Well, the one thing I was hoping wouldn't happen has. Our beloved forest caught fire yesterday. Of course I've been following the news on the fires in Arizona and experiencing some seriously smoky, unhealthy, turn-the-moon & sun red sort of days, as a result of wind patterns blowing it on over. Here in NM there have been fires raging in the Gila Wilderness in southern NM, Ruidoso, Clovis and more recently the fire in Raton, NM just a couple of hours north... I suppose I knew it was just a matter of time. Still I was hoping & hoping it wouldn't happen. I left my place yesterday afternoon, saw this scene & my heart sank.
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| View from Central Santa Fe |
The fire was thought to be started in Pacheco Canyon, about 6 miles NE of Tesuque, just "down the hill" from the Santa Fe Ski Basin. It is currently burning in our National Forest, and heading into the Pecos Wilderness.
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| Wide view to show extent of the smoke plume. |
Below the huge plume of smoke are the beloved mountains/trails where I often hike. I am well aware of "fire science," and I know that forests actually need to burn sometimes to be healthy... but I am still so sad to watch the forest I love burn like this.
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| A closer view from hwy 285 - photos taken near the Santa Fe Opera |
Last night, the winds did die down, and I was hopeful the firefighters would be able to get a handle on it, though I did worry about resources being spread so thin across the state & in Arizona. (Those poor firefighters must be exhausted... likely going from fire to fire!) This morning it didn't look too terrible up on the hill. Unfortunately, when I left work this afternoon, the winds were gusting @ 30- 40 miles per hour... and this was the scene I saw from the parking lot as I left this evening.
The latest update online (I don't have a t.v.) was at 11:00 this morning... 900 acres burned with zero percent containment. As I write, our spring-turned-summer winds are still gusting at 30-40 miles per hour. It does not look good for our forest... and with no rain forecast, it doubly does not look good. Pray for the firefighters, out fighting the good fight...
( 9 p.m. update: 3,000 acres~ zero percent containment.)
(June 21st update: close to 5,000 acres~ 5% containment)
(June 26th update: over 9,000 acres~ 10% containment.)
Here's a great link for more info:
