Taylor Bridge Fire

Monday started out as a normal day for the majority of us. I had an appointment in the morning at the Doc where I got meds for a Staph infection.  It was unsure at first, but luckily enough the MRSA test came back negative.  So now it is just waiting and hoping that my meds kick in and I can return to normal soon.

Around 1:15 that afternoon a fire was accidentally started at a construction site about 12-15 miles away.  I didn't think too much about it at first, but around 5:00 this is what it looked like outside our back door.

  *all these pictures were taken by Aaron and were not edited*

At this point we still couldn't smell the smoke, but it was obviously coming.

That evening there was a lot of helicopter activity so anyone who knows my husband KNOWS he wanted to see what was going on, so we all piled in and drove to the airport about a mile and a half away. 

This is one of our normal DNR (Department of Natural Resources) Helicopters that come every summer.

When we first got there there was a small orange dot (fire) on the hill, but by the time we left (we were there about 40 minutes) the fire had grown.

Besides the fact that time was getting late and the kids had to get to bed soon, it was now smokey so we headed home.

The next morning, things were about the same here.  There was a lot of smoke here, but we were still safe from the flames.

Others were called in to help with the fire.

This is the airplane water bomber.

The National Guard has been here since Tuesday

Whidbey Island Knighthawk
US. Navy

King County

Chinook

Blackhawk

I like this shot because you can see the size of the "Bambi Bucket" compared to the guy next to it.

There they go to help!

Here is another Chinook, this one is a bit different looking.

This one actually came up from Oregon to help.

And just because it tickled me a bit humorous the other day.

To me, this is a bit obvious

Since this started, we have be very lucky that things have gone well for us.  Yes we are dealing with smoke and unhealthy air, but considering what we could be dealing with or what we could have lost we have been blessed.  I wish I could say that for everyone else. This has been a huge fire with lots of devastation.  I'm hoping we will continue to be watched over and that those in harms way still will be as lucky as us.
So far the fire has burned around 22,000 acres, which if you are wondering how big that is, it equals a bit more than half of the city of Seattle. No lives have been lost, yes homes and other structures, but all in all those are replaceable, lives are not.
There is tell that the air quality is going to get worse, so if my little asthmatic Jared starts to have issues we will head over to Tacoma.  Until then we are still held up in our home with with windows and doors shut, with the AC running keeping some cool, cleaner air coming. Hoping  and praying it will continue to stay away and that all those working on it will make good headway soon.