On July 25th, lightning sparked a fire in a wilderness area located in the Pine Valley Mountains of southwestern Utah. The USDA Forest Service let it burn for a month.
I watched the smoke from this fire in the mountains to the northwest of my home and thought that there would be major problems if it got bigger and threatened the town of New Harmony nestled in the valley below.
As late as last Thursday, the Forest Service was answering complaints that nothing was being done to contain this fire by explaining that Forest Service policy for fire management in wilderness areas permits lightning fires to play out their natural ecological role, until it breaks the bounds of a predetermined area, when officials would take a more proactive role.
"It's not even close to getting to that point right now though, said Dixie National Forest spokeswoman Andi Falsetto." The fire is being monitored daily."
It's passed that point now. By Saturday, low humidity and high winds caused the fire to explode. Called the Mill Flat Fire, it's now well over 10,000 acres big and is headed for New Harmony. It's burned at least three dwellings and numerous other structures. Inhabitants of the town have been evacuated.
There was a point in the life of this fire when, after a series of rainstorms, a single truck and small crew could have extinguished it. But, the people who went to college to learn public land management were more concerned with crafting condescending statements to counter legitimate queries than they were to fight the fire. Now, they're paying for their arrogance and ignorance.
I pray that no people, either residents or firefighters, will be hurt because of this fire. The Forest Service (and BLM, NPS, etc.) better rethink the policy that all fires are good and that people who question this are idiots that should be treated as children. Not all fires are good. The greenies who"sparked" this policy should be the first line of defense in fighting this and all other fires that threaten lives. They might have more respect for human life when their own is on the line.