Wednesday morning, I went out to hang laundry and saw smoke from a fire back in our canyon. With very high winds and a red flag warning all week, I immediately called the forest service. Within a couple hours fire crews and air support were on their way. By Wednesday evening, the fire had grown to 800 acres. 

This is the first major fire for this season, so it’s gotten a lot of press coverage even in Tucson. As a result, people have been calling to check on how I am and offer me a place to stay if I need it. Very kind, but also a little anxiety producing.

They’ve been very aggressive with DC-10 retardant drops, and this morning, things are looking better. As of last night, the fire was at 2,000 acres but hadn’t traveled north much so the outlook is good for now. (You might remember that a few years ago a fire in the same place and in similar weather traveled about 100 miles and burned for six weeks. No one wants that to happen again.)

I fear that this is part of the “new normal,” but for now, we are safe and sound.