Wildfire -- pretty good sized one in AZ

[Cygnet]

There's a mountain range about 5 miles from me -- that mountain range is intended to be a national monument eventually, so this hurts. (Wildfire is NOT a natural thing in the desert, this country hasn't seen fires in several centuries.) BLM is managing it as a wildlife refuge. It's got bighorn sheep back in there and a few assorted big-name critters that the feds won't acknowledge.

It's on fire. Burning nicely. Five miles away and the wind's blowing the smoke straight at me, so not good. The firefighters are hitting it with everything they've got. Grass fire. It's got to cross a couple of roads but it's big -- ther's smoke coming up all along that ridgeline, it's burning a large area.

Not gonna sleep much tonight, I'm afraid.

Leva

[Cyngbaeld]

Do you have a bug out bag prepped and ready to go? Car gassed up? Extra bottles of water in the car? If you don't have and you aren't sleeping anyhow, it would be a good time to at least get the BOB packed. Don't forget important papers.

Hope you don't have to evacuate. I never slept well with a fire in the vicinity when I lived in the mountains. Even a whiff of smoke and I was out trying to find the fire. As it turned out, the house I lived in was struck by lightning and burned to the ground shortly after we moved.

[LisaInN.Idaho]

Which mountain range is it? We used to live out by the White Tanks in the far west valley (of the sun). Hard to imagine those desert mountains burning. We lived thru a big wildfire about 8 years ago at outr place north of Flagstaff. The Hochdorffer fire. 30 foot walls of flame..very scary. Our neighbors were burned out, we just lost our wood pile and one fence post.

[desdawg]

We have had so much rain this past winter in the desert that the grass grew tall. Now that it is 100 and something degrees daily it is all brown tinder just waiting for a source of ignition. We had a fire yesterday on the other side of some mountains (BLM Land). It didn't cross the mountains to where we live. Not enough fuel up there on top to burn across I think. There have been lots of small fires around here so far this year. I am in Hidden Valley south of Maricopa, AZ.

[Cygnet]

South Maricopas -- from what I saw last night, tornados of fire and thousand foot walls of glowing incandescant red smoke, it looks like the Vekol Valley side is toast. It burned in and around the Haley Hills and all that state trust land north of Century, at a guess, from what I saw glowing and walls of flames and whatnot last night. Came within a bout 3 mile of me, but the wind shifted (thank you God!) and blew it north. it was amazing to me the number of neighbors around me who went to sleep -- I figured with a good wind behind it (and it was generating its own wind) that fire could cross three miles in a heartbeat.

I had my "bug out" bag packed, and a couple of plastic crates with heirlooms and sentimental stuff -- photographs, gramma's quilts, dolls from my childhood, a few other sentimental things.

Had to triage on the animals on who I'd take -- two goats, two dogs, four cats (who did not appreciate spending the night in crates by the door and left a mess on the bed when released later) and the best of my breeding stock on the frizzled marans project. Figured if I had to bug out, I'd take the animals I could and release the rest ...

Fire died down around 2:30. HAD to go to work at 3:30, a neighbor's going to call me if it fires up again. Feed store said it was contained, I hope they're right. It burned 7,000 acres according to the FS website.

Leva

Originally Posted by LisaInN.Idaho

Which mountain range is it? We used to live out by the White Tanks in the far west valley (of the sun). Hard to imagine those desert mountains burning. We lived thru a big wildfire about 8 years ago at outr place north of Flagstaff. The Hochdorffer fire. 30 foot walls of flame..very scary. Our neighbors were burned out, we just lost our wood pile and one fence post.

[Jenn]

Yest am I was up way early and smelt something burning in the computer room- but woodsy not plactic burning smell. Checked whole house- not kitchen, not a few other rooms (with no window open), but yes in some, but wasn't notable out my front door a few hours later when I got the milk. Woke DH up then to be sure he didn't think it was computers. That evening he said "I found out what was burning Hon." "Was it a computer?" "no, it was the pub a few miles away!" (burned down totally on other side of house from where I checked for smell, and maybe wind was down at time I checked). Had come in all night through vented windows. ANd yes, arson, but maybe not for insurance, just yobbism.