Black Butte Fire

Out poking around the cascades and Sisters yesterday. I was a lot closer to this fire, but went up on the butte to get a quick shot of the fire with Mt Washington in the scene. Man, this was crazy to watch. The winds were swirling and the plumes were moving rapidly. The fire doubled in size in one day. It was fairly smokey in the Camp Sherman area as well.
Black Butte is just on the right side of the frame, behind all that smoke and blaze.

another one...you can see the scale with the helicopter...

one more...

Is there a year without a fire around there ? Seems like eveytime I'm hiking downthere , there is some fire blocking the sun It sure is a shame as it is a beutiful area.

Not anymore, Tomas - it's a natural part of the ponderosa parkland ecosystem, but before fire suppression, events like we see each year were more like once-per-decade events. We've got a lot more bad fires in the years ahead due to the buildup of fuels from suppression, plus the spread of bugs and disease that fires also help mitigate. The good news is that the USFS is starting to evolve in its thinking about fire.

It's also only a matter of time before a really gnarly rangeland fire takes out a few hundred McMansions in the sage and juniper country around Bend. Nice place to visit, but you really don't want to build a log home there!

Tom

Well put, Tom! Wouldn't it be better if we stopped thinking we are so grand that we can control nature? Look what's happened as a resultÉ
Nice shots, Rick! That fire is like a horrible storm. Love all the perspectives you provided. The one with the solitary bird facing down that smoke-- I think that one is pretty powerful and emotive. Not that the others aren't... But that really gets me.

Thanks for the comments. They were on the news on a couple stations last night, both on the web and TV. Not completely art, but at least some stock work.

Cool. Way to go.

My golfing buddies were playing at Glaze Meadow at the ranch when the lighting hit that started this fire. Good photo journalism here.

Cool Shots dude!

I'll just be glad when the firefighters quit risking their lives for a bunch of trees.

Neat shots Rick!

as long as the brewery is still there!!!!!!

Cool shots!!!