Fire!

Sun reflecting in smoke - about 5pm yesterday

12:30am last night 

7:30am this morning

Yesterday we just chilled (heated) - temp about 97 but very very windy.  I had driven into Kanab to do  some grocery shopping - but forgot that everything is closed on Sunday.  Got back and sitting in the RV doing some sewing and bam - the wind! Dust everywhere and we couldn't see to the next RV - that much.  Then.  We heard fire sirens, cars, trucks, engines racing north on the road.  Looking north - FIRE! Looked like the next valley was on fire.  Needless to say we were speechless and worried and scared.  With a number of the other RVers here - we did a watch - sitting in our chairs, watching, speculating, wondering, feeling sad for those folks north of us.  And of course for the owners of the campground we are staying at.  Just a few days ago Doug, his son and a number of other folks rounded up the cattle in the valley behind us, trucked them up to the higher elevations for the summer grazing.  Right near where the fire was.  They spent all afternoon until very late rounding the herd and moving it farther south.  Fortunately for them the fire was burning to the north and east - the wind was from the south pushing it farther north. Fire started about 10 miles north of us - that close!  Dave said we should prepare to move quickly if we had to during the night, so we dumped our waste tanks, put stuff away, and then did a fire watch during the night.  I went out about 11:30am, still an amazing glow.  Dave went out about 2:30am and said it looks like it is out - no glow.  We slept a bit then, but the smell is awful.  Most of the RVers are leaving today and so they were kinda washing their hands of it all knowing that they were moving on. Our plan if we had to go quickly, was head back south into Kanab, take the Mormon trail (route 389) into St. George, and then head up Interstate 15 - hopefully dodging all fires and get to Idaho as soon as possible.  Dave and I are staying for now - hopefully - until Sunday, or unless we are forced out.  Found out that it is called the Shingle Fire near the Swains Creek subdivision (not sure where - but about 8 miles north of us) suspect started by humans and as of 11pm last night - according to the new release - 0% contained - has burned about 500 acres. We are watching closely!  We are filled with smoke here in this little town, the wind from the north, and I took pictures a little bit ago and there is still a lot of smoke.  We were going to go to Bryce National Park today, decided not to to just hover here, and if it's all clear, tomorrow we will head there. Not fun being near wildfires - very scary, worrying about everyone involved, the cost of all the loss, just devastating.