Two years ago, a fire in the hills of north of Flagstaff drew residents to every high point, their focus on the aerial ballet of spotter planes and bombers dropping slurry on the flames. Yesterday, we were reminded that this is fire season once again, not that we had forgotten. The smoke settling over Flagstaff was palatable. Fire has spread across Arizona and the southwest. Fire fighting resources are stretched thin. Our thanks hardly seem enough for the tough job that fire fighters face in the heat and the smoke and the ash. As they slump to the ground for a few hours of sleep between shifts, their faces are black from smeared ash and they cough, trying clear their lungs. Today, June 22, the skies over Flagstaff are blue. And we’re hoping for rain tonight, maybe tomorrow.
