The fire came within four miles of our town...but, with federal, state, local firefighters was kept confined to the foothills to the north and west and to those small mountain communities and more isolated homes built in the woods to enjoy the benefits of living surrounded by nature
Planes and helicopters fly overhead, dipping into Horsetooth Reservoir to suck up water and into federal stockpiles of chemical fire retardants. To this date about 60,000 acres have burnt. As the fire moves away from homes and structures, it will be left to burn. Perhaps all summer or until snow begins to fall again. If it does this winter.
What surprises me is how normal life is in town...except for the smoke chocked air in town when the wind blows in our direction.
Horses graze in the park. People picnic or perhaps drive up to see the flames and then drive back to eat a burger for lunch. But I guess that is what our species is so good at, adapting to new conditions and, if one is not directly affected, to carry on with life as it is or appears to be.
The long-range impacts will be substantial for the town. Water quality will be greatly affected and our local brewery industry, relying upon fresh, clear water, will be impacted as denuded hills wash soil and debris into the Poudre. Tourists don't like smoke. And the environment will be degraded though, at the same time, the fire provides an opportunity for regrowth from the earlier devastation of pine beetle infestation. That, however, will take decades.
I write this on a train traveling over the broad mouth of the Delaware River, traveling between Washington and New York. So much water. This is a country of regions...so different, so hard to comprehend.
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Location:Fort Collins
