Dave
Well-known member
It shouldn't come as a surprise that the west is on fire (although you wouldn't know by the national news). Montana has about 40 out of control fires. Oregon about 15. Washington has 8 or 10. I don't know how many Idaho has. No rain in sight. Lots of the fires they say will burn until the snow flies.
On Saturday a couple of boys started a fire playing with fireworks near the Bonneville Dam. It instantly grew out of control trapping about 150 hikers who had gone up a trail to a popular waterfall/swimming hole. The hikers (day hikers) ended up spending the night and having to take a very difficult route to get out of the mountains. Well yesterday the fire jumped the Columbia River. How do you build a fire break or stop a fire when it jumps a river that is probably about a mile wide? The area in Washington that the fire is now headed toward is the area of one of the biggest wildfires in the states history. That was years ago so now it is covered with thick second growth with no natural fire breaks for miles.
Hats off to the environmentalist who shut down logging and grazing. We are now reaping the benefits of their actions.
On Saturday a couple of boys started a fire playing with fireworks near the Bonneville Dam. It instantly grew out of control trapping about 150 hikers who had gone up a trail to a popular waterfall/swimming hole. The hikers (day hikers) ended up spending the night and having to take a very difficult route to get out of the mountains. Well yesterday the fire jumped the Columbia River. How do you build a fire break or stop a fire when it jumps a river that is probably about a mile wide? The area in Washington that the fire is now headed toward is the area of one of the biggest wildfires in the states history. That was years ago so now it is covered with thick second growth with no natural fire breaks for miles.
Hats off to the environmentalist who shut down logging and grazing. We are now reaping the benefits of their actions.