Our Newest Extravaganza Neighbor: The Sawmill Gulch Forest Fire

Living in paradise is not without its challenges, and, for those of us based here in Extravaganzaland, here the nemesis is forest fires.


Last Wednesday, while driving up Rock Creek Road, Kathy noticed (and was first to report) a lightning-caused fire three ridges and four miles west of Rock Creek at mile marker 8 (we are just beyond mile marker 10). What began as a 6 acre blaze last week has now quickly grown to over a wind-blown over 60 acre forest fire, blazing in the Welcome Creek Wilderness and is now officially known as the "Sawmill Gulch" forest fire.


Attached are photos of (a) the fire-fighting Forest Service helicopter, complete with its 250 gallon water bucket, heading from our upstream neighbor's pond for the fire that can be seen atop the ridge in the distance; (b) plumage from the not-too-distant ridge behind our house reminding us of the closeness of this fire and (c) a would-be harvest moon, whose only bounty is the residual smoke from the day's destruction.
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Resident in the Lolo National Forest, the progress (and hopeful regress) of the Sawmill Gulch fire can be followed on the forest service's website, www.fs.fed.us./r1/lolo.



RCR