As I headed up to the butcher shop this morning in the early light of dawn it struck me rather ironic that I would be adding to the smoke hanging in the air as my next move was to get 125 pounds of sausages in the smokers, thus adding more particulate matter to an already very smoky environment! Whereas the smoke I was making was by choice and had that lovely apple and alderwood scent evocative of the autumnal burning of leaf debris on a damp day in England, the thick smoke hanging in the air over Monument and much of Grant county… no let’s make that much of the Pacific Northwest… has that definite “Oh no! Fire in the forest!” smell.
This has been a terrible wildfire season so far. Many communities throughout the Pacific Northwest and other areas of the country have been devastated by wildfire, mostly started by Mother Nature’s lightening storms but some by man’s hand too. Our own Grant County is a pretty decent sized county comprising of 4529 square miles and in that area there are about 7500 residents which averages out to about two people per square mile, rather sparse on the population front but we sort of like it that way. The main towns in Grant county are: John Day with Canyon City right next door, Prairie City, Mount Vernon, Seneca, Long Creek, Dayville, Kimberly and our own Monument. Right now there is a 67,000 acre raging wildfire on the doorstep of John Day and Canyon City with at latest count 36 homes destroyed and numerous other structures also gone. The fire is spreading towards the little village of Seneca and at the same time a new fire sprouted up just outside Prairie City. Thankfully the fire is no longer threatening the town of John Day but the devastation has hit hard.
The support given to those who lost their homes or have been displaced by this fire has been outstanding! Communities all over our county rallied with everything from people offering pasture accommodation to anyone’s livestock to the boarding of cats and dogs. Homes opened up to virtual strangers, food given by local restaurants to the fire victims, an outpouring of donations ranging from clothes to tools to batteries and flashlights poured into the local fairgrounds pavilion. Donations from all over the state have come in and this is so very inspiring to see.
There are firefighters stationed at the fairgrounds from all over the state and some from out of our state too, all pulling together to save homes, save lives and work on trying to stop this beastly fire from doing much more damage. You drive by the John Day fairgrounds and there are tents of all colours, shapes and sizes packed on the grassy areas. If not for the bustle of activity from folks dressed in yellow shirts and green trousers, rather smoke smudged most of them, or the rows of fire trucks lining the normally quiet neighbourhood streets, one would think some carnival or other happy event was on the go at the fairgrounds. But this has been made temporary home to upwards of 900 firefighter personnel. Some sleep outside on cots under the trees or even on the ground, they must be the ones pulling night shift on the fire, getting what little shut eye they can before heading back to the line. All around town are signs thanking these good souls for coming to help our community. Bless them each and every one!
So as I finish my first cup of tea of the day and get ready to head out to milk Heidi, checking on my little smokers as I go past the butcher shop, I send up a little prayer of thanks… thanks for the firefighters for doing what they do, thanks for all the good people helping friends, neighbours and strangers alike, thanks for being able to be part of such a community. Disasters, manmade or by Nature’s hand, have a way of bringing us all together and is that not truly a wonderful thing to behold?