I thought I would write a small follow-up on our return home for those who were
reading so much about the fire and our evacuation.
We have been home for week. We were greeted by roses in bloom. That was a welcome
and refreshing sight after so much focus on the destruction of so much beauty.
Our home and property were not touched by the Wallow fire, though it did get close. Our
animals are all fine. We are thankful to have a home to return to. The beautiful mountain
that stands behind our home is still green.
Though we were trusting God with our possessions, we have been through post-fire
reconstruction. It was a valuable time of gleaning and growing but we did not want to
take that journey again.
Some homes were not spared. While others lost their beautiful scenery, some lost part
of their livelihood. We are saddened by these losses and pray for the affected families
as well as for those who continue to battle with largest fire in AZ. state history. We thank God for those who have worked so hard to protect our home and community.
To be honest, I don't particularly care to live here. I have to work at it. I feel badly saying it. Like it's not spiritual and I may seem ungrateful. Maybe it's selfish. If God
were flesh as we are, He would be weary of my complaining heart. Though there are
beautiful places to enjoy, the reality of every day life here is that the wind and the
drought can be oppressive.
But no matter where we live, there are imperfections. And God has to
continually remind me that contentment is not found in a place or a circumstance.
My situation in life does not determine my happiness. If I treasure Him, put Him first,
glory in Him, reverence Him, and love Him, this will bring a satisfaction beyond
what any earthly reality can produce.
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Matthew 6:21
"What a man loves, that is his God. For he carries it in his heart, he goes about with it night and day, he sleeps and wakes with it; be it what it may-wealth or self, pleasure or renown." Martin Luther
I will, prayerfully, by God's grace, allow Him to be my focus and love.
Is there something in your life that has been an object of focus that is keeping
your full affections from God?
(Officials have given a correction on the area burned. It is only 336,167. That is good news.) The morning of June 9th.
WEDS June 8th 8:00 am
As I sit here, there is fire raging around my town. I am not there. Our family has been
evacuated. The Wallow Wildfire in AZ. has wrapped it's fiery fingers around the small
mountain community of Round Valley.
There are so many details that one could focus on... it has burned close to 400,000 acres.
(Correction 336,167)
Not a part of it is contained... (surrounded and stopped.) It is out of control with no
end in sight.
******************************************************************************
9:00 Pm
I was out this afternoon. I had to get out for awhile. The girls and I went to Michael's
craft store with Angie. She's been so sweet and helpful.
We bought flowers for hair clips. I played with some of the little wind up toys. Silas had a
cute little lady bug. He wound it up and it walks across the floor. It's interesting how you want to do silly things when you're stressed.
Jeff called me at 4:50 to say that all of Round Valley had been evacuated.
People packed up and leaving town.
**************************
We heard that Greer was burning and that the fire-fighters had to abandon the area because of endangerment. There is only one road out of Greer.
He and I have been reflecting on how powerfully God seems to be reminding us that His truth the only thing that lasts. His mercy is all that can save us. He orders our steps (Psalm 37:23) Sometimes we get scared because it's slow and we can't see...but He can and He keeps our feet steady. We cannot depend on circumstances of any kind to bring us peace, contentment or security.
In theface of a very unstable economic time, we can only look to God as our source. His resources will never run out. The earth is His and all it's fullness. He has to be the centre of all that we look to to meet our needs and to bring us satisfaction. Though we find some happiness in our situations while living in this world, they cannot be depended upon to keep us. They will never bring that inner joy that only comes from a God that never changes. ______________________________________________________________
I read this later in the evening. By: ABC15.com
PHOENIX - US Forest Service officials confirm the Wallow Fire has moved through
Greer, leaving behind unknown damages.
In an update issued at 9 p.m. Wednesday, officials said firefighters are on scene conducting
structure protection in the small eastern Arizona town.
Crews earlier had to be pulled back from the area because the fire was running very hot and moving quickly towards the town, but re-evaluated and went back in to fight the flames.
Allan Johnson, co-owner of Greer's popular Molly Butler Lodge, tells ABC15 he heard from firefighters that there are reports that structures on the east fork of the Little Colorado River and Wonderland Road have been lost or damaged in the spreading fire.
I read later at http://www.wallow.us/ that Molly's and the structures on the west side of
the street were still standing.
I am so glad that historical restaurant is still standing. It was built in 1910. Last year they
celebrated their 100th anniversary of serving the White Mountains.
When Jeff and I first met, we enjoyed an evening by the fireplace at Molly's. After we were married, we treated ourselves to the Feast for Two.(It's no longer on the menu.) Lobster, steak, scallops served with garlic butter. I don't remember what else there was; that was over 20 years ago.The cost was $50. We went for our anniversary celebration. They serve the best Mud Pie and their Hot Dang Chili is delicious!)
My mind is racing all over the place.. I am trying to think about the information that I want
to keep here in this record.
Angie told me today that she is glad that I am putting all of this
together.. It will be here forever.. for our children and grandchildren. I want to do a good
job.
They are sickened by the fire. thought the older ones don't live there anymore. It was where
we camped and played.. hiked.. went fishing..cut Christmas trees..
Two of the last three years we cut trees were in Greer. I remember this last December
climbing all over the rocks in Greer looking for the perfect tree.
Our lovely tree.. Greer Arizona..
December 2010
I marvelled at a little bird that was playing the water. I was thinking that that water must have
been so cold. I was wondering how that little bird could stand that freezing water on his little
legs. You can see the beautiful little mountain stream to the right of Jeff.
The decorated tree~
My friends and family from back east are offering up so much prayer support.
Keeping in touch with them is encouraging and comforting.
*******************************************************************************
Thursday June 9th, 2011
I slept well last night. The first 8 hours I have had in a week. I am very thankful.
This morning ..... It's been confirmed that Greer has been compromised.. I am not exactly sure
what that means.
The reported acreage burned is at 389,00; 607 square miles. Twice the size of Chicago.
(There is still a discrepancy about the size. Official report says 336,167. But we are still hearing from a reliable source that it is in the 380s..I guess we will see.It doesn't matter that much at this point.)
The morning is calm there so far. I think the winds are expected to be a little more
merciful today. Yesterday, it was very bad; 30-40 mph winds with gusts up to 60. That is a firefighters nightmare.
Update for June 9th From New Mexico Fire Information
Date Started: 5/29/2011 Number of Personnel: Approximately 1,943
Location: south and west of Alpine, Arizona Including 23 hotshot crews and 27 handcrews
Cause: Human – under investigation Equipment: 9 dozers, 119 engines, 26 watertenders
Size: 336,167 acres Aircraft: 14 helicopters
Percent Contained: 0% Injuries to Date: none
Structures: 588 threatened; 1 damaged; 11 lost
Ø Media should call 480-331-9554 to coordinate interviews. Road Closures
•State Route 260 is now closed in both directions east of the Hawley Lake turnoff (State Route 473 junction) and Eager.
•US Highway 60 is now closed in both directions at the NM/AZ state line.
(We live about 10 miles from the NM state line.)
______________________________________________________________________
It is official. Governor, Jan Brewer has called upon the Nationl Guard to help battle this monster.
A DC-10 was flown into the area with hopes that it can be utilized in assisting the efforts to protect and control.
Wow.. What amazing aircraft..The innovations of man never cease to astound me.
About the DC-10~
_________________________Today....Some good news..
Winds down..10-15 mph. Gusts of 25.. No red flag warning.
Spot fires..1/2 to 3/4 miles ahead instead of 3 to 4 miles. They are hoping to reach some point of containment. Hopefully 1-2%.
These are encouraging conditions. However, the concerns for today are that the wind is
somewhat erratic; the direction has changed and there is a possibility of the back burns
meeting with the main fire, therefore, diminishing the buffer that the crews have so skillfully
put into place. And though the winds are down the heat is up creating drier conditions.
Question: When did the fire begin and how?
Answer: Fire officials believe an unattended campfire may have sparked the blaze about 1:30 p.m. May 29.
Q: Where does the name "Wallow Fire" come from?
A: Fires are usually named after a feature near the start point. In this case, Bear Wallow Wilderness is located in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, near where the fire was first reported.
Q: How many structures have been lost?
A: Forest Service officials say 11 structures have been lost to the fire.
Q: How many acres has the Wallow Fire burned?
A: More than 380,000 acres as of Tuesday.
( The new figure just released by Jim Whittington is 336,167.)
Mr. Whittington is employed at the Bureau of Land Managemnt.
Q: Historically, what are Arizona's largest wildfires?
A: The largest fire in state history was the Rodeo-Chediski Fire, which charred
more than 468,000 acres in eastern Arizona. The second-largest was the Cave Creek
Complex Fire, which consumed more than 248,000 acres in 2005. The Wallow Fire is the third-largest in state history, followed by the 2004 Willow Fire at 119,000 acres and the still-burning Horseshoe Two Fire.
Q: What is a Type 1 Incident Management Team?
A: A Type 1 team consists of highly trained and experienced wildfire personnel, from
federal and state levels, specifically outfitted for wildland fires.
Q: What type of equipment is being used?
A: As of Tuesday, 2,140 fire personnel were on the ground, utilizing 8 bulldozers, 141 fire engines, 46 water tenders and 20 helicopters.
Q: What types of helicopters are being used? A: There are three types of helicopters. The Type 1 is the heavy-lift helicopter sometimes called a sky crane. It has the ability to dump up to 2,000 gallons of water. Medium-sized helicopters can dump about 500 gallons. Light helicopters are used to move supplies and keep an eye on the fire.
Q: What magnitude is the current evacuation?
A: Fire officials said the following communities have been evacuated: Springerville, unrise, Greer, Blue River, Alpine, Nutrioso, Eagar, South Fork, Hannagan Meadow Lodge, Sprucedale Guest Ranch, Brentwood Church Camp, Hannagan campground, KP campground, West Fork Black River campground, East Fork Black River campground, Escudilla Mountain Estates, Bonita, White Mtn. Acres, Dog Patch and the H-V Ranch.
Earlier, there were some frightening shots of the inner fire as well as some encouraging news.
Though the situation is still very grave, today offers a little more hope
than in the past week.
One of the most beautiful things about our area is the wild animals that
live here. We have seen many Bald Eagles. Some have been seen while
driving down Mountain Ave. Others we have seen from our property.
There was a nest at Becker Lake.
Some of the other wildlife are elk, deer, antelope, mountain lions, coyotes, birds and
fish of many species. There are endangered or threatened animals including Mexican spotted owls
and Mexican gray wolves. (The wolves were re-introduced to our area in 1998.)
It's been reported that firefighters have seen no dead animals.
There are three packs of wolves and they have all been sighted
since the fire burned through their den areas. The pups have been seen
with the adults and the den areas are cooling.
Mexican Gray..SO Beautiful..
This has been one of the saddest thoughts for our family. We love the outdoors
so much and all of God's creations just fascinate us.
However, friends have given several hopeful accounts of elk and deer alongside the roads, in fields and even in people's yards. A pack of six Mexican grays were seen running away from the fire. It's been good to hear that some are finding a way out and seeking refuge in these open places that have not been touched.
This has been one of the saddest thoughts for me. I try not
to dwell on it but SO very many beautiful animals lost...
It's just heartbreaking~
The mountain community of Greer was a focal point yesteraday as the fire was very
hot through that heavily timbered area. Beautiful does not really describe this little
paradise tucked in the trees. It is known that 6 structures were lost. They are
thought to be homes.
Azfamily.com Channel 3 News June 9th, 2011.
Earlier, I watched a video of the Greer area. It was very grieving to see the homes that were lost. Such a tragedy. We are so so very sorry and our condolences and prayers go out to those who lost their beautiful place in the mountains.
Though some lost so much, there is still a vast amount left.
I was surprised and blessed to discover that the majority of the little
valley was still green and untouched.
It is 10:00 pm. I have learned that more homes and structures were lost today. 24 in all. Our hearts are so saddened by this news. These families will be notified as soon as they can be contacted.
We lost our home to a fire in 2005. It is a very difficult loss to go through. We were very blessed that we were able to salvage much of our personal items. We pray that will be the case with some of these families.
With all the hard work put forth today and the help of the DC-10 tanker, much was accomplished today. They achieved 5% containment in their efforts. This is great news!
The fire is very close..1 mile from Eagar. Fire lines are holding. There
are 5,242 structures still at risk.
There is more back burning to be done.
The area burned is 386,390. This is based on infra red tracking.
So much progress has been made.
We will see what Friday holds for us.
Saturday is expected to be a repeat of high winds.
We can never express enough how grateful we are for so many who are giving their all to save our community. It has taken such determination and sacrfice on the parts of so many.
I understand that some are looking for a new update.. I am working hard to get one out.
It takes hours to gather information; facts, videos, photos, etc. I am trying very hard to be sure
that information is accurate and as current as possible. I am checking and double checking.
In the meantime, our family is safe and our home is safe as far as we know.
But please remember all those who have lost homes and have had such destruction done to their properties. Thousands have been removed from their homes and are under a lot of stress. Then there are the thousands working on this fire. They have been away from their families and many are exhausted and discouraged.
I should be able to post later today or early tomorrow.
My girls and I are still in Phoenix while Jeff is at home. I miss him. He will be at work
during the day. I'm glad. That will keep him out of the smoke. It has been much worse today.
Yesterday the smoke at the house was not quite as bad. Though he continued to wear his
respirator as he worked outside.
This morning he told me that he was awakened at about 2:00 am
smelling smoke. The wind is blowing today and that has made the smoke much
worse.
This map shows smoke created by wildfires. Fires are the red dots, while the smoke is green (thin), yellow (moderately dense), and purple (dense). The Wallow fire in southeast Arizona is responsible for much of the smoke in the central United States.
Over the weekend, Jeff was weed eating as much as possible around the house. Here,
where we live there is so much dead grass. It creates a big job.
I am on the computer almost constantly looking for updates. It was a bit overwhelming today.
I finally broke down and cried. I've been dwelling on this a little too much. It's difficult not to.
I sent the girls to Angie and Michael's to spend the night.
*********************************************************************
At the last update the fire had burned 233,520. I'm sure it's more now because the
conditions are very windy today. We have also been told that the updates are always
behind.
Though crews are working very hard to keep us updated, the fire moves so quickly
at times, it's impossible to be up to the hour accurate. We appreciate how hard these professionals are working to bring us reports of the fire's advancements. Thank you all so much!
It has spread as much as 8 miles per day. One of the reasons that it is moving so rapidly
is because of the amount of dead/down dry fuel on the forest floor. Statistics say that there
are approximately 50 tons of debris per acre in the heavily wooded areas.
Last I heard, it was said to be approximately 6 miles from Springerville- Eagar. Infra-red devices are used to determine size and distance.
At the June 6th community meeting, officials clearly mapped out the current fire status. While
drawing markings on the map, they illustrated the fact that Round Valley (Eagar and Springerville)
are in the direct path of the advancing fire.
It is 4:00 am. I couldn't sleep. I have been online again. I came across this video. It highlights
Greer and Round Valley residents. Please continue to pray. So many are afraid and so very grieved about their homes and community.
Before I went to bed there was a rumor that Spr.- Eagar had been told to evacuate. (Though we are under pre-evacuation notice, the official order has not been
given yet. That I know of. )I woke up wondering what Jeff might be doing and if he HAD
been told to leave. I was thinking about all the things he had to do to prepare the animals
and valuables.
Jeff is not going to work today. He wants to be at the the house to keep watch.
Our neighbor owns a back hoe and he has graciously offered to come and scratch a fire line
behind the house between us and the forest.
There has been so much of that. Neighbor helping neighbor.
_____________________________Our property borders the national forest. That
puts us at a bit of a disadvantage. [It's sometimes interesting how the things you love the most can work against you in certain circumstances.]
{ We are so grateful for all those who are putting themselves at risk and sacrificing to protect our community. Fire crews from around the nation are being flown into help. Some as far away as New York. Governor, Jan Brewer, has been considering calling in the National Guard to assist in the battle. }
The wind has been blowing 30-40 miles/ hour with gusts up to 50. Embers have been blown as far as 4 miles ahead. This is causing a problem with spot fires.
There is a Red Flag Warning issued for today from 11:00 am to 8:00 pm. This means no
open fires.
Here are two fire maps released today, JUNE 7TH, 2011.
Jeff is still at home working very hard to do what he can to protect our home. We have
been instructed to take small propane bottles with us.
The animals are ready to go. The house is prepped as much as possible. We do expect
an evacuation order within the day. And so we wait. He will be going to St. Johns to stay
with family.
We don't expect the fire to come sweeping through our place. It could do a bit of damage
to our property, but we are hopeful that our home will stand. It has a metal roof with
vinyl siding and few trees CLOSE to the structure. Our big storage building may be at risk.
But the building is very old and there is nothing of great value in it. And we are safe. For that we thank God~
It's the others who have been devastated and the beautiful mountain wilderness that we
grieve for.
Again, we want to express our deepest gratitude to those who are putting themselves at risk and sacrificing so much to protect our lives, homes and community. Thank you and we continue to pray for you and those directing this operation.
What wisdom, skill and knowledge it must take to administer in the midst of a disaster
of this magnitude.
We pray also for those that have experienced loss in this great tragedy.
Thank you all so much for your loving support and prayers. It is so comforting and
encouraging to know that so many are praying. Please continue; we are not in the
clear yet.
Jeff just notice from the sheriff's dept. of official evacuation. 4:30 pm June 7th, 2011.
He's loading up the animals and leaving. Everyone south of 260 (Central) ONLY.
