Fire and a somewhat sleepless night

Wednesday Evening started Out pretty normal  - we did our chores, we rode a little bit, we talked about what we were going to watch in the evening .. you know summer - you get to stay up later. ( why I have no idea - someone still makes us get up really early - but the idea is there)

We sat down to eat about 8:30 and heard fire trucks go by. Not uncommon - there are some pretty bad accidents out here. and the we started seeing more lightning - and hearing the booms.

About 30 minutes later more fire trucks.   Hmmm - this may be more truck than our department has, and then we noticed they were trying to get on the ranch one section to the east of us.

Heading out I looked south and could see why:

This was just up over our hill

And ps - these are all cell phone pics 

As it got darker - it got meaner looking

and we had winds of 30-45 mph

unfortunately the winds decided to turn in the direction of my house

My husband wasn;t worried 

Me - I might have been a little panicked

Here is where the panic started

This really blurry photo

those oil tank batteries

they are 1/4 mile from my house

And then I really panicked

( ok not really , but sort of)

We had a fire truck and a tinder truck come up to our house and get between the fire and our structures

My neighbor showed up with his MASSIVE tractor and 30 foot disc

ready to start a fire line

and we knew we had mowed all around our location,

and that we had removed weeds around our fence lines

and that we had about a 100 ft strip replanted with native grass that was not quite growing yet

So we really had fingers crossed that all the fire mitigation would work

but....

it did!!

That fire hit our low spots and the other fire trucks and firefighters that were on it had a chance to get ahead of it.  my firefighters ( Yep - you know me well - I had claimed them) said we see a chance to get ahead of it - and they took off that way

it had gone east of us too - so between the 15 departments and over 80 personel

by 2 am it was 100% contained

They say the whole fire burned 8000 acres 

mostly on my neighbors to the south

it looks pretty desolate

yesterday we spent making sure everything was contained

today we will fix fences for real

and praise our firefighters

 and that is why I have no quilts to show..... yep - totally my excuse this week ;)

PS -  I should mention - there are 2 other huge fires in our state right now, and another 1 that is on the wyoming/colorado border