from ar_richardson

ar_richardson writes:

"In case you hadn't heard, Obama officially declared a state of emergency for Washington State, which is on fire. Three firefighters died in a horrific accident when flames overtook their vehicle, and that hit very close to home for me because my older brother is a wildland firefighter.  The flags here are flying at half-mast today, to honor them.  The state is so low on firefighters that they've recruited the military troops from Joint Base Lewis-McChord and asked for volunteers for the first time ever. The air quality here is so bad that it's at 287 (300 and over is considered hazardous). I'm pretty safe where I live in the Spokane city limits, but it's still so scary. The city smells like a campfire, no  matter where you go. The light from the sun is distorted into an eerie yellow haze that makes it impossible to tell if it's 9 AM or 5 PM. I feel suspended in a smoky, timeless limbo. It's very unsettling.

Australia, New Zealand and Wisconsin are sending firefighters to help out with the chaos. That's amazing to me, and it's so very appreciated. That's a long, long way to trek to help out, and I know they'll probably never see this post, I just wanted to put my appreciation out there."

I'm adding my own admiration for the people fighting these fires. We are on the other side of the Cascades, but these fires are monsters, and the only guarantee we'll stay safe is the intervention of these firefighters. The pictures we're seeing are horrific, and I can't imagine the bravery needed to combat this inferno. These are some of the same first responders to the Oso landslide disaster in 2014, and my gratitude and admiration for each and every one of them is boundless. Everyone please keep these individuals in your hearts and minds, that they stay safe and can do their jobs. There is already such terrible devastation to a vast agricultural part of the state; it's going to take a long time to recover, if recovery is even possible with ongoing drought. But first the fires have to be dealt with. Strength and courage to everyone on the ground for as long as it takes.