Current Wildfires in Colorado

There are eleven wildfires burning in the state of Colorado at the moment.  That doesn't count the small fire that broke out in some trees yesterday afternoon in the city limits of Littleton.  In that fire, named the Wildland, someone tossed a cigarette butt without it being "out"; the resultant fire burned through four back yards and destroyed a garage, plus some adult trees.  Sheer carelessness and stupidity caused that half-acre fire.  Luckily, it was spotted quickly and two fire units were able to put the fire completely out.
   The 20 acre Golf Course fire at Grand Lake is 100 % contained.  It is still smoldering, but is not capable of spreading any further.
   The Badger Creek fire, which straddles the Colorado and Wyoming state borders, has burned 21,176 acres, and has 80 %  containment.
   The High Chateau fire, which is west of Wright's Reservoir and northeast of Cripple Creek, now has 75 % containment. It has consumed 1,400 acres so far.
   The Turret fire, at last report yesterday morning, had burned 6 acres and was 10 % contained.  That fire is located 21 miles northeast of Glenwood Springs.
  The Burro fire is burning in the San Juan National Forest, 14 miles south of Rico.  It is now 40 % contained, and has burned 4,415 acres.
   The Sugarloaf fire is located 13 miles southwest of Fraser, and has consumed 1,200 acres with no containment.
   The 416 fire continues to spread, 10 miles south of Durango.  It has burned 54,128 acres so far, and fire crews have reached a 45 % containment working for the past month.
   The Weston Pass fire has damaged one home and one out building, while burning 10,727 acres.  It is located 9 miles southwest of Fairplay, and has 5 % containment.
   The Adobe fire, 5 miles west of Wetmore in Custer County, has consumed 85 acres.  It has 0 % containment, and was started by lightning.
   The Lake Christine fire has 0 % containment, and had burned 2,377 acres.  It is burning west of the Basalt Gun Range, and it was started by the use of tracer bullets on the gun range.  Police are interviewing folks who were at the range when the fire began.
   Then there is the Spring fire.  It is burning in two counties (Costilla and Huerfano).  It is only 5 % contained, and has been burning for a month.  The fire has consumed 104 homes, and burned over 95,740 acres.  It was started by a homeless man, who had built a fire pit to cook some meat.  The man is a visitor from Denmark, and can't get a legal job in the United States because his Visa to the USA expired quite some time ago.  So Jesper Jorgenson has been panhandling and camping out on open, nationally owned lands.  He admits his fire pit was the beginning of the Spring fire....  What destruction this man hath wrought.....
    So, let's see - the total acreage burning and burned is at 191,284, which converts to 298.88 square miles. That means that almost 3.5 % of the state of Colorado is burning or has burned over the past month.  No wonder it's smoky and hazy.  No wonder folks with allergies and COPD are having a difficult time breathing.

   

Please be extremely careful with fire!

Public Stuff

This was the first morning that I awoke to a clear sky, with no visible smoke, haze, or pollution.  I'm sad to say that the smoke haze has returned this evening.  The west coast is still ablaze, but I haven't heard any recent reports of new wildfires - and, for that, I'm thankful.
   A bear was back in the Githens Acres neighborhood Sunday night, and it tore a large branch from a mature plum tree.  I don't know if it was the same bear I had my encounter with on Friday evening, or if it's another bear.  I did find out that Joel was walking Rosie at the end of Lynn's driveway when the bear climbed over the garden gate and went into the front yard.  Joel decided it was time to take Rosie back home, even though it cut their walk short.
  And, after all the paper-work sent back and forth, and all the money I put down as a deposit for this apartment, I was shocked to receive an e-mail today stating that I was almost $500 in arrears in my payments to them.  I called and asked for an explanation, as they stated in the letter that it was "past due from June" and we signed the lease and moved in on 2 July.  The woman stated that that was a typo on her part, and that I hadn't been charged the $400 pet deposit upon moving in, and that my pet rent hadn't been included in the July rent, either.  So now I have to make up that difference in the next three months, but it was their mistake to begin with.  Am I missing something here?  They were the folks who told me how much I had to pay, up front, deposits and rent, to move in.  I just don't know why I'm now held responsible for their error.
   It amazes me what one overhears in public these days.  Apparently people aren't ashamed or abashed by any of their own actions.  Sitting four rows behind a pair of men talking on the bus, I heard one state that he had stolen over $6,000 in cash from the homes of his neighbors when he was 15 years old.  He stated that the prosecution wanted to "put" him "away" for 6 years, but all he had to do was serve 3 months of probation, since he was a juvenile.  I guess that he was bragging to his older friend that he, too, was a felon...  And I overheard a one-sided conversation, on a cell phone, that sounded conciliatory at the beginning, but, over a period of 5 minutes and 7 calls, became extremely mean nasty.  It started out with, "Hey, hon.  I wanted to explain why I..." and ended up with the phone being thrown onto the sidewalk as the man yelled, "F--- you, b----!  That's why I broke up with you last night!"  Why do psople insist on "sharing" their lives with total strangers?  It makes me dislike crowds, strangers, odd conversations, and cell phones.  -   But then, maybe I'm the odd one out.  (I do not think so, though!)

Seventy-two Uncontained Wildfires Burning

According to the latest reports, there are 72 uncontained large wildfires burning in five western states (California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington) and southern Canada.  Two large wildfires have been contained.  Containment consists of "a control line that has been completed around the fire, and any associated fire spots, which can reasonably be expected to stop the fire's spread."  Over 2,500 square miles of the United States are burning, or have been burnt, in the past month.   That is a piece of land larger than the entire state of Delaware.
   The mountains and Flatirons are again covered by haze here in Boulder.  We are under a particulate advisory - meaning there is much more than just smoke in the air, there's ash and residue from the fires floating around.  I have COPD, so after I fed, watered and medicated Lynn's critters today, I took Tess on a short walk and then returned home.  The only problem is that it's a Sunday, so the buses only run once an hour.  I could stand and wait for 55 minutes for the bus, or I could walk home in 20 minutes.  I decided to walk.  Luckily, one of the Githens Acres neighbors stopped and picked me up, and dropped me off at my new apartment.  -  And asked me to join in a Poker tournament next weekend, too. (I just might do it.)
   Today I scrubbed down the bathrooms, shook out the rugs, and swept and mopped the floors.  I purchased a new toilet brush, and had to admit that I laughed out loud when I saw a "Customer Service/ Questions and Instructions" toll-free number listed on the tag.  Ummmm...  What kind of instructions are needed for a toilet brush?  (Other than don't scrub vigorously with your mouth open?)
   Nedi practiced tight-rope walking this morning - around and around the edge of the balcony.  My biggest fear was that he'd try to play "owl" - he sits up on his hind end, with his fore feet held against his belly, and he tries to make a 360-degree circle with his head.  Of course, his neck won't do that, and so, at some point, he over-balances and falls down.  I'm afraid he's going to do it while sitting on the edge of the balcony railing and fall 18 feet to the asphalt parking lot below us.  I know cats are resilient, and have an uncanny ability to land on their feet, but - 18 feet onto asphalt could break bones...  (Worry, worry, worry.  It's all mother's ever do.)
 

Haze and a New Fawn

The haze in the sky that I've been commenting on is from 15 wildfires in Canada - located more than 1,000 miles away...  Seems there are multiple large fires in Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories that are burning in heavily forested areas.  The eastern half of Colorado has been blanketed, and there have been complaints and questions about the smoke in Billings, Montana, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and even Aspen, on the western slope.  With higher temperatures today, we also have an Ozone Alert and an Air Quality Warning in effect for folks with breathing problems...
   I was privileged this morning to witness the first breath of a fawn on Redwood Avenue, just after 6 o'clock.  I had fed and watered Tessa, Lily and Lyra, and taken Tess for a quick walk around the block.  Then I went to feed and medicate Tugger and Sasquatch.  After cleaning their litter boxes, I walked into the kitchen to feed the boys - both of whom were staring out the sliding glass door and down into the back yard. That's pretty unusual for them, so I started peering out.  A doe was giving birth just within view - so we all watched.  This mule deer had only a single baby, but it was still a wonderful sight!  We watched her lick and dry and massage the fawn with her tongue; we saw the first tries to stand; and we got to see the first nursing.   After the boys had finished eating, I glanced out to see the fawn making little leaps and bounds - it was just awe-inspiring to see the baby up and running in less than an hour...  Beautiful!
  I had just arrived home this morning when my cell phone rang - it was my sister, in a panic because she had lost her backpack in between her front door and their car.  They were on the way to Denver - could I go find it?  So I turned around and drove back to their house, and there was Kathy's backpack sitting just beside the front door.... I took it inside and came back to see my kits.  They were not terribly impressed with me this morning - I loved them and fed them, and then opened the patio door. Five minutes after I did that, someone let a visiting terrier loose in the backyard; it chased my kits back inside.  Once the dog was inside, our maintenance man decided it was time to mow the back yard....  I just couldn't time things right for the kids today.