Fire season is here

There are several wildfires already in Colorado, none of them contained yet, and the season is just starting.
There is a huge fire in the Black Forest which is northeast of Colorado Springs.  We have a relative who lives there and haven't yet heard if his house has burned.  It is a beautiful area with many upscale houses, many of them built of logs, and according to the latest report, the number of destroyed homes is growing hourly and more and more people are being evacuated. 

There's also a fire near the Air Force Academy which is slightly northwest of Colorado Springs; this fire is also threatening the Flying W Ranch which was destroyed by fire last summer but the owners had already started to rebuild.  This is a famous tourist attraction, one that we have enjoyed several times and much of what burned last year is irreplaceable. 

Both of these fires are at least 75 miles from us, but we can smell the smoke from here. 

Another fire is burning at the Royal Gorge which also is a huge tourist attraction.  So far the Royal Gorge bridge has not burned, but none of these fires are under control yet.

The weather this week has been very hot and very windy, so the firefighters have a huge and dangerous job.  The gear that they wear and carry weighs about 75 pounds, and with the temperatures in the high 90's, you can imagine how hard it is for them. 

As I look out of my office window to the west toward the sun, it is shining through a smokey haze; when there is so much smoke in the air, the sunsets are really beautiful - which seems rather strange. 

According to preliminary reports, they think these fires were started by lightning.