haze

[threeplusfire]

Everything smells like smoke and dust. The air is thick with it, pressed down by the cooler air. A flood of 911 calls overloaded the system this morning because everyone left the house for work and immediately smelled the burning. But it was just the ghosts of the other fires. The authorities have issued warnings, telling people to avoid outdoor activities and to stay inside if possible. I walked to the mail box and it was enough to give me a headache.

It was sort of exciting to open the back door this morning and find it was cooler outside than inside. I left the door open until the neighbors behind us came outside with their child who is very noisy.

Two bodies have been found in Bastrop. It's hard to imagine this thing didn't kill more people. They are starting to make some progress containing the edges of the Bastrop fire. There's a lot of political wrangling going on about whether anyone is going to send federal aid, which is depressing as hell. Governor Good Hair took off to resume his campaigning for President.

I am trying to be as normal as I can.

It is amazing how brightly and fiercely the cedar burns. Like the bright burning of a chemical fire. I've been saving photos from the picture feed on the newspaper's site.

Comments

[alexpgp.livejournal.com]

Apparently, the feds have taken over managing the response to the Bastrop fire. And their first move was to turn away volunteer firefighters.

I'm sure the situation is well in hand.

Cordially...

[coyotegoth.livejournal.com]

Be well.

[orbie.livejournal.com]

We're really surrounded by tall trees at our house, so I can't see much sky or horizon and the haziness wasn't terribly obvious, until I drove up to Tech Ridge yesterday. I just stood in the parking lot at the grocery store and looked around, and it was just gray haze everywhere. And then, immediately, the headache. Ugh.

[curmudgn]

Cedar, like pine, is an oily wood. Oily wood is oily, and burns like oil as a result. 's'why the prospect of a fire in the brakes west of town is even more scary than what has happened.

[brienze.livejournal.com]

I've been spending time at a new yarn store in Jonestown, just west of Cedar Park. They're nothing but cedars out there, and they say even on a day with little wind, the whole town will go up within an hour if a fire catches out there. Cedar and pine both have the kind of needles that just explode into sparks that propagate everywhere. Everyone at Tuesday's knitting group had a plan for what to grab if they have 5 minutes to get out.