FIRE! Close -- too close.

[Kathie in Thorp]

We need a board page for OH SHYT!!

Started north of us here this afternoon, up in the timber, 12 miles away or so. It's spreading east fast and lots of folks have already been evacuated. If the wind doesn't change, we'll probably be OK. Have big-gun sprinklers running, and saying lots of prayers. Could use yours also. I know homes have already been lost, and folks are moving livestock. Our truck/trailer have been offered to move stock. Fire is getting bigger. :cry2:

 

[banekar]

Good luck and stay safe

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

Pretty f'n scarey right now. I think we're still okay, but fire has come along the ridge line above us, still burning hard, and headed east. Scanner is on, and fire is jumping around and fighters are wearing out.

 

[Ouachita]

Prayer just ask for you. I've never been around a large uncontrolled wildfire. Must be a helpless feeling

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

Major fire has passed us. Bunch of homes destroyed. Working with (staying on call for) moving animals if needed. One of the local fire depts. burned out. --- Re-wind. Fire is not past us yet (again). Has gone from 3K to 10K acres in the last hour, and wind is moving around at 1:30 AM. 26,500 acres now (yes, that's right). 40 stuctures burned at 3:00 AM. G'night cattle people.

 

[dun]

I had thought you were closer to the pass then you are

 

[Anonymous]

Good luck.

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

I had thought you were closer to the pass then you are

100 miles east of Seattle, roughly -- between Cle Elum and E-burg. Nope, haven't gone to bed yet. Big dog firefighters are supposed to start in the morning.

 

[dun]

I had thought you were closer to the pass then you are

100 miles east of Seattle, roughly -- between Cle Elum and E-burg. Nope, haven't gone to bed yet. Big dog firefighters are supposed to start in the morning.

Yeah I looked on google earth and saw you were 50 miles form the pass about half way to the valley from the summit in elevation.
When we lived by Barona we always had a bugout kit handy. I recall too many time when they would take us off the fireline and send us home so we could be ready to evacuate if needed. We had a couple of spots in all of the fences where we could just pull down a section to give the animals at least a slim chance of escaping if we didn;t have time to haul them out with us.

 

[dun]

Wife just reminded me that if you have fire fighters parked in your driveway to bring them hot coffee in the morning and cold water during the day.

 

[chippie]

Praying that you are safe this morning.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Prayer just ask for you. I've never been around a large uncontrolled wildfire. Must be a helpless feeling

It is frustrating. You have the large disc hooked up, you have the caterpillar ready, you have the tanker ready, but the fire dept blocks your access. Last year I had to come in through a neighbor's place down the old Chisolm Trail. Fire was 1/4 mile from me at the time. 100's of cars coming to look is why the fire department does this.

 

[cowmilker]

Hoping you are safe Kathie. Craig

 

[slick4591]

Sending prayers your way.

 

[Dave]

The local news this morning has it at 26,000 acres and blowning up. Zero percent contained. Over 60 homes gone. Another 250 evacuated. With the weather forecast for the rest of the week they are going to have a tough time getting ahold of this one. Kathie lives near Ellensberg which is refered to by people in Washingotn as Windberg. Trees grow there leaning to the east from the regular hard winds. Not good in a fire situation. The weather is forecast to be really hot, dry, and windy.

Stay safe Kathie. You and all those over there are in my thoughts and prayers.

 

[CottageFarm]

Prayers from here too, Kathie.

Keep the predisone & albuterol handy. You'll need them if the wind shifts toward you.
We were about 15 miles from the fire this summer, but there were several days when the smoke just settled on us and you could hardly see across the street. Hubby needed extra meds for his asthma on those days.

 

[alisonb]

Hope you and yours are safe Kathie!

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

8:35 AM update. Incredibly smokey/cruddy air. Wind is still (as usual) blowing, and as Dave said, our trees do grow sideways here. Do not have accurate assessment of damage yet. Right here, where I'm sitting, we are okay and nearest neighbors also (although LE evacuated them last night, but never managed to get down to the end of the road to us!). Not going to work today. Didn't hit the rack till nearly 4:00 AM. Friend brought over a horse this morning that spent the night in her trailer, following evac suggestion nearby. We're making national news, so stay tuned. Thank you all, for your kind thoughts and prayer. K

 

[Dave]

A co-worker, who is a captain in his volunteer fire dept, said that he heard a woman volunteer was killed over there this morning. I haven't seen any other reports of this but it would be pretty fresh news. As much as this fire grew over night when fires tend not to grow rapidly, my thought is they may not stop this one until it gets to the Columbia River 30-40 miles east of there. Temperatures in the upper 90's, wind, and lots of dry fuel.

 

[Alan]

I have been watching this fire pretty close, sounds like it's going to be a nasty one. Dave, with luck someone is mistaking the death of the female firefighter with the 20 yr old female firefighter who died a couple of days ago in northern Idaho when a tree fell on her. It would terrible to lose another one. Sounds like this fire is just getting cranked up. like you said, lots of dry fuel, lots of wind, it's already jumped the Yakima river.

Kathie, stay alert and stay safe.

Alan