Update On "It's Officially Fire Season Again!"

Now that the smoke has cleared, vacation is over. The jets are back to work, to among other things, lay a good kindling base for next year.

Hope you had a great Labor Day. After two good rains, the first day we have a clear BLUE sky, the planes are back with a vengeance that I don't recall seeing. Like they are trying to catch up on a summer full of fairly heavy smoke-filled skies all in one day!

Photo by Linda

Then the trails dissipate and cover the sky in a grayish faded blue.

Photo by Linda

We endured the smoke for this?

Update on the Eagle Bluff fire

The Eagle Bluff fire I originally wrote about, is 16,428 acres and is 100% contained. Fortunately, with little property damage.

Not so good for British Columbia

Photo BC Wildfire Service Donnie Creek wildfire June 4, 2023

The Donnie Creek wildfire at 534,388 hectares or 1,320,501 acres makes up more than half the 869,861 hectares or 2,149,473 acres burned in British Columbia as of June 19, 2023. I'm sure it is more by now.

There are presently 191 active wildfires in British Columbia, with several evacuation orders in place. The Crater Creek fire originated in BC and crossed the border into the U.S. a few miles west of the Eagle Bluff fire.

Canada is working toward the record for the largest modern wildfire

The whole of Canada had 13,354,626 hectares or 33,000,000 acres or 51,562 square miles burned this year with the season not yet over. By comparison, the whole state of Alabama is 33,548,800 acres or 52,420 square miles. The previous modern record was the 2003 Siberian Taiga Fires (Russia) – 55 million acres or 85,937.5 square miles.

Ash has been raining for weeks

The British Columbia fires have been burning pretty hard and fortunately are only throwing fine grey ash into the air, as opposed to burning embers, for weeks now. I figured out it must be pretty acidic when I noticed it was tearing up the leaves on my green bean plants in particular, which required a morning and night rinsing. I also noticed it was affecting leaves on certain trees too.

Fires near Spokane, Washington

In the last two months, there have been 28 fires around Spokane, Washington, ranging from .1 acres to the Oregon Road fire started two weeks ago at 10,817 acres, 85% contained with 26 houses and 258 outbuildings destroyed, and one death. The Gray fire started two weeks ago at 10,085 acres 97% contained with more than 259 homes and structures destroyed with one death.

Our Smoke pictures

Don't know what to make of these clouds

Fortunately, this has been a mild fire season for our county with some interesting pictures to add to the collection. However, the year isn't over yet!