Training Log Archive: Bash

Preliminary news coverage of the fire with a couple of my photos. The Enterprise's deadline came up before the Fire Department had issued a press release, so there should be more details in the next edition.

I went out with my camera today, expecting to take photos of the fire totally out after the heavy rain last night. I imagined the wet, black burnt area with the sun shining on it, and thought that the images might be powerful. However, I didn't get away from home for the first few hours. At the back corner of our property, I noticed orange flames under a small log, and I used the 10L water jug that I now carry everywhere to try to put it out. Then I noticed a 2-meter circle of hot white ash by the log, where tree roots were burning below. Then I looked up and saw that a huge old maple tree had smouldering coals inside it up to a height of 4 meters or more. OK, time to dial 911. We ended up with 4 fire trucks here for 2.5 hrs. They used a chainsaw to take down the large tree, and they dug up the roots and flooded everything with water. Ladies, I now have enough firefighter photos to make an excellent calendar for 2008. :-)

Later in the day, I headed out with my water jug and hiked all over the burnt area. Compared to yesterday (pre-rain), there weren't many seriously smoking stumps, but there were still a few to pour water on. I ran into an MNR truck that was patrolling the woods too, but only from double track trails. The guy was worried about the fire staying down in the tree roots for days on end. Since he was from the MNR, I mentioned our cougar in the same forest. He said that there have been cougars sighted all over the place this year.