Tens of thousands of acres burn…

lightning ignites new fires and every evening the sun sets in a smoke filled haze.

lightning storm
lightning storm

There is no forgiveness in nature.

Ugo Betti

One can’t help but wonder when and how it will all end as forest fires consume the Pacific Northwest. Fueled by a winter lacking in snow and close on its heels a very hot, dry summer. The perfect storm… it’s enough to bring an atheist to his knees.

Smoke filled day follows smoke filled day and each evening the sun sets in a ball of fire. The colors are vivid and quite striking but it’s hard to find any enjoyment in that. Animals are rapidly becoming displaced as they search for respite from the flames as tens of thousands of acres burn, largely uncontained.

Hopes are dashed as clouds move in filled not with the rain that we so desperately need but with lightning capable of starting more fires as it strikes bone dry tinder.


In daylight hours the sun casts a strange orange glow upon the landscape and ash drifts down upon the vehicles. Lives have been lost as the firefighters work tirelessly to get containment. We are grateful for all that they are doing as they put their lives on the line for complete strangers.

Keep them in your thoughts and the next time you see a firefighter, police officer, or veteran please thank them for their service. You never know when their actions might directly impact your life.

11 thoughts on “Tens of thousands of acres burn…”

  1. After Table Mountain in Cape Town went up in flames some months ago, I thought “whew, that’s all over now” when it finally drew to an close … but the cycle never ends, does it? We also lost a man – a helicopter pilot, right near the end. Such bravery. Your images bring it all back. Wishing you rain soon.

    1. Thank you Jenny, weather-wise it has been a rough year however people want to phrase it, climate change or global warming? It’s frightening…
      Table mountain burning would have been a frightening sight as well.

  2. Beautifully written description of the fire inspired days. The rain today was so welcome but did not last long enough to be of help I fear. I hope you are handling the smoke ok with your allergies…everyone is coughing. Only silver lining is the colorful sun which you capture nicely.

Leave a Reply


WordPress.com Logo


Google photo


Twitter picture


Facebook photo


Connecting to %s