Today's installment covers the events of Wednesday, August 19. Access to the outside world is limited, and it takes awhile to put these accounts together. The reporting is not in real time, but the extra time allows me to add more detail to the story.
Early this morning, a long tongue of dense smoke extended along Aeneas Valley. At first there was a sharp boundary with clear air above. Before long, however, the smoke hung in a diffuse pall all the way to the mountaintops, and extending beyond Tonasket (as I discovered when I made the 22-mile drive there). The smoke made the townsfolk tense. They were aware of the big fires in the area, of course. But the smoke was a constant reminder they could not avoid.
All pictures are in Lightbox mode; click for larger image.
Smoke from North Star fire pours down Aeneas Valley
And while the omnipresent smoke and eerily still air might have seemed apocalyptic, it was actually good news. It was the sign of a temperature inversion. The fire would not be able to form a giant convection column into the atmosphere and burn as rapidly as yesterday.
When I turned on my phone in Tonasket, I discovered that there was no service! Without a signal, I could not check messages, take calls, or use my wifi hotspot. I drove 16 miles north to Oroville, the last town on the US side of the border. My messages came in, but they included a warning that I was on an international system. The active tower was across the border in Canada. Using my hotspot would be expensive, so I returned to Tonasket and logged onto the wifi at a local business called The Junction.
View from Aeneas Store; Dugout Mountain is out there somewhere
At 2 this afternoon, the firefighting agencies conducted a meeting at the store in Aeneas Valley. The grounds surrounding the store were overflowing with cars and trucks. At least 100 people were there, evidence of the substantial population spread out over the thousands of acres of private ownership. It’s by far the largest crowd I’ve seen in the valley. Usually I just see a few cars on the roads, and never interact with the people inside.
Southwest Area Interagency Team 5 led the meeting. People from the Forest Service and a local fire district also spoke. They tried to be realistic and not overly optimistic. First of all, they said, manpower and equipment resources are stretched very thin. Although Aeneas Valley has hundreds of buildings at risk, other fires are threatening thousands. They get priority. The good news is that we’ve been bumped up three notches today, as other fires were contained.
Several residents asked questions about staying at their property if an evacuation is ordered. The answers were along the lines of “We can’t make you leave, but don’t expect any help from us because we are already spread too thin. If we have to rescue someone, precious manpower will be diverted from the fire.”
Every person in this picture could lose their home or cabin
It was pointed out that the inversion with all its ground-hugging smoke was good for the fire crews. Whereas the forecast had been for windy conditions during the afternoon, the inversion had persisted. They’ll be able to make progress today and tonight. This will put the crews in better position tomorrow, when the most dangerous weather begins. The consensus of the fire bosses was that, if we can make it through Friday, the worst will be over. At least for now.
They ran out of maps at the meeting, so I took a picture of their display map. The white areas north of the fire are privately owned lands in Aeneas Valley.
The backfire I’d seen from the cabin last night had gone according to plan, and a burned-out area was in place ahead of the fire. Another fire line was in place along Lost Creek, with crews being assembled to set fires there. This is a critical location at the edge of Forest Service ownership. To the north is a large area of private land with homes and cabins.
When the meeting was opened up for questions, I asked: “To what extent have the recent thinning and controlled burning by the Forest Service helped with your firefighting?” The response: “It has helped immensely.” With the ladder fuels removed, and several years’ worth of pine needles burned during cool and damp weather conditions, there is far less fuel left to burn. The fire will spread more slowly, and is far less likely to crown out.
September 2014 photo of controlled burn near Lyman Lake Road
Four hours later:
Back here at the cabin, as the evening hour approaches 6:00, the air remains smoky, and mostly calm. A few breezes interrupt the silence. The yellow jackets are exceptionally aggressive today. Whenever I am outside, they try to land on me. Some go directly for my face. Perhaps they are reacting to the smoke. Or maybe it’s the simple fact that I’m here with food, and more of them discover that fact each day.
This will burn hot and fast
Pine needles and other fuels have been raked away from cabin
7:30 report, after raking around cabin: Skies are very dark, as though a thunderstorm is imminent. There’s actually an hour of daylight remaining, but it doesn’t look that way. Fine bits of ash are falling from the sky. Very calm, eerily quiet except for the occasional call of a foraging nighthawk. And their calls are few. It’s probably difficult for them to find bugs in the thick smoke.
Dense smoke from North Star fire
9:25 report: Light winds have picked up, and they have changed direction several times. For about 30 minutes, the wind was coming from the direction of the fire. The smoke grew thicker, and the ash heavier. I found one piece of ash larger than an inch across. Towards Devil’s Canyon, trees occasionally flare up. In the darkness and dense smoke, I cannot tell whether the fire is inside the containment line, or has escaped. Knowledge is at a premium here.
9:50 report: The light wind is scouring out the smoke a bit. Visibility is still poor, but the fire seems to still be within its old boundaries. Meanwhile, I thought I caught a glimpse of a torching tree on a peak to the southwest, in the direction of Tunk Mountain. That would be the nightmare scenario, new fires threatening from multiple directions. It would be time to leave if that happens. Here’s hoping that I imagined that burning tree.
10:50 report: Earlier in the night, the only visible stars were the three members of the Summer Triangle (Vega, Deneb, and Altair). Now many of the dimmer stars can be seen. For my final check of the night, I let my eyes adjust to the darkness and then scanned the hillsides with binoculars. The Devil’s Canyon side of the fire seems to be holding firm. I could not see any fire to the southwest. The smoke in that direction is being backlit by lights from Omak.
I’m leaving the shades off the windows, lest any fire sneak up on me.
Previous diaries in this series:
Fire on the Mountain describes the beginnings of the North Star Fire.
The Accidental Journalist, Part 1 covers the events of last Monday and Tuesday.
I apologize in advance for being unable to stick around very long to answer comments. Shortly after I post this diary, I will again disappear into the hills where there is no phone or internet service.