A few weeks ago, I wrote about the drought affecting the Four Corners region of the U.S. Since then, the drought has only worsened to become, perhaps, the worst since written records were kept in the 18th century. Now, two fires,  the 416 Fire about 13 miles north of Durango, and the Burro fire northeast of the tiny town of Dolores, are reaching epic proportions. The two blazes are separated by 13 miles of rough mountain terrain.

The Burro Fire

The fires and the dry, windy conditions have helped fuel the 11 day-old 416 fire to 22,000 acres, forcing hundreds of evacuations. The 416 is 10% contained. The smaller Burro fire has rapidly grown to 1,000 acres and there is zero containment. Trees are at 80% moisture content, where they’re usually at 200% this time of year.

The 416 and Burro Fires, from the west

The pictures you see are taken from the west, from the far side of the La Plata Mountains, about 16 miles from the fires. The miracle is that, as of this post, no structures have been lost. Many men and women risk their lives to keep our homes safe. Their tactic is to let fires burn in areas of forest with no human population until they can engage the conflagrations.

23,000 acres – the combined areas burning, amounts to 36 square miles by my calculations. The area of the San Juan National Forest which has been closed to human traffic – 2,812 square miles – is of course much larger. The decision was made to do that, for obvious reasons, until the monsoons come, maybe toward the end of July. Until then, rugged topography may require fire fighters to let certain areas burn.

Like twin rocket exhausts at takeoff

We in the Four Corners may be looking at images like this for weeks to come. I’ll keep you posted.

© 2022 by Michael C. Just

Mike’s novel, The Dirt: The Journey of a Mystic Cowboy, is available in softcover or eBook formats through Amazon.

You can purchase the book through this website. Or go straight to amazon at https://www.amazon.com/s?k=the+dirt+journey+of+a+mystic+cowboy&crid=1S40Q4BXSUWJ6&sprefix=the+dirt%3A+journey+of+a+m%2Caps%2C180&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_23

Mike’s other titles, including The Crippy, The Mind Altar, and Canyon Calls, are available through this website or through Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B002

Four of his short stories have recently been published online:

Lies, Ltd. has been published by The Mystery Tribune @ Lies, Ltd.: Literary Short Fiction by Michael C. Just (mysterytribune.com)

The Obligate Carnivore has been published by the Scarlet Leaf Review @ Category: MICHAEL JUST – SCARLET LEAF REVIEW

I See You, Too has been published by the 96th of October @ I See You, Too – 96th of October

Offload, a short story about a man who can heal any disease, is now live and can be read at The Worlds Within at Offload – The Worlds Within