Last week, there was a wildfire west of Jefferson Beach Estates. Did you know locals were wandering around, by car and on foot, wondering where the smell of smoke was coming from?
The fire department was called, and they eventually discovered a slow-moving fire deep in the woods. It had been burning for a day or so, and before it was contained, it had consumed an acre and a half of prime forest land.
North Kitsap Fire & Rescue had a tough go just trying to reach the fire. The land is privately owned and 80-some acres in size. While an old logging road crosses part of the property, it didn’t come close to the fire. Bulldozing and excavating teams were called in to create first a road, and then a wide fire break around the burning area.
NKF&R’s Facebook page says, “More than 50 personnel from six agencies spent three days working with loggers and heavy-equipment operators to contain and extinguish the 1.5-acre blaze in deep duff and thick vegetation.” And “uneven terrain, fallen debris and heavy underbrush complicated crews’ efforts …”
I bet it did. If you’ve ever tried to blaze your own trail (yep, there’s a pun for you) through blackberries, ferns and whatever “deep duff” is, you know it took a while to reach the fire, even with machinery.
While one group worked on the road from the west, other firefighters made an even more difficult journey. Attempting to approach the fire from another angle, fire trucks were stationed behind a home at the tip end of Neat Avenue, and from there firefighters dragged over a thousand feet of heavy hose through all the above-mentioned terrain and debris. Heavy, heavy hose.
While the fire’s path didn’t reach any homes, the forest was tinder-dry, and those were some windy days. Fire is a scary thing, especially for the property owners who lost valuable timber and could have lost much more, including their own home. They asked me to publicly share their thanks with NKF&R, as well as firefighters and excavators who came in from around the region. It’s a humbling feeling to be the beneficiary of so many valiant efforts.
And guess what? This isn’t the only fire NKF&R has dealt with this hot, dry summer. Brush fires, including several at Point No Point Park, have kept firefighters unnecessarily busy. We’re either going to have to do something about the beach fires, fireworks and cigarette tossing, or do something about the drought. And I’m pretty confident there isn’t much we can do about the drought.
In addition to all this, NKF&R has been sending firefighters to help contain much bigger fires in eastern Washington. I’m sure they are as grateful for the help as we were for those other fire districts who came to help with the Neat Avenue/Jefferson Beach wildfire.
When you get a chance, thank these amazing firefighters. And next time they’re looking to pass a levy, give them a yes. I’m a believer: They turn tax dollars into miracles.
And one last thought from NKF&R, just in case there were any questions: “Yes. The burn ban is still on. No. It is not OK to burn.”
Got it.
— Check out more from Denise Roundy at thetrees andi.blogspot.com. Contact her at dirkroundy@yahoo.com.
