Smokey Wildfires

Wednesday night Southern Oregon experienced more than 200 lightning strikes. Several of these strikes erupted into fire and a portion of the fires have grown in size. Each day we have watched the sky, the sun, the horizon, the ashes, and the smoke. The fires form a large horseshoe shaped perimeter around the Rogue Valley. The pictures are posted from the most recent (today) to the beginning stages of the fire as seen from our farm. Today our county was declared a state of emergency. This is not to cause worry so much as it is to get federal assistance. It was a good call by our county commissioners to bring in reinforcements as quickly as possible and to assist in fire suppression where it is closest to people and homes. Some of the more remote areas and the ones closest to the fires were given evacuation orders. Our local fairgrounds and some of the schools are acting as a safe haven for these residents. Other areas of the fire are so remote and so rugged in our Southern Oregon canyons that smoke jumpers and fire rappellers have been called in to support the air tankers and helicopters and land crews. The Big Windy Complex fire in the heart of the Wild and Scenic Rogue River remains 0% contained. Fire Officials may need to close the river to rafters to protect public safety. The air quality ebbs and flows with the shifting of wind and the heat of the blaze. Let's all keep our brave firefighters in our thoughts and prayers~