August 28, 2022- Mt Helena is burning.
It appears that the fire started in the vicinity of the water tank above the “scars-dale” subdivision. It is about 2/10th of a mile from our doorstep as the crow flies. City and Vol Fire equipment were the first on the scene, then Helicopters. Fire personnel spread out very quickly and appear to be hand digging a break line. The wind is strong from the west- that should help keep it from spreading west and into the tress, but it does not bode well for the Hawthorn neighborhood.
As the fire equipment was coming into the neighborhood, I decided to go down to Northwest Park for a better long view of the fire and to walk the pup. It turned out to be a good vantage point and it was a lot quieter and less hectic that our neighborhood. The helicopter assault grew from 1 to 4 and the slurry bombers showed up about an hour later.
The response to the fire was amazing. By early evening it appeared to be out. Late afternoon- it was a smoldering blackened scar. The wind stayed strong all afternoon- which really may have helped avert disaster. The fire was being directed by the wind and the firefighters into grassy areas. Grass fires are not as hot as forest fires. The biotic community will probably recover in short order in the burned grass area. It looks to be burning along the Ambrose and Prairie Trails. Two of my favorite trails for flower ID walks.
I don’t know when I will be able to get back up on the trail, but I am looking forward to seeing the extent of the damage, and even more forward to seeing the rebirth process unfold. So many of the native plants here have evolved with fire. I suspect next spring the burn will have a lot of new flowers popping up.
Nature, every day. 
Leave a Reply