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| DC-10 dropping 13,000 gallons of slurry at a time. |
Here is a pictures of a VLAT (Very Large Air Tanker) joining the dozers, tankers, helicopters, tenders, crew, and volunteers in fighting this monster fire.
This picture amazes me. What a testimony to the human spirit - the inventive spirit that developed this technology, the bold spirit that braves extreme dangers to fly these machines, the intrepid spirit of the souls who fight these fires to help their fellow man, and the caring spirit of humans worldwide who cry in sadness when they hear of total strangers perishing in fires and other disasters.
My mother (whom I have often called a saint) has always stopped to pray when she hears a siren. She offers up a prayer for whoever is in need at that moment. I love this philosophy. It is good to care. It is good to feel compassion. It is good to recognize our human connectedness. And, I guess, it is good to own an airplane hangar, just in case . . . .
xo, Cate
Hi-ya Cate! Yep... the airfield has little natural fuels, all buildings are metal for the most part... no big trees around... a safe bet to store the irreplaceable items and important paperwork. Hats off to all of the firefighters out there... on the ground as well as in the air... they are doing the best they can.... everywhere. Here, it is extremely rugged terrain, unpredictable winds with spot cells rolling through. Having to fight fire at 9000' - 11000' elevations is not fun. Living in the high mountains is nice... but there are disadvantages as well, as Mother Nature is clearly reminding us of right now. Unfortunately, the fires in NM right now are all human caused, downed power lines during high winds.. here is a prime example of forest management, it is not just keeping people out, but MANAGING it. This is the fiery outcome when forests are so dense, one cannot walk a 20' straight line... too much fuel.... the appetite of a fire can never be tamed if it can keep feeding.
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