Fire

Los Alamos seems to be in for it again.  The last time this happened, in May of 2000, we lost ten percent of the homes in the town. 
                                                                                  Cerra Grande Fire, 2000

    

At first, everyone watched the smoke become more dense as the fire grew.  We went about our business, work, shopping, the usual.  But, as the smoke became thicker, we started to worry.  Then the fire crested a ridge of the Jemez Mountains, a little Southwest of town.  It was still 12 miles away, but conversation turned from pleasant "Hi, how are you guys these days?" to "Have you heard anything new about the fire" 

Box Pack Mail ran out of boxes.  Empty boxes also disappeared from behind all the local stores.  People were starting to pack their belongings. We did that, and I moved my '54 Chevy pickup truck to the center of a barren field, drained all the gas from the tank and covered it with shinny insulating space blankets.  I moved  our airplane to Santa Fe, and we loaded the cars with our photos and important papers.

The fire came closer.  We were evacuated.  Then, we were allowed to come back.  The fire had been contained, we were told.  The next day, my wife and I went to work as usual, but I looked out the window, not at my computer.  Finally, I told my co-workers and my boss I was leaving.  I called my wife, told her to leave work NOW and meet me at our home.  We finished packing everything we could fit into our cars and as we finished, a sheriff's car came through the subdivision telling everyone to leave at once.

Go to White Rock, the megaphone advised, if you have friends there.  Stay with them.  That's what we did.  Friends, who also had been watching for the last four days, opened their home to us.  We unloaded our clothes, went to the store for groceries and settled in on their patio to watch the fire as we ate. 

As we prepared for bed, the sheriff's megaphone brought us the news.  We could no longer remain in White Rock.  It was unsafe there, and all residents needed to leave the county.  For the second time that day we were under orders to evacuate.  We went to Abuquiu, forty miles distant, and remained there for the next two weeks. 

We returned to a town that had been devastated by fire.  Fully ten percent of all the houses had burned to the ground.  It's a small community, and everyone knew friends who had lost everything.  It took years, but we all pitched in and Los Alamos re-emerged from the fire, re-energized and stronger.  Now, it may happen again. 

There's a new fire growing just outside the town.  Voluntary evacuation orders have already been given.  Please remember Los Alamos in your prayers today.  It's a beautiful place in the mountains, filled with brilliant and kind people.  I hope they do not burn again.

Video of the Las Conchas fire on 6-26-11 from a distance of 25 miles. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99iL60QUBKQ