Once more, First Reader and I are on Fire Watch.

As of last Monday (7/29/24), yet another wildfire threatens our region (the Alexander Mountain fire). In fact, the state incident management folks currently report more than a dozen such fires. Despite (or maybe because of?) the recent thunderstorms that produced little in the way of precipitation. My new rain gauge measured trace amounts of rain the last week, but the thunder-booms were tremendous. An official cause of the fire is still under investigation.

The path of the fire is away from us, but all it would take is a wind shift or flying ember to light us up again. I suspect that’s happening all up and down the Front Range because of the hot, dry, and windy conditions. Since the fire was first spotted, four more have flared up to the south.

We have somewhat of a firebreak between us and the main blaze. Two burn scars protect us as the last fire (Cameron Peak) incinerated the major burnables (beetle-killed trees) four years ago. However, the grasses and brush grew back quickly, so a fire still has plenty of fuel to raze a community. To say we’ve been concerned is an understatement.

One or both of us will remain at the house at all times to haul out the last of the valuables should we have to evacuate. That hasn’t happened yet, as we are on the north side of the conflagration. But we know that a major wind shift with an ember can change all that, just like it did in October 2020.

For now, we wait and wonder, ever watchful.