I'm getting phone calls, email messages, text messages and Facebook messages. What's happening with the fire? Are you in harm's way? Is our property in jeopardy?
So far, we're OK. The Chestnut Knob, South Mountains fire has moved northeast and away from HWY 226. The Party Rock fire, aka the Lake Lure Fire is also moving away from us.
Right now the biggest problem we have is air quality. Today, I see blue in the sky for the first time in days. Yesterday evening I saw shadows on the ground. Enough sun was coming through to create shadows. We've been living in a gray twilight, smoke-filled, world with little light coming through. It looks like fog, but it burns your nose and makes your throat feel raw and after a couple of days the coughing starts. Today, I can't smell it in the house. This is good.
We're monitoring the fire, like you, online and on Facebook. We've had several dear sweet folks who are bringing water, snacks, and Gatorade to the Fire Department. Several of our firemen have been helping at Lake Lure. I understand the Forest Service is managing the fire at South Mountains State Park getting help from local fire departments as needed. Firefighters are deploying many different ways of turning the fire: setting back fires, bulldozing wide swaths of earth, flying in and dumping fire retardant, and dumping water from planes and helicopters. It's just like what you see out west.
There are many sources of news, I prefer to use the Forest Service site: The Chestnut Knob Fire information is available here. And here's the one for the Party Rock Fire A Google search will turn up dramatic pictures and many media reports. We wanted you to know that in this part of Rutherford County, we're breathing a little easier today.
We appreciate your concern. We thank you for your prayers. We need rain, and a lot of it.
