Dave and I were in Big Lake today when we saw huge clouds of smoke up north. We were heading that way to go home, so we decided to go and see what was happening. We drove up by the Santiago area and saw large, blackened areas all around.Dave commented that it looked like a war zone battlefield.
We kept driving and saw a sign that said, “Prescribed Burn Ahead. Do Not Report.” I’ve heard of prescribed burns before, but I had never seen one. (David said he had heard of prescribed burn ointment.) We saw some areas that still had flames, but for the most part the areas were just smoldering. One funny thing we noticed is that the gopher mounds looked like they were untouched by the fires.
We came across a couple of the fire management personnel and stopped to ask them some questions. They were very knowledgeable and shared with us what they do. They are from Texas and travel to refuges around the country to assist with prescribed burns. They explained the equipment, tools, and procedures they use in their jobs.
