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A Burning Sensation


I look outside on a summer day, it looks like it is snowing? I look closer, those are not snowflakes falling from the sky, but what is it? The answer was Ash. The summer of 2020 found us for the first time in our lives close enough to wildfires to smell and see the smoke and have ash litter covering everything.


It was unnerving because we lived in Michigan for over 60 years and never experienced a fire outside of our fireplace or pit. The idea that these fires burn for months at a time was shocking! Seeing the smoke was one thing. Seeing the glow of the fire before trying to retire for the night, was another. Since then, we have experienced a half dozen of fires within an hour of our home. We have been spared of any damage or inconvenience, and now have a fire evacuation plan in case we get the call.


On December 30, 2021, shortly before 10:30 a.m. Mountain Standard Time, a grass fire broke out in Boulder County, Colorado. This was about an hour's drive from our house. We were traveling home from a holiday trip to Michigan. The large fire was named the Marshall Fire by local fire authorities. In terms of structures lost, it was the most destructive fire in Colorado history. A dry summer and fall combined with high winds (up to 115 MPH) spread the fire rapidly. The fire and police departments responded quickly and determined the first course of action was to notify the densely populated area’s residents. The result was over 1000 structures destroyed and many more damaged, with only 2 human deaths.


We were notified about the fire from our son’s phone call on 12/31 while driving through Nebraska on our last leg home. He stated, “It is still an hour away, but I can see it from your backyard.” We were nervous about what we would see once we arrived back home. It was sunny and cold in western Nebraska and eastern Colorado. Once we reach Greely (30 minutes east of Loveland which is our hometown), it started to snow. In Loveland, the snow was already several inches deep; apparently, that was just the remedy for putting out massive fires.


I was never so excited to see the snow falling. Happy New Year 2022. Every place has some kind of weather-related destructive force. Knowing your enemy so you can be prepared is a key strategy. It also helps you to sleep at night.


Citations: https://coloradosun.com/2022/01/01/marshall-fire-snow-displaced-residents-power-outage/; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Fire


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