Features

Traveling Through Fire

Posted on: July 16, 2007

By Becky Ponkow – July 16, 2007

Pocatello – As many of you know, last week we traveled to Las Vegas for a Manufacturers’ show called the Icast. We left Pocatello by car due to the equipment we needed to take with us for a fairly uneventful trip. Even Salt Lake City seemed to cooperate as we sped through it. Little did we know what was further south.

Utah in the past weeks has experienced phenomenal fires that have taken over 300,000 acres of prime wild lands and habitat. We all heard how bad the roads were due to the heavy smoke from these fires but nothing quite prepares you for what you’re entering.

We hurried southward along I-15 and although it was only about 5:00pm the sky already was turning dark. Huge black clouds hung over the freeway making it feel like the sun had just set but instead it was smoke. Heavy dark curtains of smoke obscured the mountains with only a shadowy hint of where they stood. Grayish light filtered in front of us punctuated by the occasional spike of fire shooting upwards. We all felt grateful that we were traveling now – all reports had said the smoke was actually worse than we were experiencing just the day before.

Continuing southward we saw numerous staging areas with State Patrol Cars ready to leap to action if any of the road needed to close. On the side of the freeway we saw a mammoth helicopter that was about double the size normally seen – waiting eerily for its next call.

After probably 20 miles of darkness the smoke did begin to clear. We stopped at a gas station to fill up and I wondered, is it just hot or is the fire making it even hotter. We gladly left the station as soon as possible and shortly the sun came out in all her glory. It seemed like a weight had lifted as we entered the pristine air, untouched by the smoke we just left.

Although I have been near forest fire before, I have never driven through anything quite like this. I found a new appreciation for the power of open fire and those who fight it in our behalf.

Friday we trekked back northward and home. It was stunning to see the huge areas of black that stretched onward to the west. Sights that showed total devastation with small oasis of green teased the onlooker since it is probable that even the green trees were dead due to the sheer heat of the fire. Small spot fires and fire tornados still spotted the landscape showing us how fragile this victory was. As of yesterday the fire was 80% contained – hopefully to stay out for the rest of the season.

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