My ability to write anything coherent is somewhat compromised by the bush-fire we’ve had on our doorstep for the last couple of days. We are just outside the ‘evacuate’ area – we’ve had strong winds for most of it – 40-60 kmph. We’re by now about 5-6 km from the front. The fire apparently has about a 5km wide front. It blew west for one day – putting us in the target zone, especially if it changed to northerly – and then the wind changed blowing it back north-east. If it had been due east… it would have been fine. But it is now burning a great big ‘V’ shape, threatening a number of houses – quite a few of my friends. At the moment, anyway, unless it changes to due north, we have the bay between us, personally, and the front. But winds change, especially here. We have a chance of rain… tomorrow.
And here I am, trying to write. I’d rather be actively fighting it – but I volunteer for the ambulance service – and truly it would be difficult to serve those two masters at once. I expect smoke related issues, even if we avoid burns. It got me thinking of Bilbo Baggins and the dwarves, wizard and hobbit stuck up the trees being set fire to by Goblins. All I can say is they must have been very damp trees… my respect, and appreciation for the volunteer fireys out there tonight. I hope for rain for them. And I pray they don’t need us.
It’s a feature of these times that makes the author in me remember, once again, that ‘heroes’ are often just ordinary folk caught in a situation which requires them to be extraordinary. And – surprisingly – so many of them show they can be. It is one of the reasons that I maintain humans to be a species with some remarkable redeeming features. I know: it is fashionable in modern literature to cast humans – especially the kind out fighting that fire tonight: mostly male farmers, with the attitudes and education and interests that go with that– as villains. Yet… they’re out there, in the dark.
Top that, superman.
Mad Genius Club 
9 responses to “The trees blazed”
God keep old son. Prayers and best wishes for you and yours.
And hopes for a real soaker comes the morrow.
“It’s a feature of these times that makes the author in me remember, once again, that ‘heroes’ are often just ordinary folk caught in a situation which requires them to be extraordinary. And – surprisingly – so many of them show they can be.”
And the best stories feature such folk, flaws and all. For some reason many writers instead prefer using flawless characters with extraordinary abilities. Sometimes they are good stories. Most times? Bor-r-ring.
Here’s to hoping your Ambo Service is unneeded. Good Luck on the rain.
Wow. Water your house and the entire yard. How anxiety-making.
Lelia
Yes, I’ve had big fires too close a couple of times. The last one announced itself with a pyrocumulus cloud that I saw on the way back home from the weekly shopping journey. Seeing what was causing that strange cloud led to a rare round of “Holy Shit” from me. 400,000 acres (162,000 Ha) later, the fun was over. Several houses and several hundred people forced to camp out for a few weeks. We were just out of the evacuation warning zone and had a handy river to act as a barrier, but it was far too interesting.
NB: Jet aircraft as fire tankers are impressive. Scary when you know that they’re needed. That fire was in the top 5 for Oregon wildfires.
Looked up the numbers: 160 houses destroyed. The official cause was lightning, though it had been several days since we had had a storm. (Smolders can happen, though I haven’t ruled out human assistance. The fire started in July 2021.)
Prayers for you and your neighbors. (IIRC the goblins hadn’t actually started the flames, just gathered the wood(?))
We dealt with this in Colorado for years on end. What it did to my lungs long term doesn’t bear contemplating. Sigh. My prayers are with you.
– Sarah (in case the computer does weird stuff.)
Here’s hoping and praying that your life doesn’t get needlessly exciting, Mr. Freer.