I am sick of this smoky summer. It has been thick all week here.
Here is a story about a local rancher and the 373,000 acre Rowe Creek Complex.
A couple weeks ago, some of the guys from church were not in church Sunday, because they had to go help round up a bunch of cattle than urgently needed saved from this fire.
Prineville rancher helps crews fight Rowe Creek Complex fire, save his ranch
Drone footage posted Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, by the Paradise, Hagen and Horse Ridge Fire Incident Management Team shows the Paradise and Hagen fires from above during flights earlier this month in the Umatilla National Forest
A Klamath Falls man was killed Thursday after fast-moving flames overtook the bulldozer he was operating while battling the Wrights Spring fire in central Klamath County.
The man, 47-year-old Jason Ensign, was discovered inside what Klamath County Sheriff Shane Mitchell described as an “extensively damaged” Caterpillar bulldozer after he was reported missing Thursday afternoon.
Ensign, a private contractor, was working with fire personnel to construct dozer lines ahead of the rapidly growing fire Thursday when “extreme fire behavior” overtook personnel. Mitchell said Ensign’s escape route became cut off from the designated safety zone.
We have set a new state fire records this year.
We have about 2.4 million acres burned total so far, passing the old season record.
And we have set a new record for largest size of a single fire with the Big Grass Fire at 578,000 acres.
Now we have people shooting at ariel tanker planes while working a fire.
Rutledge Airborne reported that one of its Single Engine Air Tankers took gunfire during firefighting operations near Chester, California, on August 16, 2026. The aircraft suffered damage but remained fully controllable. The pilot landed safely without injuries.
The company is working closely with local and federal law enforcement as they investigate the incident. This attack highlights the risks faced by aerial firefighting crews every day.
Rutledge Airborne calls aerial firefighting a calling and stresses the important role its crews play in protecting lives and property. The company values its team members and praises the quick response from authorities to maintain safety and operational effectiveness.
I found this interesting. His house survived, due to his efforts. Sprinkler, dozer lines, cleared vegetation.
But he also mentiones something specific at 11:30 in the video. He mentioned that a fire crew from the complex incident management team arrived, to assess the defendability of his property, to see if it was worth putting the time and energy into defending it, or whether it was indefendable. They determined that is was defendable, and they put out hoses and sprinklers all around his house, and a pool and pump.
Also, city fire department use heavy study hoses. But because these wildland firefighter have to pack in equipment a long ways in rough terrain, and need longer hoses, their hoses are lightweight. And some of the ones they left to pump on his home, burned through.
I found this video informative, particularly hearing how firefighters are actively making determinations and decisions on which structures to put effort in protecting and which not to spend the energy on. I am sure that each case has multiple factors beyond strictly defensibility though.
R7ehr wrote: ↑Sat Aug 22, 2026 12:06 am
Now we have people shooting at ariel tanker planes while working a fire.
Rutledge Airborne reported that one of its Single Engine Air Tankers took gunfire during firefighting operations near Chester, California, on August 16, 2026. The aircraft suffered damage but remained fully controllable. The pilot landed safely without injuries.
The company is working closely with local and federal law enforcement as they investigate the incident. This attack highlights the risks faced by aerial firefighting crews every day.
Rutledge Airborne calls aerial firefighting a calling and stresses the important role its crews play in protecting lives and property. The company values its team members and praises the quick response from authorities to maintain safety and operational effectiveness.
Its been a dry year here. With 3 weeks left in the water year (Oct 1, 2025 - Sept 30, 2026) we have recorded only 5.6 inches of precipitation. And since June 1, 2026 we have only recorded 0.35”.
R7ehr wrote: ↑Mon Sep 07, 2026 10:55 am
Its been a dry year here. With 3 weeks left in the water year (Oct 1, 2025 - Sept 30, 2026) we have recorded only 5.6 inches of precipitation. And since June 1, 2026 we have only recorded 0.35”.
what is average?
0 x
A wee little man can’t say, I’m sorry. A big man owns his mistakes and apologizes.
A wee little man trusts himself and his own discernment. A big man is humble enough to know that he needs the counsel and input of others.
