Stay Safe

TO PEOPLES PROPERTIES. FLAMES CONTINUING TO BURN IN MIDDLETON THIS EVENING. PRETTY WINDY TODAY SO THAT IS OBVIOUSLY A CONCERN. A RED FLAG WARNING DUE TO STRONG WINDS AND DRY LEAVES ON THE GROUND. ADDING FEARS THESE WILDFIRES MAY CONTINUE TO SPREAD, BUT DCR CREWS TRYING TO CLEAR AWAY THE FUEL SOURCE WITH LEAF BLOWERS AND BY INTENTIONALLY SETTING FIRES TO CREATE A BUFFER BETWEEN THE BIGGER BLAZE AND NEARBY HOMES. WHAT WELL BE DOING IS FILLING IN SPOTS THAT DIDNT BURN VERY WELL YESTERDAY IN THAT BUFFER, TO STRENGTHEN THAT BUFFER, TO MAKE SURE THAT NOTHING LEAVES THE UNIT. NEVER THOUGHT ACTUALLY, I MEAN, WERE MOSTLY SWAMP BACK HERE, SO ITS SURPRISING THAT ANYTHING WOULD BURN. BUT I THINK THAT SPEAKS TOWARDS THE DROUGHT CONDITIONS. JIMMY ORTONS PROPERTY — UP AGAINST THESE WOODS WHERE THE FIRE HAS BEEN BURNING FOR ABOUT A WEEK, AND CLAIMED 190 ACRES. HE SAYS THE SMOKE HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST ISSUE, BUT SAYS CREWS ARE WORKING NONSTOP TO PROTECT HIM AND HIS FAMILY. ITS BEEN CRUCIAL. THE CONCERN IS MORE AROUND THE HUMAN ELEMENT AND THE PROPERTY AND, YOU KNOW, I DONT THINK THERES BEEN ANY PROPERTY DAMAGE. I DONT THINK ANYONES BEEN HURT. SO I THINK, YEA, THOUGH, ITS NOT IDEAL. I THINK THE RESPONSE HAS BEEN EXCEPTIONAL. NOW THE CHIEF OF MIDDLETON SAYS THE FIRES ARE ABOUT 70% CONTAINED. THEYVE SINCE LEFT FOR THE DAY AND THESE ONES, THESE ARE PART OF THAT PERIMETER, THAT BUFFER THAT THEY WERE SETTING. THEYRE NOT REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT THEM BECAUSE YOU CAN KIND OF TELL THE WIND IS BLOWING AWAY FROM WHERE WERE STANDING RIGHT NOW. WHEN WERE STANDING IN SOMEONES YARD. SO IT KIND OF GIVES YOU A SENSE OF WHERE THE PROPERTIES ARE IN RELATION TO THESE FIRES. THE SMOKES GOING THAT WAY. SO THIS IS THE PERIMETER AND THEY DONT ANTICIPATE THEM SPREADING TOWARDS PEOPLES HOMES RIGHT NOW. WE