moving equipment and some experience. More than once during it I questioned if we had made the right decission.
We went solo for about 18hrs until the first fire trucks got to us and it was as much a welfare check to see if we were still alive as anything.

[BigAl52]

Hope you dont get any issues your way Hatch. All these fires every year is getting old. I cant imagine what is spent putting them out.

[RanchRoper]

Stay safe out there. We have been blessed with 24 hrs of steady rain and supposed to rain all week. Smoke gone, 46F and horses are now shivering. It was 90F 2 days ago.

[Hatchdog]

220, that’s an incredible story and I remember seeing the disaster on the news. Nice that you are so well prepared and skilled to stay and fight the fire. Myself I’m not in that position. If we get an evacuation notice I plan to do just that, evacuate. I have done everything possible to help the firefighters protect my home. I have cleared brush, thinned and limbed trees and have a green belt or gravel perimeter around my home. My foundation mates up with either concrete or rock completely and I don’t have any flammable near the outside of the home. I keep as much as possible watered but being on a well with average output I have to be selective with water.

It’s my understanding that both the county fire department which is skilled in wildfire fighting and the state DNR will put homes like mine at the top of the priority list over other homes where the owners have not done the prevention work such as mine. Some people around here leave brush and wood piles right up the the foundation of their homes. If a fire comes close I believe they will stage an engine at my home to protect it. Also if there are water drops they will direct a drop on the homes like mine. Notice I have extended my gravel driveway to the rear of my home. This allows an engine to access the rear of the property and also provides enough room to turn around. This is helpful even if I were to have a house fire not related to a wildfire.

Here’s some pics of the area’s around my house and the clearing I have done. It’s a lot of work but at least it’s work I enjoy doing.

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[cooperhawk]

Wow! You have a beautiful place there Hatch. We clear the dead wood and make piles of
it that makes good shelter for smaller wildlife and then disintegrates over time into soil, but
it's still heavy timber and I shudder to think of a wildfire here. As a water source however we
have a pool and the lake which they could draw from.

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[220]

Sounds like you have done everything you can I am hoping it all turns out well.
It is unreal what will burn and how easily thing catch fire when conditions are right. I put the wood pile that is 100y from the house out 3 times. When the fire first started spotting we feed a couple of bales of hay to get the cattle into the clearest safest area. Had to put the hay out after the fire spotted into it. Both were inside breaks that had been pushed so started from embers.
Quite a few building lost locally in the days after the fire had passed when embers that has been smoldering finally took hold. It pays to remain vigilant for an extended period after the threat has passed if you have been under ember attack.