Red alert!! Second alarm!!

...more blazes around the state include the Left Fork fire, near Deming, which has burnt 100 acres, and the Nut fire near Raton, which has burned 1,113 acres on the private Vermejo ranch in Colfax County...the blaze, sparked by lightning, was brought under control by the end of May...fires are burning areas NE of Tucson...12,000 acres of the Coronado Natl Forest has burned & threatened the 700 residents of Mt. Lemmon, AZ...the fire is 50% contained, but not under control...5/29/02: 19,000 acres are charred, only 45% under control...there have been no injuries...5/31/02: 22,000 acres burnt, 55% contaned...6/2/02: 23,000 acres, 60% contained...there is a fire SW of Denver, this one was put out...lightning sparked a blaze at an electric relay station near Lordsburg...by early June there were 5 fires in Colfax County...the Spring fire has burnt 1,000 acres...the North Ponil jumped the border and was nearing Trinadad, CO...it had destroyed 6,000 acres in NM; now 87,000+ acres are scorched...over 40 fires have been reported in northern NM...about 1,000 firefighting personnel worked on a complex of fires that has burned approximately 100,000 acres in CO & NM...

I've got the power!

...there are also the Office, Turkey (was 500, now 3,000 acres burnt; 80% contained), Deer & Cerro Polado (which grew from 600 to 6,000 to 9,000 acres) fires in NM, most in the Cimarron Valley...people are being advised to leave their homes...firemen from Elko, NV are helping to extinguish the blazes...2 fires along the median of I-40, west of the city...they caused several delays for traffic...100 acres burnt near Silver City...in TX, a lawn mower ignites grass which then burns a neighbor's home...6/3/02: 394,000 acres of land are on fire in 10 states...since 1/1/02, there have been 30,000+ fires in this country, consuming over 1,000,000 acres...6/4/02: smoke from the Borrego fire has drifted near Sandia Peak; by 6/7/02, the fire is 100% under control, having burnt 14,000 acres...small brush fire near Tramway is easily put out...the Ute, or La Plata fire, is burning near Durange, threatening the community of Edgemont...30 acres & 83 structures have burnt...the fire is moving towards the CO/NM border...a fire near Glenmont Springs, CO forces the closing of I-70, west of Denver...its suburbs have been put on alert, as fire nears the city...again, the blazes can be seen from space...the town of Durango is being threatened by fires from the north & the east...

...near Grants & the El Malpais Wilderness, is the Cherry fire, whose smoke is also drifting over the skies of ABQ...1500 people are evacuated in SO CA, as the Saugus fire consumed 23,000 acres, and destroyed 9 homes...the blaze is north of LA...500 acres have been charred near Colorado Springs, CO, due to the Ft. Carson fire...most NM cities & counties are banning holiday fireworks...in spite of the drought, citizens want to have fireworks on the Fourth of July, because it's American, and to not have the celebration would indicate a victory for terrorists (?)...this country is suffering from terrorist fatigue...fireworks are schedule for 7/3/02 at the NM State Fairgrounds...

...6/18/02: a Natl Forest Service employee set the large CO fire by burning a letter she received from her estranged husband...the 92,000 acre Ponil fire is now 100% contained...in Walker, CA an air tanker splits into pieces and crashes, killing all 3 occupants...the C-130 air tankers across the country are grounded, these were used to handle NM fires 2 weeks ago...the Missionary Ridge fire has burnt 37,000 acres, 10 homes & 5 other structures; 6/18/02: 44,000 acres, 20% contained...as many as 2,000 people may have to evacuate their houses; 6/26/02: 45 homes have burnt...it is still approaching Durango, CO...6/20/02: 56,000 acres of timber & 33 homes are up in smoke...6/21/02: 67,000 acres, 25% contained; some people can return to their homes, but 1,000 families cannot...the largest fire in that state, the Hayman, has charred over 135,000 acres, burnt 95 structures & 25 homes...there has not been a fire this big in over a century, which means the ground is covered with twigs and leaves (underbrush) that are easy to ignite, and is one of the factors that allows a fire to spread...there was some rain during the night to decrease its speed...6/23/02: grown to 137,000 acres...6/30/02: 90% contained...7/3/02: 138,000 acres, 3 weeks old...

What's so hot? It's so (it's so) hot (hot)! I'm burning, burning up!

I'm burning up (burning up with your love)!

...6/20/02: the Trampas fire has burnt 3,700 acres near Pecos & Las Vegas, in 3 days, it has grown to 4,700 acres...the Rodeo fire in eastern AZ, 36,000, which has grown to 120,000 acres in 2 days; 125,000 acres, in 3...as of now, 0% contained...the Wild Fire, near Show Low, has consumed 3,600 acres, and is close to several towns...the fires have merged into one, super powerful inferno, which is producing a 50 mile line of flames....the effects of the fire can be felt as far away as Las Cruces...

...the citizens of Pinetop, Lakeside & Show Low have evacuated their towns...since 6/20/02, the Rodeo-Chediski fire has burnt 235,000 acres of forestland in AZ; by 6/23/02, 293,000 acres;
6/24/02: 331,000 acres...6/25/02: 375,000...6/26/02: 410,000 acres, then 417,000 then 450,000 then 470,000 by the end of June...it is larger than the city of Los Angeles...Show Low remains untouched by the fire, and townsfolk can return to their homes...420 homes have burnt, and it is slowly being contained...the President has declared that section of AZ a disaster area...a BIA firefighter is suspected of arson...his motive: so he could earn money as part of crew fighting the blaze...

...as of now, the Silverton & Durango Railway in CO will only go as far as Hermosa, then turn around...small fires keep erupting on the track, but these are quickly put out...the Cumbres & Toltec Railroad resumed its train rides on 7/16/02, since the threat of fires has diminished...

...6/20/02: there was a health warning issued for the city of ABQ...from 6-9 PM, persons with breathing problems should stay indoors due to the high concentration of dirt, sand & dust, most of which is due to the AZ fires...people were told to limit stressful exercising, such as tennis...another air quality health alert & smog warning, this time statewide, was issued for 6/24, 25 & /26/02..everyone is advised to stay indoors or decrease outside activities...there has been an increase in respiratory problems & burning eyes...6/21/02: the first day of summer...yeah, right!...now there is the Valley fire, burning 400 acres NE of Durango...plus the Posos2 fire near Tres Piedres, but heading away from homes...and the new Posos3, which has charred 70 acres in the same area...

...6/22/02: 4 firefighters die in a car crash near Parachute, CO...fires rage in Yosemite, CA & various parts of ID...6/23/02: US 60 in AZ closed, smoke keeps drifting towards ABQ, resulting in poor visability...Gallup is engulfed in a gray cloud of smoke...Missionary Ridge: a back burn has been created, yet the fire is still growing and threatening more homes...6/27/02: 70,000 acres, 52 homes, 30% contained...6/30/02: 71,000 acres, 90% contained, the blaze is 3 weeks old; 7/7/02: 85% controlled, should be fully contained by 7/13/02...73,000 acres, 56 homes & 26 structures have burned to the ground...in all, 290,000 acres have burned in CO...in AZ, 25,000 people have been evacuated from their homes...6/25/02: in ABQ, you cannot see the Sandias; there was also no need for sunglasses due to the hazy sky at sunrise...at night, the moon is orange...strong winds are predicted & the chance of rain...6/30/02: temps in ABQ reached 100 degrees on 6/30/02, and 101 degrees on 7/1/02...101 degrees on 7/2/02...7/3/02: 80 degrees at 4:30 AM...should return to normal weather by the holiday...

Lightning Bolt 505!

...6/27/02: in California, the fast-moving Cajun blaze sparked by a car fire on Interstate 15 charred 6,700 acres, destroyed three homes and closed the main artery between Los Angeles and Las Vegas...6/30/02: a fire in Deadwood, SD could be seen for 100 miles!...1500 people have been evacuated...the nearby town of Lead has also been warned to leave at a moment's notice...

...6/29/02: all Natl Parks in the state are closed, the Gila being the last...20 fires in the Gila Natl Forest; 2 in the Santa Fe...small in size, all contained...however, there is a 250 acre fire 20 miles west of Shiprock, 0% contained..this was the fifth warmest June in recorded history...7/1/02: 3 towns in AZ are evacuated...7/2/02: 3 small fires in SW NM...one is the Carrizo fire, which has grown in size from 2,000 to 4,000 acres, is 75% under control by 7/7/02...everyone who was in the path of the Rodeo fire can return to their homes...the blaze was 45% contained, but should be fully under control by 7/7/02, having burnt 467 homes, and resulting in $41 million in damage...a lost camper is supected of starting the Chedeski inferno, the blaze that merged with the Rodeo fire in AZ...I-40 traffic came face to face with a fire near Edgewood, NM that traveled across the interstate and into the dry fields...some suspect fireworks as the cause of this blaze...

...on the flip side, TX is coping with floods, and President Bush has declared some counties as disaster areas...as much as 3 feet of rain has fallen in the last 4 days...there have been 9 deaths, the waters have risen 23 feet above the normal flood stage, threatening to burst through existing dams...more heavy rains predicted until midweek...heavy rains also caused the collapse of two interstate bridges near Ogallala, NE, and closing I-80...

...the Fourth of July celebrations came & went...there were the usual arrests for people illegally shooting off fireworks...but there were also at least a dozen legal displays around the area...in general, the city & country was quiet...

...in Canada, fires have burnt 44,000 acres N of Montreal...the smoke can be seen as far south as NYC & Detroit...

...the first weekend in July saw 14 fires in the Gila Natl Forest, mostly small & easily kept under control...but there is the Walnut fire, which has destroyed 27,700 acres & 85% contained, and the Cub fire, near Glenwood, NM...it has grown from 1,000 (7/5) to 2,000 (7/6) to 11,000 (7/7) to 13,000 acres (7/8), and was 100% contained by 7/10/02, having burnt 13,525 acres...small fires occur in Gila Natl Forest, but are quickly contained...and there is the Darnell fire, in SW NM, near the AZ border in the Coronado Natl Forest...started by lightning, it has grown to 4,000 then 5,000 acres, is 30% under control, and hoping for full containment by 7/10/02...the Beaver fire was also put out by 7/10, burning only 100 acres...7/13/02: in the Warm Spring Indian Reservation, OR, a wildfire had destroyed 800 acres...by 7/14/02, it had consumed 16,000 acres...the fire had jumped a river and destroyed 14 homes...7/15/02: 17,000 acres have burned, over 250 homes have been destroyed, but the fire is nearly contained...7/20/02: a second fire merges with the first in OR, resulting in an 83,000 acre inferno that expands to 87,000 acres by the day's end and 100,000 acres by 7/21/02...a 10,000 acre blazes burns in the CA Sierra Nevadas...7/19/02: it has grown to 17,000 acres, and spans the CA/NV border...7/20/02: an 8,500 blaze spans the NV-UT border, near Ely, NV...

...7/10/02: the first day in which fires did not appear in either the national or local news...the Santa Fe, Lincoln & Carson Natl Forests, and all state forests, will reopen for camping on 7/12/02...Gila opened on 7/15/02...the Cibola opened by the third week in July...only the Bosque remains closed, still too dry...by mid-July, there have been 1,300 fires in NM, burning 300,000+ acres...7/18/02: another air tanker crashes, kills 2, this time in the Rocky MNT Natl Park in CO, near Lyons...this fire has burned 4,500 acres, and at one point was only 45 NW of Denver; by 7/22/02, it is about 5 miles from Estes Park, one of the entrances to the Natl Park...so far, 3.5 million acres have burnt across the country...