Fire on the Mountain!

 

Our cabin yesterday (7/22/13) afternoon.

 

      I'm not sure where to start.  Why/ how I find myself in situations like this is beyond me.  Yesterday morning, like many mornings this summer, I hopped on my bike and started the pedal up to our cabin.  I was going to meet Scott Hemmingway up there and start setting our porch posts and beams for the porch roof.  The ride went well- my fastest yet... 1 hour, 14 minutes.  When I arrived Scott was already at work.  I opened the camper, changed into my work clothes and joined him.

 

  Around 11:40am or so as we were setting the first beam, we noticed black puffs of heavy smoke coming over the sky line, less than a 1/2 mile from the cabin.  I looked at Scott and said, "That can't be good."  He said he thought it was machinery working, maybe diesel smoke.  He said he'd heard a series of loud bangs earlier in the morning and figured it was machinery or something.  As the smoke grew though and became more gray, it quickly became apparent that it was more than exhaust from machinery or equipment.  Around noon I called Mandy and had her call the Forest Service.

 

   Not long after I called Mandy, Scott B. from the FS called me back and started asking questions- what we could see, how folks could access it, winds etc.  We gave him all the info we could.  He said they were watching it from the across the canyon on the switchback and had truck en route already.  I opened gates and began clearing things up around the cabin as best we could... anticipating we'd be forced to evacuate soon.  Sure enough, the last call I got form Scott was to recommend we evacuate.  He said the fire already crossed the Fairfield road- not to go that way.  Sheriffs started to show up about that time too- recommending evacuation.  Scott hopped in his truck and headed down.  I opted to put on my bike clothes again... but really didn't want to go down.  My heart and soul has gone into this cabin the last year or so... and damn it... if it was gonna burn, I'd stay to see it at least.

 

  

As I was getting ready to leave, I took this picture (using a cell phone- it's all I had) from out of our south facing window in the cabin.

 

 

     After suiting up, I hopped on my bike and started to head out.  I knew that Jack Nichols and a few other homeowners would probably still be up there observing the fire from the top of the ridge near their well.  I decided to head up there.  It was a safer location.  The Sheriff and fire wise commander, Ron Wempen, were also up there.  It was directly above our cabin.  From here, I watched as the fire came up the ridge.  All of the authorities had their radios on... so you could here how things were being managed.  At this point, there were only a few tanker trucks up there, with no crews really and most of those were sent up the ridge on the Forest Service side to keep the fire out to the thick timber.  A D9 or 10 dozer was slowly making it's way up the Lander Mt road, but was probably an hour away still.  Two smaller planes were flying and a helicopter was getting there (figuring out the water source for it was still underway).  Then we heard a big as plane... flying very slow.  A flurry bomber... Ron said one of only few that existed.  It happened to be in Casper.  What are the chances?  There was hope.

 

   

 

   The first run the flurry bomber made appeared to be worthless.  A couple of smaller planes were way more effective with their loads.  The load seem like it was dropped too high and didn't really cover anything.  It was very discouraging to see this.

 

 

  When the flames creeped over the canyon wall and started up the draw towards our place... there still was no dozer in sight.  In fact, I heard guys on the ridge, over the radio saying the fire was going to go right up the draw to our cabin.  They started pulling back... said it was too hot nothing they could do.  My heart sank.  Tears welled...  then one kick-ass bull dozer showed up!  They immediately put it to work.  He cut a line right in front of fire trucks down the draw in front of our cabin.  Not long after that he cut another line right down the ridge in front of all of the cabins... that was awesome to see.  Then came the bomber again.

 

This time he dropped his load right on target, right over the line the dozer cut.  Our cabin roof in the lower right hand corner.

 

 

The view from the bomber... the arrow is our place, white spec the camper.  The orange is the flurry the bomber dropped over the dozer line.

 

    The flurry bomber dropped a load right over our camper... it's now orange.  I cheered.  I could give shat about the camper, as long as the cabin didn't burn!  Good fire lines were in place now... whew... and then finally, ground crews showed up.  The honor farm out of Riverton brought two crews up.  They were immediately assigned to man the line and draw below our cabin.  They went right to work.  It took some time, as the fire in the draw came right up to the fire line.  They were able to put it out though. 



Hard to see (cell phone pic) but this is where the honor farm crew managed the fire in the draw below our cabin.

 

     After the fire in the draw was managed... the main fire continued northeast down sinks canyon.  I stayed as long as could and watched our place.  Another fire started moving towards our place from the east which worried me.

 

 

Eventually they sent a smaller truck down and put out the sage brush fire to east of our place.  They might have saved a few trees on the lower ridge in the process.

 

 

    After they extinguished the fire on the east, it was getting dark.  I felt the main threats to our place were over.  Time to head home.  I mounted up- decided to go check on the Schiller's place and the bobcat we moved too, though- before heading down.

     This was the view from the Schiller's.  Most smoldering remains now.  Missed all the cabins... thanks to the dozer line.  Whew!

 



    As I pedaled down the mountain, you could see where they dozed a line down the ridge between Sinks Canyon and Sheep creek.  The line was holding well. They were trying to keep the fire on the Sinks canyon side, away from the fuels and trees in Sheep creek.  Very good work!  Today, as I write, they are still working on this.

 

 

    Eventually, I made it home around 11pm.  Between the fire and full moon, there was plenty of light, so it was no problem riding down the switchbacks.  I felt like we dodged a big bullet with our cabin.  I don't think we're entirely in the clear yet, as there will likely be days, if not weeks of hot spots and smoldering to worry about.  I rested a bit easier last night though seeing what I did all day yesterday.

 

   A huge heart felt thank you goes out to all those fire fighters that helped.  Wherever that bull dozer came from and whomever was operating it really, really saved every one's bacon up there.  That things saved the day.  The planes, crews and tankers all helped too.  Everyone.  I can't thank them enough.  I have a much, much larger appreciation for what they do now.  Thank you!