Logan Wildfire! Near Us!

We have been so lucky this trip, avoiding at all costs, wildfires.  As a matter of fact, we changed our plans and rerouted our return home due to not being able to go to Yosemite National Park, a goal for this trip, but too bad.  We stalled coming down from the coast of Washington to avoid the smoke of the Rim Fire and the fires all around Oregon and northern California.  Until yesterday at 1:45pm we thought we had done a great job.

I was just finishing up doing laundry, Dave was out for a walk along the Pacific Crest Trail, when we heard sirens - alot of them!  And then helicopters.  Zoom, right by the campground, sirens stopping, you could hear the down shifting of the fire engines then moving again.  Sounded right across the road. And it was!  Looked to the north and Oh MY GOODNESS!!!!  Lots of smoke.  Just a mile from where we are camping, across the road.  The fire is officially called Logan Fire, and as of 15 minutes ago, it is under the California jurisdiction, not federal (yet).  All day yesterday we were stood by our camper, watching the fire, at times felt we could reach up and touch the planes flying overhead, watching the helicopters, seeing fire engines and forest service equipment coming in.  Very very scary.  Our nerves are shot today and we have very bad sore throats from the smoke.

Plane dropping chemical on fire

The camp ground management said - we will let you know if you need to be evacuated, but for now - you are okay.  Great.  That did not stop us from having our eyes glued to the sky, watching the fire, praying that it stops and no one gets hurt.

One of  7 planes that drop chemical

At 6:30pm we decided that we had to get something to eat, I made a quick dinner, still listening to the planes flying overhead. We decided that if we were evacuated, leave everything, go.  Heck with the RV.  We had a restless night, I could hear large equipment moving, saw the glow in the sky, but it did not get brighter.  This morning, seems quiet, but now the fire engines have started roaring in again.  And lots more equipment.  Found the report on the internet and as last night at 7pm was 20% contained.

Another type of plane

One thing this fire has done for us - we had an emergency plan for leaving but have not talked about it at all this trip - we needed to fine tune our evacuation.  What to do, what to grab (beside Grace and her things to survive), and where to go.  A group of 6 graders (we think about 35 kids) and their teachers and advisers just came in yesterday right after the fire started, camping in a group camp area right beside us.  We decided we would do everything possible to get the kids and advisers packed and out before we left.  Those kids would panic.

View standing by our RV - smoke!

See belly - the bay where the chemical comes out

We counted at least 7 different planes that were dropping chemical, two helicopters with trailing buckets for water? or chemical?, unknown engines, equipment, bulldozers, lots of smaller planes and jets in the sky.  My gut feeling is that the Yosemite fire - by the crow flies, not far from here - had so many resources that they were able to divert to this fire and get a handle on getting it under control.  What ever - thank you to all fire people, rescuers, safety personnel - and that person who stopped by the campground at 1:35pm yesterday and called 911 to report the fire.