My effort to learn more about the current state of the fire from the information officers brought only this pablum: “Our efforts continue to focus on providing for pubic and firefighter safety and minimizing resource impacts where we can do so safely and effectively.” More … Continue readingPablum
It has been unsettling trying to keep abreast of the fire news from several states away! As we drove east, smoke followed us deep into New Mexico, until night covered all. Peg Abbott, Carol Simon and Richard Webster have all published various reports on last … Continue readingFrom Afar
Yesterday smoke choked Portal and the north end of the Chiricahuas. Peg and Reed both attended this morning’s briefing, and passed on the information to me. I hope to add to this post a fire map and more detail, but for now will write the … Continue readingHope and Ashes
At this morning’s briefing, the fire crews were told that the burn-out operation in the South Fork of Cave Creek Canyon is proceeding so far at a low intensity. That is very good news. After the briefing, with smoke from Horseshoe Two Fire (Photos by … Continue readingThe Burn-out in Cave Creek Canyon
At tonight’s public meeting, those gathered received a realistic appraisal of the current state of the Horseshoe Two fire, with an emphasis on how it can work if everything goes right. As I said in an earlier post, the term “burn-out” is scary. And a … Continue readingThe Better Scenario
O’Leary, remember when the drought a few years back was especially intense, and you organized a rain dance among the ladies of Portal and Rodeo… and it rained? We really, really need another rain dance. My dear friends, my community, as you will hear at … Continue readingSobering Times
[If you’ve noticed that a couple of my most recent posts have disappeared, it is because Google’s blogging platform was compromised, and has been out of commission for about a day. I’m hoping that the missing posts will reappear soon.] Last night the most obvious … Continue readingProgress on Horseshoe 2 Fire
Overall, the news about the Horseshoe Two Fire is positive. Threat to the Portal area of the Chiricahua Mountains has lessened to the point that residents were allowed to return home this morning. We have all been unloading and unpacking! Wind has subsided greatly, aiding … Continue readingPortaleños Come Home
Today has been busy–apologies for the delay in posting! Like other friends who are having nightmares about the Horseshoe Two fire, I woke with a searing mental image of our house, engulfed in flames. That worry, fortunately, was far from reality. Last night’s very cool, … Continue readingWhat Today Brings
At tonight’s meeting with the Forest Service and firefighters from the Type 1 fire team, the Rodeo-Portal community learned the team’s current basic strategy for dealing with the Horseshoe Two fire. This fire is a handful, as many are proving to be across the West, … Continue readingThe First of Many Meetings