doing nothing just aint my style.

Rural NM, fire just east of Albuquerque,  huge forest is bone dry, house directly in its path and surrounded by trees,

I think i have a few hours to prep,  got chainsaws/tackle to cut/drag trees away from house, got 6000 gal water and garden hoses and sprinklers

some of you guys have been through this, what else should i do?

BIG PROBLEM IS THERE IS NO  EXIT IF FIRE REACHES HOUSE, JUST MILES OF THICK DESERT BRUSH/CACTUS AND THE FIRE WILL MOVE FASTER THAN I CAN ON FOOT.

I want to take action now, and leave if the fire gets within 1/2 mile of the house



DAY 2...

Small update..as of 0800 June 15...

Doghead fire is approx 5 miles away.

House is newly purchased, closed a week ago, not much of mine there yet and previous owner stripped it bare so nothing to use except what I brought.    Bumped up insurance another 50k, wanted to go 150k to cover the shop but agent was getting a little suspicious.

spent all day yesterday and late night trying to clear 1/3rd acre of brush/scrub pine/cactus from the fire-side of the house.  I am beat to hell physically.  Got no heavy equipment, everything done by hand.  Chainsaw nipped me in the leg, got real lucky on that.   I've been stuck by about a hundred cactus spines.   Sprinklers worked okay on ground but 20ft high on roof and house water pressure was not enough.  Havent had time to hook up trash pump to water storage tank/sprinklers.

fire was totally out of control for most of yesterday.   News reports were greatly underestimating fire size, and wind direction.   There were C-130 and DC-10 air tankers dropping at the time the local news said the fire was 10 acres.    Massive fire fighting resources were sent in immediately, unusual because they often wait till fire is huge before sending tankers.

I stayed at the new house because I didnt want to risk coming back and being turned away at a roadblock by govt agencies.    No internet and poor cell reception at house so that delayed updating this thread.

Fire was a monster yesterday, flames and burning material 200 feet in the air, a true firestorm.   one benefit was the smoke was pushed high enough that it wasn't a breathing problem on the ground.   A pilot friend reported the smoke at 18,000ft yesterday afternoon.

Some people bugging out, some cutting firebreaks, lots of spectators

thought about a backfire but decided against it cause no way to control it, and the liability.   I may lose the house/shop, but I'm gonna put up a good fight.

here is some local news info, great video, maybe someone can imbed it.


http://www.kob.com/albuquerque-news/fire-burning-near-fourth-of-july-campground-in-manzano-mountains/4168666/?cat=500


as of 0800 june 15, the  fire was described as no containment, 680 acres burned.   It died down last night but is growing again right now.  Winds are expected to push it directly toward the house.  news said they are bringing in more heavy air tankers and helicopters today.    I'll keep  working, but seeing that firestorm was pretty intimidating.   I'll bug out if it gets within one mile.

Thanks for the advice guys.   I took some pics and will do an AAR later.


2nd update  2300 June 15

Worked all day on the firebreak.

The fire has grown 5 times in size from yesterday.   It is so massive they stopped using the large air tankers and are using the smaller ones just to douse hotspots and homes.  There is nothing humans can do to have any effect on the fire at this time.

Watched the fire burn up over three ridgelines en route toward the house.  Each time it crested the ridge, it was a solid wall of flames hundreds of yards wide and 100+ feet high.

Clearly, anything I do to save the house is not going to have any effect on a fire this size.    

If they let me through the roadblocks tomorrow, I'll try to set up a sprinkler system but as some of you have stated, it will be like pissing on a house fire.  I do have a pretty whacked out idea I'm going to try with the .gov guys tomorrow.

Today, winds were strong from the south, which stretched the fire out several miles.   I live east so that helped me.   Unfortunately, they changed direction and this evening the fire was moving due east toward the house.   The fire exploded in intensity just after sunset, lots of dark gray smoke instead of the white smoke from pine trees.

Sorry for the poor quality photos.    I was just taking grab shots, shooting directly into the sun and there was lots of smoke in the air.


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Day 3  
update  as of 2300  June 16, 2016


When I left the house yesterday evening, the winds had kicked up and morphed the fire into a boiling catastrophe 3-4 miles long north to south and was moving eastward toward the house, which was right at dead center.   I expected to have a house of ashes today, so went back out to confirm it, or work on the firebreak some more.

The fire grew to 12,000 acres per local news, but their reports have always been hours late and way underestimated in size.   I knew north of the fire was roadblocks and mandatory evacuations, but south and east was supposed to be voluntary.   So a 100 mile drive east shows the fire slowing down dramatically,

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then drive 30 miles south to see the inferno starting up again,

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then drive 20 miles west,  to the south entrance point,   past dozens of emergency vehicles of all types,  
only to find this roadblock...

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Tons of cops and govt people, including National Guard, a helicopter constantly overhead, and no admittance.   I tried getting some detailed info from the cops but they didn't know a damn thing.   They had a command center set up there, but lowly citizens weren't allowed to get near it.   News crews could.  And I talked with a stringer with a home made press pass that was allowed in.   I'm quite familiar with that technique, and it is often easy because the newbie cops are always stuck with the crappy roadblock jobs.   One trooper looked like he was 19 years old, 100lbs wet, and wore a uniform 2 sizes too big for him.  

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Watched a DC-10 fire bomber hit the main fire a few times,

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then watched a few homes go up in smoke.   They were the palls of thick black smoke interspersed among the white tree smoke.  Some of these had spectacular explosions, probably large home-sized propane tanks cooking off.

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This one generated a mushroom cloud.
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One rancher, who wanted to pick up  his livestock a few miles up the road, got into an argument with a veteran NMSP trooper, who quickly cuffed and stuffed him.   Hey, the official fire webpage said his property was under VOLUNTARY evacuation at that time, and those horses might be worth 30 grand per head.  

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Got bored watching the fire eat houses


so time for plan-B.   I have some experience in these situations, and when I was an LE supervisor, have even set up containments myself, so I know a few tricks.   When the incident commander does the initial cordon set up, he uses official map info.   It is readily available, reasonably accurate and covers his ass liability-wise.   What those maps won't show are all the dirt roads made by ranchers to manage their properties.   So I drove a bit west looking for one and found this...

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a NMSP cruiser blocking one.   Okay, they have enough manpower to block secondary entrances,  I'm impressed, but did they block them all?    I don't think so.


A further couple miles west and a hidden dirt road led me a few miles right up to the southern edge of the fire.  I could have driven right into the fire.   I stayed a good solid mile from the flames to ensure an egress route out. Watched the fire totally consume a few structures in a matter of 60-90 seconds.

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While there, the USFS guide aircraft, a C90 KingAir,

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brought in a BAe-146 fire bomber to hit hotspots next to homes,


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then guided a P2V Neptune,

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then an AgCat.   They dropped multiple loads of retardant but didn't try to attack the edge of the fire, which was a 75ft wall of flame with incredible updrafts.  

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I watched it crest a few ridge lines  and when the fire continued south of my location, decided to bug out.   I was constantly looking at my egress route for new fires sprouting up, and there were many of them just west of me.   I didn't see my house, just a bit too far south of it apparently.   The winds really kicked up, 35mph blowing the smoke horizontally instead of rising vertically.

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These homes are probably erased from the planet now.

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Decided to try my whacko idea and followed the helicopters to their FOB, about 4 miles south of the main fire.   Almost got stuck trying to drive a large heavy vehicle on a miserable dirt cattle path, which would have really  sucked.   Arrived to find nothing but a Kaman K-Max helo lifting a bambi bucket from a pool.

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And no one else around.   So much for my brainstorm idea.


Back to the main roadblock.   Nothing new, except a bunch of new fires from burning embers that were growing rapidly and a few more homes going up in black smoke
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DC-10s were getting a workout, all at 500ft AGL

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Time to try a different route in.  
En route, I saw a couple of spot fires started by spectator vehicles who parked their car's hot catalytic converters over tall prairie grass.  

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I found a new route after a tortuous drive over washboard roads that had me down to 7 mph.  

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I got within a few miles of the house and found this...

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Some guys with a radio, using their POVs to block the road.   Just local volunteers.   Now this is ranch territory, everyone knows everyone, and guys help each other out.   They are fantastic neighbors.   Despite me being a newbie stranger, my warm introduction and an honest explanation of my pursuit, and with a little small talk, a solution was found.   In the group stopped there, another rancher told me that a parallel road was not blocked so I  used that to continue on.

Onward into the smoke!   The fire had been a massive conflagration most of the day, with 35mph winds boosting it merrily along and 20,000 ft high.  But now, the smoke was starting to thin considerably and hugging the ground, probably due to switching from burning up thick forests, to sparse prairie land.

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I was headed due west straight toward the house and the fire seemed to have split into two main fires, one north  and one south.   I began to have hope for the house.   It was another 10 miles of dirt roads before I approached the main highway, that had been closed north and south.  

Now was the most dangerous part.   There was a constant stream of emergency vehicles running code on it, as well as contractors and construction vehicles.   If my timing was perfect,  I could run about 3 miles on it to reach the house.   I hit the gas.   And had a HotShot  vehicle on my ass in no time.   I pulled over, certain they were reporting a civilian vehicle to their command center, then high-tailed it to my driveway.

Good news, the home and shop were still untouched, not even looters had hit the place.  Electrical power had been shut off hours earlier, and all the food/equipment brought in on day-1 was brought out.   I worked on the fire break again, trying just to cut down everything within 200ft of the house.   The smoke was so bad I'm sure all the emergency vehicles running up and down the main road had their windows up, so probably couldn't hear my chainsaw.  I now had a safe egress route to the east and could monitor the fires from the house so I worked a while until the sun got pretty low and visibility was decreasing from the smoke.

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Again, I had to run 3 miles of highway full of emergency  vehicles.   My plan was to drive fast enough that a 75mph cop passing me with a closure rate of 150mph would be a mile behind me before he could start to catch up.  By then I'd be on the dirt roads leaving a huge dust cloud behind me.   If actually pulled over, I'd simply tell him I was evacuating the area, which I was.   I hit the gas, and at one mile passed by a NMSP cruiser that was traveling near lightspeed.   I saw his brake lights briefly illuminate but he didn't turn around.  Got onto the dirt roads and had two emergency vehicles pass me without so much as a wave.  I guess they had better things to do than question people that were still evacuating the area.   At the first roadblock, I talked with people with family members that are inside the evac zone and are bugging in.    The cops are not physically forcing people from their homes, but they are telling everyone not to call 911 asking to be rescued because they ain't coming.  If you bug in and this fire reaches you, you're going to become one crispy critter unless you have one hell of a nice underground bunker.

Egressed the area, and  called some neighbors to tell them their homes were still intact.   They were very grateful.   Tomorrow's .gov  reports will decide if I make another journey to the house.    There is a couple grand in shop equipment there, an unlikely theft target, only the fire might take it.   My plan was to turn on the rooftop sprinklers when the fire was ½ mile away but I have dropped that idea because I might be trapped by that point.  I did forget to empty the 150 gallon propane tank.   Nuts.

As of 2300 hrs officials are still saying there is NO containment anywhere.   700 people fighting the fire.   Estimate is 16,000 acres of forest has been turned into scorched earth, and from the overhead photos, it truly IS scorched black earth.  24 homes and 21 other structures destroyed so far, but I'll bet that is a low estimate.  Some of these properties have horse barns worth $150,000+.

Looks like there is very little interest in this thread, so I'll skip the AAR and future updates.   Maybe a mod should move it to the survival forum where it would be more useful?





Day 4
1330 hr June 17, 2016

Thanks for the words of support guys.   I'll continue with the updates and an AAR.    

From the infrared map overlays and weather reports, the fire should have reached the house by now.  
I've studied the terrain between the house and fire and there was an opportunity to redirect the fire away from a small group of nice homes with a few well-placed slurry drops.    So there was a chance the house got saved.   I don't think my fire break was large enough to stop anything but a very slow moving fire.  

Nothing I can do today without placing myself in extreme danger, so I'll stay away.   Most of these ranchers are quite self-sufficient and don't need or want govt interference in their lives.   I'll bet there is going to be more than a few confrontations with cops, as the frustration levels climb and folks try desperate actions to save their livelihoods.    No reports of deaths yet, but I'm not optimistic.   There were folks living off-grid directly in the fire's path, many with only one possible exit route.   Some of this forest is miserably tough to walk through, impossible to run through.  Very little internet or cell phone service out there.

Still no containment and the weather forecast could not be much worse 100-104 degrees for the next four days, no precipitation.   Darn glad I didn't have that shop packed full of tools and equipment.  That was this week's original task.



1630 hrs
I'm really feeling the need to get back out there and do something more, like vent that propane tank, cut down a few more trees.   Gotta give it everything I got.
I imagine it is probably a free-for-all out there with the cops and ranchers locking horns.

Insurance agent called asking a lot of questions, I didn't have many answers for him.

news reports that the fire has grown to 16,000 acres, still no containment, although their reports are marginally accurate.   I fully expect to have nothing but scorched earth when this is over.



1700 hrs
I'm going back out.   I know I'm poking a grizzly bear, but i think I can do it without getting mauled.


1900 hrs
Turned around and abandoned the trip.   I got to thinking, there has to be safety release valves on the propane tanks, to prevent them from becoming bombs, so that is not an issue, I hope.    I'll bet those massive explosions with black smoke were the 500 gallon fuel tanks that most of these ranches have for their tractors and other equipment.   Got a call at 1800 hrs from a distant neighbor who snuck in using my route.   Cell phone reception is extremely poor and the fire has wiped out some communications facilities.   As of 0800 hrs Day 4, I still had a home.   He said the fire was 1/2 mile away, one finger of it just north and one just south of my home.   He bugged out when the smoke reduced visibility to 50ft.   He knows the area very well and navigated by geographical references.   I'm going to try another trip tomorrow very early.   I'll keep you posted.     I didn't realize so many people were following this thread.   I previously pulled it up in GD without signing in, and it was buried somewhere around page 6.   My apologies.

I have tried to answer and ask some questions in page five.










Day 5   Holy Sh_t  Where's the Tylenol!

Warning!   Heavy sarcasm in this update.  Thin-skinned betas should leave now.   People without a warped sense of humor should buy one before reading this post.

Had to edit this update down quite a bit, getting too big to handle, I'm exhausted, and this is mainly for your entertainment.


Headed back out, a 1.5 hr drive to get to the east side of the fire.  

Just me, Smith, Wesson and their little friends.   Tempers are gonna be hot today.   I'm expecting to find an ash pile for a home and deal with supreme govt stupidity, bureaucracy and ignorance.


Looking towards the fire, no visible smoke on the horizon.  

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I expected that.   The fire was moving east and probably ran out of forest to burn.   Pulling into Moriarty, here is the current pic...

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a huge improvement, but, the fire was real close to the house last night.

These pics show just a few small fires and scorched hills.

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While headed west toward the fire, a C-130 fire bomber was making slurry drops on hot spots, with an AgCat flying extended trail behind him, probably radioing “hey! you missed a spot!”.
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Hitting the back roads with fervor, and leaving a dust trail 100ft behind me, I approached the main highway,  only to find America's finest blocking the road with a Humvee and a radio.  

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Two Guardsmen, a young guy and older vet, greeted me.    We exchanged pleasantries and I told them I needed to get to my house, pointing at it dramatically.  I told them I left the water running (true), and the iron on, and there is ice cream melting in the fridge, and every other excuse I could think of.   No dice, but they were quite friendly.   He said the cops are stopping every POV and escorting them out of the now-mandatory evacuation zone.    A  zone that was massively expanded yesterday.   I could see the house was still there.   Great news.  I was happy.


There was a non-stop flow of emergency and contractor vehicles on the highway.  Even guys from North Dakota.  Hoped they enjoyed the 100 degree heat.
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Even a sinister all black, blacked-out window govt SUV was prowling the area.
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A POV passed by, headed south, and literally seconds later a NMSP SUV had it pulled over.

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Note-to-self.   Rent a white van/SUV/truck, slap a magnetic sign on it with some bogus fire response name, and get waved through every checkpoint around.

The Guard guys said the cops and ranchers were butting heads and the cops were winning.   They even had a prisoner transport vehicle in service for the fire.

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Looking west into the main fire zone, a few hot spots had flared up, and ground crew arrived quickly.   They then drove close to the fire, stopped, and waited in their vehicles.   I was not impressed.
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Just to the east, another home caught fire.  Pretty damn close to my house,    

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then another home went up like a bad BBQ.    My happiness vanished.   I expected the cavalry to arrive and put my tax dollars to good use.

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Never FEAR!  FIREHOOK IS HERE!

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Well, Firehook did his best, but it wasn't enough.

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Time to bring in Fat Albert Jr...  a Bae-146

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The -146 dropped, but it didn't stop the fire.

At this rate, and distance, I figured my house had about 30 minutes left to live.

I expressed my disgust with our government servants' poor performance, quite loudly, and I'll admit, rather crudely.   My range of cuss words is a bit limited, so I compensate with repetition and volume.   Perhaps there is a school, or 12-step program that can help me express myself better. The Guard guys were not amused.


In fact, they were SOOOOOO not amused, they called their friends to come over and help cheer me up.
Thats them in the two SUVs...

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I'm guessing the Guard guys reported my foul language, poor attitude and maybe even suggested I be sent to some special government cheer camp.  All while watching homes burning in the distance.  

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I was never impressed with the NMSP, and every contact I've had with them during this event has made me even less impressed.   I met them, said hello, told them I brought marshmallows, and invited them to watch my house burn.   They couldn't arrest me for sarcasm, could they?   I again tried to tell them about the 10,000 gallons of water I had available to the helos, located just a few hundred feet away.   Just 1500-2000 feet from two burning houses.   Again, nothing but a blank look.   They suggested I talk with the clowns at the main southern checkpoint.   I told them they wouldn't even listen.    I swear, the initial briefing for responding personnel must be taught by the Son of Sgt Schultz.


My irritation level climbed a few notches.
Next, a C-130 took a couple of shots at the house fire, which by now was probably nothing more than kindling.   Why even bother?  Is the insurance company going to downgrade the claim because kindling has an actual value?

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And ANOTHER house nearby went up in flames.  Why the hell didn't they drop in front of the house so the grass fire couldn't reach it?   At this time the winds were almost calm.

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This house was toast.   Blackened crumbs actually.   It burned for a long long time.  Thick black smoke.

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Call on the KING!  The BIG DADDY of FIRE STOMPERS...


The DC-10!

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Oh, and just in case the king isn't up to the task, have a P2V hiding behind him.   Gotta maintain the image ya know.

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Whoops!  Almost forgot there are other planes in this airspace.  Better stop playing with the handheld GPS and fly.   This was a really close miss, around 50-100 feet.   The USFS KingAir 90 was climbing  with every horse it had.   Pilots probably needed six arms to handle flying, navigating, working multiple radios, working the GPS, working all the other outdated electronics stuffed in their cockpit for fire bombing duty, and flying the airplane.


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That Neptune was hanging out some serious flaps to stay airborne.

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Pilot had some big brass ones, cause he was flying right through the smoke.   That, or he was empty with two turning and two burning and still had some climb capability.  OAT was 95f, altitude was 7800ft ASL, density altitude?  unknown but that air was pretty thin.   I'll bet that airborne ash really ruins the engine cylinder walls

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He made numerous drops on several hot spots/ homes...

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But another home went “poof”.

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Hey, you big guys get all the glory,  how about letting us little guys take a shot...

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And then,  IT started again...
The grass fire reached some unburned forest and the trees went POOF.

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Ya know, if I was a member of the Sheriff's Posse (see front license plate), I'll bet my house would get some serious protection.  Doesn't look like the entrance standards are all that hard...

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Hmmm, The forest fire is starting up again, what do we have left for air support.  Lets see, we used up the DC-10s,  the C-130s,  the -146s,  the P2Vs,  the AgCats...............That leaves.....



The K-Max!   YeeHaw!  With a bambi bucket!   We're SAVED!

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Why hell, I'll bet ol Slim Pickins hisself is flying that thar thang...



Hmmm, I really thought that 100 gal bambi bucket would have had greater effect...

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Time for another refill..

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Gee, the refill station is FIFTEEN FREAKIN MILES AWAY IN ESTANCIA.   WOULD HAVE BEEN FREAKIN NICE TO HAVE A FREAKIN WATER TANK RIGHT NEXT TO THE FREAKIN HOUSES HE'S TRYING TO SAVE.

NOTE:  The K-Max is directly over my house in this photo.   YES, the house with 10,000 gallons of water available to use in saving homes.





I attempted to notify the pilot of this watershed...

by shouting at him...

rather loudly...

with language anyone might understand...

Much to the displeasure of the local constabulary, who had remained with me to bolster my spirits.   They kindly suggested I leave.  I took one last photo of the house and retreated eastward two miles.  Just in time to watch the forest fire start to awaken again.

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Hey, wait a minute.  WE HAVE CHINOOKS!   I had completely forgotten about them.  Dang, where are my glasses.  
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After watching the K-Max and Chinooks tag-team the forest fire for a while, I decided to leave.  Passed this sign, wondered what the paper was...

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Found out...

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Now that's just a really no-class move.  Hey ServiceMaster, what the hell are you going to do? Help these people sweep ash into a trash can? Cause that's all that will be left for them.   Maybe pick your markets a little better.  75% of the homes out here have no insurance and no money to rebuild either.


On the way out, I stopped to talk with a few ranchers.  Man are they pissed!  Furious even.   The govt monkeys brought in bulldozers and other heavy equipment but it has sat unused so far, despite requests to make fire breaks to protect  homes.   These people live off the land and when that land is ruined they have no other way to survive.   FEMA is supposed to be picking up 75% of the costs to fight the fire, which explains the heavy use of air assets.   The state of NM could never afford it.   Some govt flunky is spreading rumors that FEMA chose to let homes burn because it was cheaper and easier to just write a check to rebuild them later.   Tons of cash for EVERYONE!   Yeah, riiiiight.   No one is buying that line of crap.    Did all the folk who lost homes in hurricane Katrina get new houses and land?  Nooo, they got stuck in contaminated travel trailers and given food stamps.

Officials claim it is now 5% contained and 17,000 acres burned.  Conflicting reports on the number of homes lost.


One last look back...
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what a ride this has been.  Don't know if I'll go out tomorrow. Today was toooooo much fun.

















DAY 6    ...and now for something completely different...


Wasn't much point in going out to the fire today.   Didn't make any friends out there yesterday.   Not much more I can do.   Still no electricity so the rooftop sprinkler idea is dead.    It's 100 degrees in the shade, and I wouldn't get much done trying to swing a 24” chainsaw in this heat, especially having to wear winter-weight BDUs to protect from the cactus.   I could get to the property, but would have a one mile walk through tough terrain, trying to carry that chainsaw and a gas can.   I'm sure someone would hear it and report me to the NMSP.     No electricity means no well pump and no running water, not even any to drink.   I cannot get up-to-date info on the constantly changing mandatory/voluntary evac areas.

My fire break should hold against a slow moving fire.   Yesterday the fire appeared stopped about 2000 feet from the house but there was smoldering duff everywhere and full-blown flare-ups nearby.   The winds are forecast as light and variable today/tonight so that should help a lot.   The govt websites are a pathetic joke, with information as much as 26 hrs old.   The only way to really know what the fire is doing, is to drive up to it.   There is a massive amount of unburned forest to the north, south and west, so this fire could burn for weeks.



There is only so much govt stupidity a rational person can handle.   So I decided to do something completely different today.  

Went to a car show in the quiet little town of Edgewood, NM.  Hopped in the Nash, turned on some Beach Boys music, and hit old Route 66.

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On the way, I observed the fire smoke was light and moving very slowly north, good news for me.

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I figured the show would be a good distraction from the frustrations of this fire.
Yup, I'm distracted already.

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Look at the curves on that rear end.   They just don't make cars like that anymore.






Saw the first entrant and thought, “hey, that Best of Show trophy is MINE!”













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Hey,  waddya expect?  This is rural NM.





Okay, lets see something with a couple more horsepower...

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Now something with a little class...

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now something really bizarre...

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a couple more...

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That's all, because this post is getting pretty long, and I'm afraid all these photos will break it.


The car show was a nice distraction.  

The smoke was drifting over the show all day, not a boiling cauldron, just a huge white blanket, which kept the fire as a hot topic during many conversations.    I talked with  quite a few people, and there was unanimous disgust for the NMSP.   Mainly because they were not allowing folks to retrieve pets and livestock from voluntary evac areas.  Once you left the area, you weren't allowed back in.   Sucks if you have a two-horse trailer but ten horses to move, or 300 head of cattle spread over 250 acres.   The dear leaders publicly said the cops would escort residents to their homes specifically for that purpose.   I heard numerous people say the NMSP just blew them off, just like they did me.

Yesterday, as I was leaving the fire, I met an older couple who were denied escort by the NMSP, while I was standing next to them.   They drove away from the checkpoint, and said they were going to walk a mile through the back woods to their home to retrieve their last two dogs.   In 100 degree heat, with no water.   I wished them luck.   Hope they made it.

When this is over, I'm sure the govt agencies will be patting themselves on the back and making public thank you's to everyone involved.   The idiots may be clapping but the rest of us won't.    I believe the guys on the ground at the flames worked hard, but the organizers, supervisors and their brain-dead flunkies in this effort are pathetic.

Tempers remain very high.   I would not want to be some govt flunky after the fire, showing up at a pile of house ashes to ask an ex-homeowner a bunch of stupid questions.

If I can confirm my house is in a voluntary evac area, I'll print it out, try to confirm it with someone with a brain and some authority, carefully explain it to the cops, and try again to get in and work on the fire break.  I have a generator but it would only run the sprinkler pump for a few hours.

I really wish this circus would end.   I'd like to move forward with my life.









DAY 7      the looting begins...

Plans for a trip out to the fire are on hold, mainly because last night our dear leaders massively expanded the mandatory evacuation zone.   This doesn't make sense to me.  

The east side of the fire was pretty much contained, mainly due to the fire running out of forest to eat, highway 337 acting as a huge firebreak, and lots of firefighters/fire bombers working that side of the fire line.   Current and forecast winds today are variable, with afternoon winds expected FROM the east.   This area is mostly flat prairie grass, lots of access roads, easy to use construction vehicles, easy to contain fire by air tankers.   So common sense would indicate this is a low fire threat area.  

Soooooo, some genius decided to expand the zone eastward by about four miles, with north-south boundaries of ten miles.   Maybe they read this thread and got pissed off.  


More 'good'  news...

The Torrance County Sheriff reported that persons claiming to be from his agency, pulled up to a supply point and made off with their supplies.

here's the video...

http://krqe.com/2016/06/19/thieves-take-supplies-from-dog-head-fire-drop-off-centers/


sorry, my video imbed failed.

“ Torrance County Sheriff Heath White says thieves have shown up, pretended to be with his department and have taken off with goods meant for the evacuees.
Sheriff white says the thieves have taken large amounts of food and water, supplies they desperately need. “


I'm guessing these thieves are fairly well organized, and stole supplies so they could continue to operate in the area.   I'm glad I don't have much for them to steal.   I'll bet they hide their loot somewhere in the forest, then later take it down to Mexico for a quick sale, where border patrol agents will wave them right through.

There are dozens of contractors, and hundreds of govt agency employees from all over the country here, with unlimited access and egress.   Ain't nobody gonna stop them from looting, and they have vehicles to haul the loot.   Hell, I don't even trust the cops.

Note to self – set up a solar/battery powered camera surveillance system to record these guys.


2230 hrs
The containment has been upgraded from 9% to 46% and some residents will be allowed back onto their property tomorrow morning.  

At 4pm, a neighbor tried the east access route but was stopped four miles from the house and couldn't tell if it was still there.   The official maps have shown a large hotspot of fire just west of the house for almost 24 hours.    There are still severe flight restrictions in place so flying over the area is not possible.

I'll try to get out to the house tomorrow morning, but I fully expect to be stopped by some govt idiot.   I'll try the Torrance County sheriff's checkpoint.    I hope and pray it isn't still being run by the NMSP.    Wish I had an AR, nothing sends a looter running faster than 10 rounds bumpfired in his general direction.  Pistol fire at a hundred yards just makes the criminals laugh.   BTDT.


2355hrs
"Officials said some looters had been caught and will be prosecuted. National Guard members remain at the scene to prevent further looting."














DAY 8      …...no relief for me...

No trip today.   The mandatory evac area has shrunk.   I called the Joint Information Center, because they haven't bothered to mark their maps as “current”, they just have the original posting date/time, which is more than 24hrs old sometimes.   Because there are still numerous hot spots near the house they expect that area to be restricted-entry for another 24-48 hrs.    There should be dozens of people in the immediate area, as it is the only major active fire spot left on the map.    I imagine by now someone has kicked my front door in, and numerous people have entered for a variety of reasons.   I really hope they haven't trashed the house.

Probably a looting free-for-all out there now.   Anyone with a driver's license with a fire zone address can get in.   Even people who haven't actually lived there for years.  Nobody usually bothers to update their driver's license until it expires.   And most of those ranch hands, and meth makers, the ones who live in shacks in the woods, never left in the first place.   I'll bet those $500,000 - $750,000 homes are being destroyed right now.

BTW, did I tell you this area is locked in a land dispute dating back to 1848?   Yes, that is 1848, with an “8”.    Hatfields vs McCoys.  Many people out here strongly believe they are a part of Mexico, that just happens to be located in the United States, and local govt agencies sympathize and support them.  If your last name doesn't end with the letter “Z”, then you're considered an invader that needs to be driven out, and this is a perfect opportunity to make that happen.  

More 'good' news.   My insurance company has refused to increase my policy limit, as we agreed to a few days ago.  The have been ignoring my dozen phone calls, messages and emails, and as of this morning, the insured value is still $50,000 below what it should be.   I imagine it will be impossible to find another insurer given the recent fire events.

Actual good news?  I'm told by neighbors that several meth labs and similar spots have been erased by the fire.    I believe I photographed some of them going up in smoke and flame.   That is really the only reason for crime out here.   Meth heads stealing anything to pawn, to pay for their next hit.  



1730hrs

Looks like I'll be one of the last allowed back in.   According to the J.I.C., they are still working on hotspots near the house so my entry is another 24-36 hrs away.

The looters seem to have no problem getting past the checkpoints.


From the KRQE website...
"Torrance County Sheriff Heath White said they’ve heard reports of some homes being broken into, including one in Chilili Friday night.
When deputies were patrolling the mandatory evacuation area on Saturday, they came across four people who had no ties to the area.
White said they all had Albuquerque addresses, and couldn’t provide a good answer as to why they were here.
That’s why deputies believe they were looking to break into homes but without any sort of proof of that, they were documented but then let go. Deputies were surprised they were even able to get in.
“We are finding some fences cut. And we believe that they are bypassing all of our blockades, and cutting fences and going through fields,” said Sheriff White."

Check out this video.

http://krqe.com/2016/06/18/evacuated-homes-being-ransacked-national-guard-to-provide-security/


sorry can't get these vids to imbed.   It may be my computer, or may be because I started this thread as a regular member.



2245hrs
More fractured pieces of information on the JIC website.   The Bernalillo Sheriff says all of highway 337 will be open tomorrow.  Their previous posts have been related to just what is inside their county.   I don't know if they mean the entire highway or just that part in their county.  This fire is spread across two counties.     Getting specific info from the govt on this fire has been extremely difficult.   They put up maps showing evac areas, then take the maps down.   The JIC says my little area is still hot and being worked by firefighters.    They dropped 2100 gallons of water on it today.   61% containment.  Rain is forecast this week, maybe there will be flooding and mudslides from the loss of vegetation.   I'll call the JIC before heading out tomorrow to see if I can get in.



2300hrs
neighbors are pretty pissed that the cops aren't doing anything effective about potential looting.   Soooo, some have decided to take action to protect their homes.   I'm not going into specific details here, but reading this post entirely can give you some ideas on how to get past the cops, and wave as you do it.    The Torrance County Sheriff said he was bringing out guys with night vision to hunt looters.  I don't know if that was real or just BS.     Night vision is a hell of a lot less effective than IR.








DAY 9    ...almost the end...

0800hrs
I called the JIC  who said my house was still inside a restricted area and that fire crews were still working there.   Decided to drive out there anyway.  How often do .gov employees provide accurate up-to-date information anyways?   She was probably reading from a script posted on a wall.

Hit the road, about ten miles north of the fire edge I saw this...
a beautiful sunny day with NO fire smoke anywhere...

</a>" />




every other vehicle on the road was there because of the fire...

</a>" />




Here Channel-4 News is calling it quits.   Probably filmed a few burned out houses for their last story...

</a>" />




The National Guard is still around.   There were Humvees parked everywhere...

</a>" />


Some were blocking roads, hopefully stopping everyone that didn't live there, looters mainly...

</a>" />


Unfortunately, the looters got past them.   Or perhaps were waived right through.

family-returns-home-after-wildfire-house-has-been-looted

At least their two dogs were still there.   The NMSP refused them access when they tried to return to pick them up.  



The main northern checkpoint was being dismantled.   I was concerned the guys manning it would not let me through, but I just drove on by...

</a>" />




Speed limits had been dropped from 55 to 15 in some places...

</a>" />




I slowed down to 20mph and shortly had a NMSP cruiser on my backside.    He followed me for a few miles, hope he enjoyed the leisurely cruise...




Hotshot crews were spread out along the north-south highway, to respond quickly to any fire flare ups...

</a>" />


Getting close to the northern edge of the fire, I could see large patches where flying embers had started fires.   The trees were not totally consumed, the trunks and branches burned black and stood stark against a ground of powdery white ash...

</a>" />

</a>" />




Channel-13 doing a story on those who lost their home...

</a>" />




The fire is ancient news history now.   Hell, even during the worst part, all the local news stations were running front page stories on Obama visiting some caves several hundred miles south of here.

Real close to the house now, and I see a hill top burned naked...

</a>" />




Closer. And I see another big fire scar...

</a>" />




Now real close and I see two intact homes, one with a massive slurry drop next to it...

</a>" />




ONWARD!

I see my neighbors homes, still intact.   Pull into my driveway,   drive a loooong way through the woods,  and find my new home, still there, Thank God.  

Ain't over yet.
Armed as best I can, I park a few hundred feet from the house and start a circular inspection of the property, looking for looters.   None found.   Hell, even the doors and windows are intact.  Maybe the looters looked inside, saw nothing but a few packing boxes and left, to hit that $600,000 home nearby.

I take a break.   Nice to know I still have a home.   Those miserable bastards from the insurance company finally responded, saying they wouldn't increase the insurance, despite agreeing to days ago.


Taking a look at the eastern edge of the fire, I see it got within about 2000ft of the house...

</a>" />

</a>" />

</a>" />

</a>" />

</a>" />




and it is still smoldering.  Just freakin great.  I can still lose the house...

</a>" />




Here's a few shots of a house that got a slurry drop...

</a>" />

</a>" />




There were several drops on hotpot areas, due to flying embers I believe, since no visible homes are in the area...

</a>" />




With smoke still coming from the burned area next to me, I decided to hit the firebreak once more.  What absolute fun.   95 degrees in the shade, I'm in the hot sun, in winter BDUs, and swinging a 24” chainsaw.   I can feel a stroke coming on...

</a>" />
</a>" />


Today I found a pet cat near the house, wearing a collar but wouldn't come anywhere close to me.   I set out a bowl of water.  Probably dying of thirst and is at least a mile from home.


Great.  Another hot spot flaring up.   There were dozens of these throughout the day.   No cell phone service, so no one to call.   I hope .gov still has someone in the sky to monitor these flare ups...

</a>" />



Well, there is a Turbine Commander directly overhead, but he's doing overlapping circles, probably a mapping aircraft...

</a>" />




OH CRAP!
This ain't a little flare up, its a biggun...

</a>" />




HEY  HEY!

K-MAX to the rescue!   Someone was obviously looking, because this helo was on that hotspot in minutes flat.  And don't ya just love that red psychedelic splash paint job...

</a>" />
</a>" />
</a>" />



That must be one hell of a job, flying that bird with a very heavy pendulum swinging underneath you...

</a>" />
</a>" />
</a>" />


Time for a refill.   Lets fly fifteen miles back to the pond in Estancia.   Saaaaaay, is that a humongous 10,000 gallon water tank I see directly below me?   Meh...

</a>" />



These are interesting aircraft.   Nothing on it that doesn't absolutely have to be there.   I've seen them with plenty of patches, battle scars from fighting fires.

</a>" />




As forecasted, a rain cloud.   Unfortunately, just virga.  The rain evaporated before it hit the ground.  At least I get a little shade to work in...

</a>" />



CRAP!
More flare ups.  And this time some are in virgin forest.   Calling K-Max,  K-Max where are you?

</a>" />
</a>" />





Better than K-Max!   Actual RAIN!  That actually hit the ground!   I guess someone got tired of screwing with me for the past week and cut me a break...

</a>" />





Maybe someone UPSTAIRS really IS looking after me...

</a>" />
</a>" />





or maybe someone just likes screwing with me.   With the rain came strong winds, that started up fires all over the area...

</a>" />




Within minutes, a few square miles were covered in smoke from wind-whipped fires...

</a>" />



Electrical power was restored a short while ago.   I contemplated trying to jury-rig the pump and sprinklers together but decided I'd rather pack my tools and get ready to bug out again.   I hear sirens on the highway, a fleet of hotshot trucks raced by without stopping.   Hmmm, that K-Max ain't around either.   Damn, I could really use a break right now.




Annnnnnd I got one.    The winds have shifted and are blowing the fire smoke due north.   I don't see any flames, or thick white smoke from virgin pines burning, so I keep one eye on the fires, and one on the chainsaw as I work on the firebreak.  


Finally.       Mother Nature stops toying with me.   A heavy rain storm moves in from the south and drenches the landscape.

</a>" />



I worked out in the rain for a while, till I was covered with blood spots from cactus and sharp branches.      
I decided to call it a day, poured myself a cold one, sat down and awaited a beautiful sunset.




























Instead I got this.  






Loki   the God of Fire.


leering at me,  

sneering at me,  

just waiting for me to relax my guard, and he will teach us puny humans another lesson about fire.

</a>" />




I hope you enjoyed a few laughs from this post, and picked up the good advice from others posting in this thread.   I learned a hell of a lot.   I'll work on an AAR but my to-do list grew substantially from this event, and fire prevention is my top priority right now.

NOPE.
It ain't over.   I think there might just be a cherry to put on top of this mud pie in a day or two.








June 30, 2016
Sorry for the delay in wrapping up this post.   I've been busy cutting a two acre firebreak on densely forested land.   There are still minor fire flare ups all over, and they are being monitored by people on the ground and in the air, including this...

</a>" />


</a>" />


but most of the fire fighting resources have departed to fight the big one in California.







You may recall my disgust at not having any official even mildly interested in using my 10,000 gallons of water to fight the fire, which came within 2000ft of the house.   There were many other folks offering their water supplies as well.  

I spoke with people who are in-the-know.   Apparently, the U.S. Forest Service is not interested in privately owned water resources.   In previous fires, they used this water, but residents then asked to have it replenished after the fire was out.    The USFS does not wish to devote their resources or money to water replenishment, so they will only use publicly owned water supplies, even if it means homes burning to the ground.     To use private water, the USFS would need a contracting officer, on scene, to have residents sign a written legal contract giving them the water free and clear, blah blah blah.   Ain't gonna happen.

So if you get caught in a situation similar to mine, you just may end up with a pile of ashes for a home, but a completely full water tank.    Expecting an empty water tank with a saved home is just tooooooo freakin logical for govt employees to even contemplate.   Their heads might explode.





I'm still researching the legality of the Governor's authority to order people off their own land.   I'm told by neighbors that a house-to-house search was done and folks bugging in were ordered out under threat of arrest.






Fire #2,  now being called the Comanche Fire has started in the same mountain range, about 8 miles from the Dog Head fire.  

Comanche Fire June 30 2016

Today they hit it with helicopters, fire bombers, and are parachuting in smokejumpers tomorrow.   It is about 10 miles from me and there is a massive area of burned out forest between it and me so I'm not too concerned right now.   I did talk to one firefighter who said the dog head fire was starting spot fires from airborne embers almost a mile in front of the main fire, so this new fire could travel quite a distance.   It does have miles of thick forest to the north.   The weather should be a big help, the monsoon rains have begun and the fire should get drenching rains in the next few days.    I'll keep working on my firebreak, and heat activated switches to turn on a roof sprinkler system.






And now for the finale...

I was talking with a few pilot friends during the fire.   The aviation community is fairly small and word travels quickly, and I heard a rumor that definitely needed some investigation.

There are many people that believe the homes that were burned could have been saved, if Obama wasn't spending taxpayer millions on yet another vacation.

The fire started on June 14, 2016.

June 15, 2016
I watched news reports of DC-10 air tankers hitting the fire.

June 16, 2016  
I saw and photographed DC-10 air tankers flying southeast toward Roswell International Air Center to pick up slurry and coming from the southeast at 500 ft and dropping slurry.  So I feel confidant that on this date the DC-10s were using Roswell as their main tanker base, 154 air miles away.  These aircraft are called VLATs  (Very Large Air Tankers) and can only use a few of the fire airbases because of their size.

June 17, 2016
Obama in Air Force One flew into Roswell to visit the Carlsbad Caverns and all aircraft were prohibited from using the airport.  Aircraft on the field were grounded.   Nothing allowed to fly in or out, including the air tankers.

Those DC-10s now had to fly all the way to Goodyear airport in Phoenix Arizona   360 air miles away, a 720 mile round trip that seriously reduced the number of slurry drops and refills they could have made.  

I believe the two DC-10 aircraft, also called MD-10s, were tankers #910 (N450AX) and #911 (N17085).   The tankers aren't allowed to drop at night for safety reasons.

That's the rumor.   I don't have the time to research this right now.   But if a few of you aviation/detective types want to do a little investigating, please do so.






The END.   July 20, 2016


A final sad note to this saga.

As many locals have known since day-1,  this fire was started by govt employees using equipment to thin the forest, in an effort to reduce the threat of fires.


http://www.kob.com/albuquerque-news/machinery-in-thinning-project-blamed-for-dog-head-fire/4187270/

Well, they sure did a great job...

there ain't nothin left to burn in 19,000 acres.

Too bad for those folks that lost everything, including their ability to earn a living.   The govt says that there was no intention to start the fire, so no one can be held responsible for it.

Negligence?

Naw,

We is .gov, we caint be negligent, ever.

And even when we are, it is almost impossible to hold us accountable.


Oh,

and that retardant dropped by aircraft?   it is a sticky, gooey slop that is also highly corrosive.   Get any on a modern vehicle and once it gets into electrical components, you are guaranteed some very expensive repair bills.   And it doesn't easily wash out with water.   It has been 35 days and numerous heavy rain storms since the first air drops, and the retardant is still easily visible clinging to trees.






A few final photos...

driving through the eastern edge of the fire shows a lot of scattered spot fires started by airborne embers.   Some started large fires, others landing in prairie grass did very little damage.    


This spot fire was just a few acres...


</a>" />


Here is the edge of the main fire.   The tree trunks are still standing but everything else is gone.   Nothing but rock, sand and ash on the ground.


</a>" />

</a>" />

</a>" />

</a>" />



This house had the fire get within 50-100 feet of it.

</a>" />


Here is a firebreak that stopped the eastward progression.   Firefighters cut down trees west of the road and the open space of the road and prairie stopped the fire.   Unfortunately, there was a house on the western side that didn't survive.


</a>" />


Here is another house that didn't make it.   Nothing left of it except a cement slab, although the adjacent trees, shed, water tank, stables, and propane tank survived.


</a>" />



" />





A small memorial for those who lost their homes and livlihood...


</a>" />

The area still has some dangers...


</a>" />


After a month of daily rains, a few signs of life have returned...


</a>" />

How much brush is already cleared in the direction of the fire?

Sounds too late to preburn a ring around your house?

Do you have insurance?  I'd leave sooner.  Nothing worth dying for.

Friend with bulldozer?

Sprinklers on the roof?

Use the time to load your good shit and leave if you have a family that may be threatened.  

Install moat.  Hurry.

Pre burn in 360°, fall trees away from house and leave them lay, sprinklers on roof to soak house, have a tractor then disc up as much as possible in circles.

I faced this last August...we survived the 2015 lake Chelan Fire...

Get a dozer to start clearing fire lines...watch the wind, the wind can either help or hurt.

...how much time do you think you have? If a half day or so, clear as much fuel as you can from your perimeter. In the last hours, keep your roof and eaves wet as possible. Keep yourself wet and SCBA during the last 30 minutes  



Prayers to you

You need to dig a firebreak is my uneducated idea.

Sounds like the best course of action if you have the time, otherwise GTFO

Load up whatever can't be replaced.



Clear as much brush as possible.



Set a backfire to clear the rest of the fuels out.



Spread the water out beginning with your roof.

rake a 20'+ circle bare of all ground debris
start back burns and wet down everything that is within 20' from the house up to the house and roof itself.

I think there's only so much you can do.

-Cut the trees near the house and get them as far away as possible.  Fire needs air to burn; if you can pile them in a way that limits the air flow (like logs on a flatbed) that would be ideal.  Get them wet if possible.
-Large fires put off an absurdly high amount of thermal radiation.  Your big concern isn't the fire physically touching your house, but if it gets close enough, it could start it on fire from afar.  Cut down and move everything that you can.
-turn on the sprinklers and start saturating the small foliage around your house.  It may be futile if the fire gets close and dries it all up, but it may help a little.

Damn wish I was in a location that I could help. Best of luck.

Everything I can think of has already been mentioned.. Best of luck man, and don't take any unnecessary chances.

Keep pine needle, leaves and other tinder 100 yards plus. Wet house good and let the water soak in and repeat as needed, also if you can hook up some sort of sprinklers to keep the house wet. If bad and OK prepare to back burn the fire once close.

Lot's of good suggestions. Rooting for you OP, but be safe doing so. Don't risk your life for a house.

Would it be wrong of me to ask for pictures of the survival?

Prune all tree branches from ground level up to a height of 10 feet above ground or up to 1/3 the height of the tree, whichever is less.  Clear said branches as far away from structures as possible.  Sprinklers on the roofs of structures and sprinkle as far out from structures as possible.

Good luck.  Colorado Black Forest fire of 2013 survivor.

Digging a firebreak generally is only done to keep a fire that's in the duff from advancing.



It sounds like the OP's in rocky desert without much duff. He might be better off setting a backfire to burn as much fuel as possible before the fire's heat enhances it's smokepoint.

Good luck Op.

 

You need to pack up and GTFO.  With no exit, it's a stupid risk to stay.

I think you've done this before. This is exactly what I'd do.

I can see the smoke from work pm me if you need help.

A few hours and only one exit?

Just leave.

Shit aint worth dying for.

Move out all valuables NOW and move to a safe place.

Money, guns, jewellery, computers.

Get a tractor and discs?

Start clearing away from your house. Make sure everything is fueled up and ready to go.

If you are not confident you will make it, LEAVE.

3 times.. redneck kids and fire works piss me off sometimes.

Also was in our training at work for hazmat and emergency evac ect since I was over the fuel depot for a large .mil contractor

If the house is small, cover it in wet blankets... If larger start covering the most flammable parts like wood shingles, etc..

Get sprinklers on your roof and over any exposed wood decking.
Start small camp fire sized fires away from house and start raking dry pine needless and brush away from your house and into those small fires.
Any trees tall enough to fall and contact The house need to be dropped.
Put tarps over large exposed wood deck areas to help as a barrier against falling ash.


Turn off any power and propane lines you have as far from the house as possible. Flammable containers in The house or garage go outside.


On your way out, leave a note and a white bag or cloth tied to The front doorknob to let FD know you are out.

Good luck.

Make sure insurance is paid. Load up what can not be replaced and get to safety a house is not worth dying for.

prayers out OP. Don't risk it if you cant save it.

You cant be replaced, your shit can. Load as much as you can and GTFO if it comes to it.

I don't think many of you read " huge forest is bone dry, house directly in its path and surrounded by trees".

Someone even said it sounded like he was in a dessert or something along those lines.  Do they not practice reading comprehension in school anymore?

Seriously, dude...pack up and head out.

OP, sounds like your time would be better spent gathering the things you can't replace.  Insurance is for everything else.

Good Luck and prayers out!!!

Take photos of the house from all kinds of angles, the contents of the garage, etc.

Take photos of every room of the house stat.

It can help with insurance claims.

This
All that should of been done year ago.
Good Luck

More like 200'

Live helicopter video stream:   http://krqe.com/2016/06/14/emergency-crews-responding-to-wildfire-in-manzano-mountains/

 

Stay safe

We controlled burn a LOT down here in S. Ga. A Backfire is the way to go! Along with leave the house with a couple of sprinklers running on the roof. Then, GET THE HELL OUT!


One thing though. Be SURE the fire is going to hit you! If you light a backfire, and they stop the fire before it gets to you, well, you know......YOU got to make the decisions.


Good Luck man

start clearing

"THERE IS NO  EXIT IF FIRE REACHES HOUSE, JUST MILES OF THICK DESERT BRUSH/CACTUS. "







 

Good luck.

This. Jump ship and live.

His name was GAUS5-A-A

Kidding, good luck and have fun.

Nevermind