It's midnight. A firetruck just came down the street. There have been at least three flare-ups of our New Year's Day fire today. The problem is the keawe trees. They're kin to mesquite, that stuff that burns long and slow in your barbecue pit. They can appear to be soaked and completely extinguished while the fire still smoulders within. They have thick sturdy roots, and it's not unusual for smoke seeping out of the group to be the first clue that the tree is still burning underground.

Earlier today when I went to the post office I stopped beside the firetruck that was being reloaded with equipment after the afternoon hot-spot battle. I thanked all of the firefighters and we shared a little gallows humor about how well they know our neighborhood. The evening news reported that there were six other fires on our coast today. The captain of the crew I spoke with today was being interviewed. He looked exhausted. He said all of the recent fires are believed to have been started with fireworks.

It's still very windy. The fire could literally move right up to our homes within minutes under these circumstance. I'm sure I won't be the only one who doesn't get much sleep tonight. Hard to do when you've got your ears tuned and one eye open.

Labels: fears, fire