Around the Bluhmin’ Town

By

Judy Bluhm

Fire. Destruction. Heartbreak. One flame and 100 mph Santa Ana winds led to the apocalypse of communities in Los Angeles. Hard to comprehend and almost unimaginable in scope as the news coverage shows entire swaths of homes, schools and businesses leveled like the towns were bombed. Tragedy happens quickly. The loss lingers for a very long time.

Evidently mistakes were made. Yes, we’ve all heard pundits, politicians, celebrities, and what seems like endless blaming on social media, all pointing fingers at all the leaders involved in the disaster in California. While everyone has an opinion, we might have to wait a while for a thorough investigation and understanding of how much of this could have been prevented. Cause, mitigation and response will be evaluated. Let’s give investigators time. Right now people are suffering.

Life is sometimes unkind. You are just living, going to work, maybe planning your wedding, attending school, cooking dinner, or taking a nap and hell breaks loose in a flash. No time to think. People running out of their homes, driving away along winding, traffic packed roads. Smoke makes it impossible to see. People flee their cars. And the city bulldozes vehicles away to make room for first responders. It is a nightmare unfolding. Your house and your neighborhood is gone. Left standing are chimneys. The rest is black soot and ash.

Arizona has a sad and poignant history when it comes to fire. In 2013 we lost nineteen brave Granite Mountain Hotshots in the Yarnell horrific fire disaster. The fear and anxiety goes on, as we grapple with fires every year. In 2024 approximately 300,000 acres in Arizona burned.

There for the grace of God goes I. Sure, we like to think that what happened in Los Angeles will never happen here. But when I walk and hike, I notice our washes and arroyos are thick with brush. Those pretty little yellow flowers (stink net) that bloom in the Spring is invasive and turn to brown dried fuel for fire in the summer. In the north country, homes are often constructed very close to pine trees, even with decks built around the trees. Beautiful and dangerous.

What would you take? Smoke and flames approaching and you have minutes to grab things. Pets, medicines, keepsakes are picked up with a pounding heart and thoughts are jumbled up in a combination of shock and terror. No time to pack old familiar items that have been passed down for generations. Fire does not stop for sentimental objects. It rages towards us with no care about what lies in its path.

One woman who ran out of her home in the Yarnell Hill Fire with just minutes to spare grabbed the tea kettle off her stove. It was the only possession she took. When she and her husband were driving away, they saw the flames engulf their home as they made their way through thick smoke to escape. Later, she wondered why she took such an unimportant item. Yet, she says, it is a constant reminder of how fragile life is, how things can change so quickly, and how “things” really don’t matter. Life does.

Judy Bluhm is a writer and a local realtor. Contact Judy at [email protected] or visit www.aroundthebluhmintown.com.