That sounds pretty scary when you see that huge smoke plume over your head.
When I was young and stupid, I wasn’t familiar at all with forest fires and their behavior. I lived in Pinetop, Arizona for about 7 months Fall 1975 to Summer 1976. In early summer, a forest fire erupted not far from my house in Pinetop. I remember watching the trees explode into flames on a ridge a mile from my house. I was mesmerized by the intense power to instantaneously ignite and entire huge ponderosa pine tree top to bottom. Not once did it enter my mind that the fire could come roaring down the mountain and wipe out our neighborhood. So I never once thought “It’s time to get out of Dodge” and save my life. Fortunately, the bombers and fire crews got it under control before it came down the mountain onto us.
Watching the fires in California the past ten years have given me a lot more respect for fire. Here on the flats of the San Fran Peninsula we think we are in a safe location. But you never know.
Yeah, one of the things I used to justify staying (right, wrong, or just plain stupid) was the notion that there was about a quarter mile of suburban neighborhood between my place and the treeline. So if it broke out of the treeline, crossed a half mile of prairie grass then it would hit the neighborhood. Sure the houses would burn, but all those green, well-watered lawns were going to slow it down some - ie. time enough for us to jump in vehicles and leave. As I said, not sure I’d take that same risk again. Getting more cautious (in some ways, less in others) every year.