Whitewater Fire

Yesterday on my way home from Lordsburg I noticed smoke in the distance. So I did what every other good fire wife does and called my husband. When I got closer I took a picture on my phone and sent it to him and then he called dispatch to see what it was about. Aaron told me it was a small grass fire and that he wouldn't be going to it. Well, by the time I rounded the corner it had grown, not too big, but definitely big enough to put up a decent column of smoke.
When I first stopped, like any good citizen, to take pictures there were only 4 volunteer engines on scene. We snapped a few pictures and watched the action for a few minutes. There were only clumps of grass on fire around the outer edges. My kids loved getting to finally see flames (we're obsessed that way). Then we started on our way. A few minutes later Aaron calls me and says they got called and they're going to the fire! Woohoo...first fire of the year.

When we got on the other side of the hill this is what we saw.
By the time we got to town 15 minutes later we had seen a total of 13 engines and about 6 or 7 police cars.

When Aaron got home at 10pm last night I got the full report...
The fire was roughly around 50 acres, and all the volunteer engines were on scene doing structure protection for the subdivision that is right at the base of this hill. Aaron and his two crew members, plus several of the volunteers were the only ones on the mountain, they walked around the perimeter of the fire looking for hotspots and such. He had to go back this morning for mop up.

So, there was my exciting afternoon and evening. I know it wasn't a super exciting fire, but it's not often that I get to see one so close to the highway and then that fire turn out to be one that Aaron is on. I never see his fires, they're usually way out in the middle of the Wilderness...or in Montana.