Page 20 - The Silver Fire

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The Silver Fire - As It Happened - Part 8 (Con’t)
one I can hear—it must be with crews on the ground. But I could be wrong about that. The hotshot crews could be farther north up the road. (photo top left)
I am trusting these guys to say the word, and I’m outta here. I look over there and one of them waves. I wave back. (photo top center)
The helicopter drops water back there on what I think is Pickett Springs Canyon, and its bucket trails after it as it accelerates for Hillsboro’s old
“Yeah, that quieted it down.”
A dip-type water dropper comes in:
“I’m at your 11:00 o’clock up on the ridge.”
“You get around fast.”
“Yeah, if you can...spot it and take a....Uh, you got fire here—you got a spot up on top here.”
“Yeah I see that.”
And conversation between the guys at the crossroads:
“Another water would do it, man. Just put it on there. Two of ‘em.”
Finally I have a thought. I had already seen that they burned along the north side of North Street and up the west
the very nearest hill better, directly behind the hotshot vehicle.) I decide they must have. I’m pretty sure that’s where the hotshot crews are, too. Or at least some of them.
By the way, the plume is from the Ladrone fire a few ridges away, burning vigorously as seen by the “ice caps.”
The wind blows northward now, sending the near fire back over already-burnt hillsides. Then with a shift of wind, re-ignited stumps send up writhing black dragon smokes against a background of ash-white. At some point I decide I can unpack my pillow and toothbrush.
The day before solstice was the longest day of the year—the most intense day of this whole event for me, watching it all from my deck, being pretty sure they didn’t plan on this.
But toward the south, this evening scene, the creek below, and above, the buzzards have settled into their trees. You can see there is still high wind.
highway department where they’ve set up tanks.
A siphon type helicopter comes and flies so low he is hidden behind this ridge for a while.
“That do pretty good for you, Jim?”
side of Italian at the crossroads which is a 30 second walk away. I try to recall the maps we got at the meetings. Did they also burn a line behind this very nearest hill, over from the old Boy Scout camp? (I had to lighten this photo so you can see
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IN MEMORY OF THE GRANITE MOUNTAIN HOTSHOTS