Year: 2007 (Page 13 of 21)

The National Interagency Fire Center has complicated things a little this morning by combining the Little Goose and Bone Creek fires on their website, which makes if difficult for those of us here in the Sheridan area to know what is going on in our back yard.

According to the report this morning at Sheridan Media, the firefighters made significant progress yesterday due in part to the favorable weather and the Little Goose fire is now estimated at 65% contained. Unfortunately, the weather conditions were not good enough yesterday for the firefighters to perform the back burn they had planned so they will try again today, weather permitting.

Yesterday’s Sheridan Press reported that thirteen structures in all have burned with five of those being cabins, and the rest outbuildings.

Cautious optimism for me.

I just received a comment on my blog today from a woman living in Massachusetts who’s daughter is fighting the Little Goose Canyon fire, which reminded me that every person involved in fighting this fire is a son or daughter, mother or father, husband or wife, sister or brother, aunt or uncle, cousin or friend of someone who loves them and is worried about them. And they are up there doing their best to save homes, cabins and personal property, and limit the destruction of the forest.

Much of that property I suspect has deep family roots and emotional ties to wonderful times, and the loss of any of it would be saddening, but it cannot compare with the loss of a loved one who is risking their life to save that property.

On the road running south from the town of Big Horn, a couple of property owners have put up thank you signs in the last couple days. If you are so inclined, I ask you to join me in praying for the safety of all the firefighters, volunteers and support personnel working this fire, and all the others raging around this country and the world.

Not much for me to report on the (apparent) status of the fire this afternoon since you can hardly see the mountain. According to reports at the Sheridan Media website, this is due to a managed back burn they are conducting on top, and also from a fire now burning in the Shell Canyon area (north of the Falls Visitor Center, dubbed the “Bone Creek Fire.” According to the report, those fires, as well as fires in Montana are contributing to the amount of smoke we are experiencing in this area.