Hell-fire and Damnation in the Devil's Garden today (DIAL-UP WARNING)

[DemoTex]

Words fail me.

[aikoaiko]

1. Impressive imagery

Is that from your tower?

[DemoTex]

7. Shot from my lookout

Ten miles from the fire.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. My dear DemoTex!

How can destruction be so beautiful?

NO idea...

But the colors and shapes in your pictures are beautiful!

Thank you!

[aquart]

3. OMG. Will they reach you?

[gateley]

4. How far away are you, DemoTex? You okay?? nt

[DemoTex]

8. I'm ten miles from the closest point of the Garden Fire

The fire has gotten within one mile of the Deschutes National Forest. We have crews staged at the district line in case the fire broaches. If it gets into the Deschutes' large Ponderosa pine stands and starts north, I'll be un-assing this lookout.

[gateley]

10. Just let us know so you don't all of a sudden "go silent", okay? nt

[DemoTex]

12. Roger that!

If I have to un-ass the lookout, I can be found in Bend (Oregon) drinking Apocalypse IPA at "10-Barrel" - I guarantee!

[gateley]

17. Haha! We have no doubt about that!! nt

[Jack Sprat]

5. And where might we find Beelzebub

on this Sunday afternoon? Campaigning in South Carolina?

[Tallulah]

6. Sad

yet beautiful. The pictures need no words.

[Generic Other]

9. Like the gates of Dante's Inferno!

Is there a point where you pack up and leave? Stay Safe.

[DemoTex]

11. "Is there a point where you pack up and leave?" Oh, hell yes!

If the fire gets into the Deschutes NF, and spreads north, I'll have to get out of the lookout. There are so many aircraft on the fire that I'm not much help (more on that in a post after fire season is over).

[Generic Other]

20. I'll be watching for ya on the news in Western Washington

We are having a bad fire season. The Olympics on fire too.

[nadinbrzezinski]

13. I hate to be that close

Be careful there. Don't think it's too far fetched that you will have to bug out.

Apart of shake and bake did they issue cute yellow wilderness firefighting gear? Nomex is hot as hell, but not a bad idea.

[DemoTex]

14. S&B, yes - Nomex, no.

We have a great evac plan. But I will review it tomorrow with the AFMO. I'll order Nomex to be sent out on E-34.

BTW: I wore the early scratchy Nomex flight suits on 250 missions in Viet Nam.


The two-piece Nomex flight suit, which I preferred over the hotter one piece flight suit

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. One piece s indeed hotter

My structural saved my but a couple times. And one has nothing to do with fire.

You take care.

[stevedeshazer]

16. That is some serious shit.

Central Oregon is on fire.

Hang in there, my man. Thanks for the pix.

[Greybnk48]

18. Wow! That is a sight to behold.

Stay safe!!

[xchrom]

19. recommend

[scottm5462]

21. I was just in your neighborhood...

Spent the last 5 days mostly around Silver Lake, but drove up FR 18 SAT on my way to meet a friend at East Lake. Weird to see some much activity at Cabin Lake--any time I've camped there, I've usually got the place to myself. Smoke was quite visible from Paulina Peak SUN afternoon, esp. after showers cleared the air a bit.

Keep posting updates--not much else I can find on Buffalo Well or Devils Garden fires. And I note that http://wildfireoregondeptofforestry.blogspot.com/ calls it "the Garden Fire". Hmmm... self-censorship? Or just a shorthand name?

[DemoTex]

22. They are right, it is "The Garden Fire."

It was called the "Devil's Garden Fire" before it was officially named. Perhaps there is a brevity issue - good, I agree with that.

Many of my USFS fire-fighter buds were at Cabin Lake doing structure protecture and standing by in case the Garden Fire spread into the Deschutes. You probably saw them there. Engine 634 and Water Tender-31, plus some admin units from the Deschutes fire battalion 31.

[scottm5462]

23. Thanks for the info--keep 'em coming!

I mean, when you're not incredibly busy doing your job! ;-)

The Devils Garden was the spot on the map that so intrigued this Iowa boy that I just had to explore it, and the Central OR Desert, after moving to Eugene in '91. I've been many times since, mostly on my annual solo camping trip, the latest of which was just this past weekend.

So thanks for all you do, and keep on protecting the place--it means a lot to me.