Go Away, Little Bear Fire!

As many of you know...we have a vacation home in Ruidoso, New Mexico. This agressive fire started 10 days ago and is finally only 35% contained ~ 58 square miles ~ over 38,000 acres. The Northwest part of the county is basically gone...more than 230 houses gone and there are areas they can not get into yet to contiue the count. We wait for each morning/evening community meeting at the Ruidoso High School to get the update. Thank God ~ The weather has been so cooperative over the last three days....the wind has calmed down! We have had no rain but some in the forecast for Saturday.....Prayers are said for all firefighters, pilots, citizens that are working in the mountains and wilderness to get this fire more and more contained!  Here are some pictures I have collected of this awful monster........to think this all started from a lightning strike and a 4 acre fire.....Facebook has been an awesome resource and has kept us up-to-date by the minute!

 This is the ski mountain...but so much of it was saved!

 The first 5-6 days were very, very windy!

 So many brave men and women are working on this fire...there are 2200 firefighters here now!

 A bad situation (SMOKE!!) but a beautiful red sunset!

 Earth, Wind, and Fire...this is an amazing picture!

Our beautiful Village of Ruidoso in the foreground....behind it is The Little Bear!

 It has been amazing at the outreach of support for all involved in the fire....help has come from all over...there is even a TIDE truck on the way to wash clothes for the evacuees and firefighters! The Village of Ruidoso is an awesome community.....I am so proud to call it my second home!

 This is taken from one of the downtown golf courses....

Nightime pictures are so much more intense...Sierra Blanca Ski Resort

A group of amazing Mescelaro Indians have kept their ski resort pretty much intact...only a few chair lifts and the gondola were damaged as well as some trees on a few lifts. They worked so hard 24 hours a day...with no way down the mountain to save the ski resort! They have assured the community they will open at their regular time this fall..there will be no delays.

Another amazing story of dedication!

A picture of the ski resort by day....

This DC 10 came yesterday to help fight the fire...it dropped one load last night..we hope to hear that it has dropped a few more today. It is called "DC10-911"...a huge jet..and we are happy to have it in the area!  We watch small slurry planes go over our house all day....and have watched helicopters pick up buckets of water to drop on the fire...but this is a HUGE JET and amazing!

A helicopter dipping a bucket to collect water to dump on the fire.

We are so lucky to be at our cabin and out of harms way....we smell smoke in the mornings and it is more noticable when it is windy outside.  Please help me pray for the firefighters, the national guard, the families that have lost their homes, and for weather to cooperate...wind could change the direction of the fire and make matters even worse!

On a side note.....we are usually a home for so much wildlife (bears, foxes, deer, elk, raccoons, cougars, and more)....with this fire in the near distance all the wildlife has stayed away. I sure do miss them......I know they are scared!