Gaining the upper hand.

[Adsos Letter]

Smoke in the hills west of St. Helena, California



Firefighting Dragonflys















Hall Winery Rabbit



We are getting the first light rain since last winter as I write this. The fires are coming under various percentages of containment, and this rain should help tamp them down even further.

So far we are counting 42 dead, and over 7,000 structures burned; a lot of those structures are over in Santa Rosa, on the other side of the ridges in these images.

What a disaster.

[Solly Mack]

1. K&R

[Adsos Letter]

2. .

[GentryDixon]

3. This is so sad.

I have fought range fires (volunteer) in the past. It is a grueling business.

[Adsos Letter]

4. Indeed, it is.

My grandfather, my dad, and almost all of my uncles were either CDF or Federal Forest Service firefighters. It is tough work, and the terrain back in these hills is steep and brush choked. The choppers really make a difference; firefighting is dangerous work (as you know from your experience) and it can be extremely dangerous for hand crews in some of this terrain (not to mention the difficulty of getting in there).

[CaliforniaPeggy]

5. Thank you for these amazing photos, my dear Adsos Letter...

The 3rd one especially caught me.....the fire is so big, and the chopper is so small.....

They are all beautifully done.

[Adsos Letter]

6. Well, thank you for the compliment, CaliforniaPeggy!

I was really pleased with #3 as well.

[babylonsister]

7. Rec'd and thank you for sharing! nt

[Adsos Letter]

8. Thanks, babylonsister!

[AnotherDreamWeaver]

9. The helicopters were great,

But I haven't seen the name of the young man we lost when his water truck went off the road and rolled.

Good that so many were able to escape the path, but lots of rebuilding to do. Heard a fire made a similar run to the tubes fire in 1964, but not so many houses there then.

[Adsos Letter]

10. Yes, the Hanley Fire.

We lived down toward Napa then, and had pretty much a 360* view from our upper windows. I was a little kid, and it seemed like the hills were on fire all around the valley.

Yes, sad about the young man who rolled the tanker on Oakville Grade. I think he was from up north somewhere. I know he wasn't a local.