The Carpenter 1 Fire has now grown to over 25,500+ acres and is now eating structures in its path. There are over 1,000 firefighters battling the blaze which is back up to being 15% contained. The air in the Valley smells like a giant barbecue fire and sitting here in the house I can smell it even with the doors and windows closed - it permeates every cubic centimeter of air. Today's pictures aren't as spectacular simply because the skies themselves aren't spectacular. Yesterday when coming home from work the smoke cloud was blanketing the northern portion of the Valley. Today the smokey mist is everywhere one turns and the sky is murky in all directions. There is a ray of hope as there is rain - thunderstorms even - predicted for tomorrow and through the weekend.
Photos by Bettina Berg
This is the sight we were greeted to this morning walking out the back door, a smokey haze blanketing the Valley floor
From about 7AM (above) to 6PM (below) not much has changed
Looking straight up - above the smoke - there's still blue skies (enlarge to see the airplane heading out)
Although it has been cloudy today - as well as smokey - the really heavy clouds are beginning to roll in this evening. Keep your fingers crossed for rain!
