Ranchman John has been flying to Phoenix every week in preparation for a job he’ll soon be doing there at the airport. Today (Wednesday) his plane flew right over the forest fires raging out of control in eastern Arizona. The pilot pointed out the fire to the passengers, and the plane went silent, punctuated with gasps of awe and dismay.
The following photos were taken by Ranchman John, with his cell phone.
He was shocked, amazed and humbled by the vast spread of land that the fire has and is devouring at a steady and destructive pace. Surprisingly there have been no serious injuries caused by this fire and so far, no homes have been burned down.
A recent video warns of more evacuations, even in the town of Luna, New Mexico, 10-12 miles across the AZ/NM border.
The latest news report says this: “This year’s wildfire season start is easily the worst in decades.
According to experts in the field, Arizona fire conditions are the worst in years mainly due to a 12 year drought, minimal rainfall throughout the winter, dry vegetation and warmer temperatures.
On top of that, La Nina- a weather phenomenon associated with abnormally cooler Pacific Ocean water water temps normally resulting in less rainfall and drier conditions for southwest states is the strongest it has been since the 70's.
Forecasters predict that fire conditions will only get worse as winds are expected to get as high as 30 mph today as a lower pressure trough moves out of Arizona.”
Yesterday evening the smoke was thick, and when I came back inside from feeding the critters in the barn, my face felt gritty, so I wiped my face with a tissue and was surprised to see it covered with a grey residue.
Ashes from the forest fires 200 miles away.
Today was a nice respite from the smoke-filled skies because the wind changed direction and was blowing in a north westerly direction, pushing the smoke away from us.
Even with the 30-40 mph winds, at least the sky was clear and blue, and I was able to get outside and set up the irrigation system for my raised bed veggie garden.
But by late evening, the wind direction changed back to gusting in a north easterly direction and the air is now filled with the lung burning, eye watering stench of smoke again.
As of now the Wallow Fire is the second biggest forest fire in Arizona history and if the fact that this fire is still zero percent contained is any indication, my prediction is that this fire is going to get a whole lot worse and very well may be the worst forest fire in Arizona history.
(Ranchman John shot this photo with his cell phone while inside the airport)
16 comments :
Wow, those are crazy pictures. Incredible amounts of smoke. These winds just won't quit and I told Wade this would happen. Never have we had winds like this, and I've lived here 16 years now.
Now there's another one burning outside Flagstaff. I wonder how far this Wallow fire will burn. I didn't know Luna was evacuating, but I'm not surprised. The whole thing is so tragic.
We've discussed fire danger and strategies here. So far we've only had one brush fire and the fire dept contained it real quick. In the past I've had neighbors clear my fence line of brush, but now the cows are here and they keep it down nicely. My neighbors may complain about them, but if there's ever a fire they'll be glad for the brush clearing. I also set my fence 10 ft apart from the neighbors, strictly as a wildlife corridor and a fire truck lane (no one else has done that) It's also another reason to keep your property clear of brush, junk and weeds. It's very clear here, but some of my neighbors...they need to get busy.
That is a jaw dropping view from the plane, horrible. Isn't the monsoon season supposed to start soon there? I sure hope so.
Wow, that is just awful!
Hope your finger is feeling better!
incredible photos but terribly frightening & sad
I feel so bad for all folks who are losing their homes!
Very sad...still doing a rain dance, praying and hoping.
I really feel for the poor firefighters trying to battle that thing. Where do you even begin??
I've been hearing a lot about this, but seeing the images is shocking. We frequently have wildfires here, as well. Just yesterday, there was one burning in the conservation area near my house. I can't imagine the terror of having a monster that size closing in on you.
Michelle
www.fromthehorsesback.com
I'm speechless! I have never, never, never seen smoke like that!!
I can't even begin to imagine how those on the frontlines must feel trying to fight such a raging monster!
Don't know how it was down in the ABQ area, but up here in Los Alamos, the smoke was chokingly thick last night until the wind started blowing it out.
Oh I always worry about fire. It makes me feel very edgy and worried. All the vegetation, all the animals, all the people who are in harm's way! It makes life on earth seem so cruel sometimes!
Wow. Just wow.
Thanks for the amazing photos. I had no idea that it streached out as far as it does. My prayers are with all who are out there for any reason.
Well, if Ranchman John has been flying to Phoenix, then you already know all that smoke is blowing into New Mexico only. I only saw it when taking off from Sky Harbor at sunset, and it was way off in the distance. I've been watching the news about the fire moving into New Mexico. Such senseless destruction.
Amazing photos of the fires!!!
They are both frightening and beautiful... really incredible way to photograph them. But.. YIKES!
Nice blog!
Are you by chance from the west coast originally? I am wondering about the story behind the name of your farm. I am on San Juan Island... lots of Orca whales around here! --jenny
Oh WOW!!! That is one monster fire, John's cell camera takes great shots too..:-)
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