Watch Duty link: <https://app.watchduty.org/i/37474>
Foward progress stopped. This is one of two fires this afternoon within two miles of my house.
The other one, at the junction of Pecks Valley Rd and North Valley Rd, is not named, and has been handled by local volunteers and the USFS crew in Greenville. It was caused by a neighbor who has previously demonstrated a lack of foresight in choice of burning times, and a lack of adequate preparation in the event of an emergency. He thinks all he needs is his garden hose. Earlier this year he was burning in the early afternoon of a hot summer day when a friend of mine who had been cutting firewood at my place headed home. My buddy went straight to the USFS station in town and personnel there jumped into their trucks to go shut the guy down.
“Fire season” is almost never here over unless rain has been pouring down for a day or two, or there is a significant layer of snow on the ground.
Today is overcast, and we have had some precipitation within the last 48 hours. However, not a lot of rain has fallen, and the dry grass and weeds are ready to go with slight provocation, and there is breeze enough to drive a fire front.
We feel lucky this has merely been an adrenaline juicer. I hope authorities drop a hammer on this particular neighbor. He almost took out his own house. We do not need to factor genuine stupidity into the local threat of fire. Post Dixie fire, it’s an understatement to suggest we are all on edge, all the time.
This will be a restless night in the neighborhood.