7.24.24
Good morning, friends,
This past week, well actually longer than a week since the fire started on July 17th from a lightning strike, things have been a wee bit hectic around here. That is why I have to apologize to some of you who may have sent me notes and found I have not yet replied to them. It is also why I decided to send out this note to all of you today, so you know what is what here on the Triple H.
We are currently okay but are in a horseshoe shaped area of land that as yet has not been burned by the fire. I have attached a map which shows our farm to give you an idea of what we are dealing with. This is an updated map as of a few minutes before I started typing.
We have been on high alert for days and if it were not for the speedy work of our neighbours on the Top Ranch to the north and several community members, the fire would have swept through the Top Ranch and then been on our place. Their dozer lines saved the day as well as a few more homes to the north of us. Fire crews were rapidly brought in despite our poor state being inundated with large wildland fires. Within a day we were seeing more traffic going up Top Road than we do even during hunting season!
To give you an idea of how fast things progressed, within 5 hours from when the fire started it grew from 2 acres to 300 acres. Sadly, it jumped the fire line where it had been contained. By July 19th it was 4,000 acres. It doubled in size to just over 8,000 by the following day. We have been under a Level 3 “GO NOW!” notice since July 18th. We are still here although we have had our trucks packed with special belongings, collars on the dogs and are ready to go at a moment’s notice. The animals are all taken care of, extra vehicles parked in the arena and we have been watering like mad and clearing trails all around our place. We are ready.
July 22nd… was that really just two days ago?… Darrell and I were so wrung out, we headed to bed around 8:pm. I fell instantly asleep only to be woken up shortly later by a raging wind. The fire was on the move. After monitoring the radio, we saw the fire heading down the ridge behind the Cox family farm across the road from us, dozers were busy at work making a fire line which did stop the advancing fire. Then we saw things blow up at our neighbour’s place down the road and feeling helpless to give aid but in awe of the number of firefighters, structure fighting rigs, dozers and such on scene, we made the decision it was time to go. The dogs were loaded in the truck with me, Darrell was in the other truck, and we headed down the hill to the village. It was a hard decision to make, we really do have things well tended here, but later on, parked for the night by the river, as I sat in the truck and watched trees on Franklin Mountain burst into flame, we knew we had made the right choice.
Early the next morning after barely dozing for a couple of hours in the trucks, we came back home. Hoping and praying our neighbour’s homes were still standing – they are thanks to the amazing firefighters – and wondering what we would find when we got closer to our own driveway. Thankfully all was well. We are very blessed. The fight is not over but we have faith.
The next day once again we watered things down and sat ready to go if necessary. Exhausted from so little sleep over the past few days we went to bed, feeling assured someone would bang on our door should things get nasty. Checking the computer just before I went to bed, I discovered things had once again turned for the worst. The wind picked up and now the fire was raging down the hillside towards our village of Monument. There was nothing we could do but pray for our friends and community members, thankful for the great number of fire crews, structure crews and dozers fighting to save the village and people’s homes. Later that night my pager went off and I headed down the hill, responding to a patient who was injured with the raging fire covering the hillside on one side of us.
The village was saved, no homes were destroyed. The fire leapt across the road farther down the river from the village and thankfully, through quick action of many local ranchers and the fire crews, the flames were stopped. Last night my pager once again went off and myself and my crew responded. The smoke is thick this morning. Our fire, the Boneyard Fire is now at 49,716 acres and is merging with the Monkey Creek Fire, which is at 56,139 acres. Our little horseshoe of untouched land sits between flanks of fire and charred ground. As of now the Boneyard Fire is a mere 3% contained. We are of course not the only area of Oregon that is being swept with huge fires. Dear friends from near and far are in communities that are facing their own battles each day. Thankfully, at this point, I do not think anyone has lost their homes although many have had to evacuate for safety’s sake.
To top things off, Lass is due to give birth any time now. We have been patiently waiting for her calf but despite the smoke-filled air, ash raining down, she will drop it when she is ready.
There are no words that can truly express the gratitude we have for those folk from near and far who are here to help save our land and homes. For the neighbours such as Bill Newman and so many, many more who have worked tirelessly, my heart is overflowing with thankfulness. Bless them all! The past days have been ones that we would not wish on anyone. It makes one look at what truly is important in one’s life and you quickly realise it is not possessions. It is being beside the one you love. Holding friends and neighbours who are going through the same ordeal in your thoughts and prayers hoping their homes, livestock and of course themselves will be untouched. It is recognizing how important family is to you. Words really cannot convey what it is like to live through times such as these, but what it does do is bring people and communities closer together. Those wonderful folk here from towns and cities across the state and even from other states come with one thing in mind, to help save homes and property of people they have never met. Political, religious, or any other type of belief go out the window. It is just humans helping humans in their times of need.
To all the fire fighters out there – and our grandson Evan is one of them – may you all stay safe. The words “Thank you” just are so inadequate. They do not even come close to expressing the gratitude we feel. One day this nightmare will be over, new grass will eventually grow across the now blackened ground and life will go on.
