I want to cry right now. I have a cabin in Pinedale. I got home from work a little while ago and turned on the news. Pinedale is being evacuated in fear that this over-night fire will scorch it. What a sad situation. Some of the best hiking in AZ too in that area of the state My cabin will probably burn down to the sticks by tomorrow.
Well I'm hoping for the best too Jeremy. That is a really pretty area and it breaks my heart to see it go up in smoke.
Ironically, I'll be headed to Alpine this weekend to help a buddy with his cabin. There is a ban on chainsaws and power tools used outside around there so I'm not sure what we'll get accomplished. His property is surrounded by the Sitgreaves NF and he's plenty worried too. Hope for the best and take care.
I stopped at the gas station at Baseline and Ellsworth today at about 5:00 pm...my wife pointed out the low clouds to the Northeast...they weren't clouds.
Just caught the 6pm news on the fires around Show Low...seems the newest one was set by a woman trying to signal a helicopter? It seems that once the channel 5 helicopter found her to rescue her, noone thought to PUT OUT the fire.
This link leads to so national coverage on the fires..
At this point I am just hoping that any other idiots out there are heeding the actions already taken by the first set of firestarters and are staying out of our closed forest lands.
I would be willing to volunteer to go up and help if anyone knows anything or needs assistance getting anyone or anything out of the area.
Hang in there Arizona.
SJ
If you have horse property, you can volunteer to take in horses/live stock that has been displaced. Otherwise, there really aren't any volunteers needed right now. the red cross has thousands of people trained for disater relief that they call up in cases like this. If you want to help in the future you can contact the red cross to find out how to become a disaater relief volunteer.
as search and rescue, we've been put on alert as a "just in case." I doubt we'll be called up though.
What we can do is donate to other food banks. When something like this happens, everyone donates to the current problem and the food banks for the poor and homeless get forgotton and go empty. This was a big issue after 9/11.
Well, I have to wonder if my cabin survived. The fire went through there last night. My grandpa had to move from heber today also. He is plenty scared himself, after all, that is his home. My favorite part of the state is ablaze. Alas, this will be devistating by the time it is all over.
We have a second home in Heber, and just came down Tuesday morning. I hiked 5 miles each day up there, and could not believe how crispy the trees were. Even saw a bear walking along 260 in broad daylight as we were leaving. We are biting our nails right now in Mesa wondering if this trip was our last to our house, which we had planned to make our permanent home for retirement someday. Hang in there, Jeremy. There are so many people whose thoughts and prayers are with you and everyone up there. One thing you know is that the sense of community up there is awesome. I hope you will find out that your cabin was one of the ones that escaped.
Here are links to the Pinetop/Lakeside Chamber of Commerce's and the Pinetop Fire Department, both are updating their sites periodically with news about the fires.
Thanks, Cindy. Our house is probably burning as we speak, according to the news. But the worst part is our lifestyle and dreams for the future are burning too, as we watch so many of our beloved friends displaced and our beloved places going up in flames. I am so sad.
It may not be much of a consolation - but you have a whole lot of people here that are praying or wishing good thoughts for you right now.
I really wish I could offer something more than words as consolation, heck I even wish I could empathize, but I've never had the experience of loosing something in a manner that is so violent and tragic.
We do feel for you, and wish we could make it all go away.
'Weird is a relative, not an absolute.' - A. Einstein
I just found out a few hours ago...My cabin is toast. So is by grandpas in Heber. This is a sad day in AZ history. It sucks to think about all that good hiking that's been destroyed. I am sad at the loss of my cabin, but I feel an even bigger loss for the land that is scorched. A cabin can be rebiuld in less that six months, but a forest can't be fully regrown for 40-60 years. Maybe when it's all over people will help out in planting new trees. I bet my property value has dropped BIG TIME. Probably went from $46,000 to $460. Ah...life's little suprises.
Jeremy--I am so sorry for your losses. We are watching TV stunned with disbelief. We did call our cabin twice this morning and the answering machine actually answered, but the fire is right below High Country Pines an we'll probably lose it today. Even if we don't, so many places we love are already gone and so are our friends' homes. I think people will rebuild and plant new trees, but you are right, it will take decades to even begin to look like anything beautiful again. I have to go to work now and try to act normal.
Thanks again for everyone else's kind words and wishes.
Jeremy+ Diane+ family,I am saddened by your losses+ all the destruction that has befallen our beautiful state and just can't even think about the wildlife that has been decimated.Know that everyone in HAZ feels the pain+sorrow that this devistation has caused.It will take years for this forest to recover,and years for all those who have lost so much,to resume a semblance of normalcy.This is a tragedy almost beyond words.
I feel truly sorry for the losses incurred due to the thoughtlessness of ignorant humans.
The forests will regrow, but time will be the cause for this.
Perhaps there will be a reforestation movement and we here at HAZ can put together a volunteer team to purchase and plant saplings there to replace what has been removed by fire.
I'm not saying we try to replant the entire forest, but it would be cool to someday be able to tell a group of youngsters - You see that forest over there? My friends and I helped recreate it.
My prayers are with all who suffer through these times.
GTG
Last edited by GTG_AZH on Jun 23 2002 10:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.