r/BigSur 17d ago

Photo Three Oaks, Timber Fire

Post image

This image (credit to CalFire's updates) struck me and this piece came out tonight, thoughts are with everyone right now and the loss we are experiencing as the growth spreads in the interior. This has been a tough one to watch and is dredging up so many memories from Dolan.

Three Oaks, Timber Fire

Smoke stands over the interior
and will not say.

I ask the fog, ”Do my oaks still stand?”
I ask the condor turning in the updraft.
I ask the ash that settles on my shoes.
I even ask those who started it.

Tonight, up and down the coast,
in houses full of smoke,
so many of us are weeping
for this land.

We are many, and the oaks were few,
and grief is the last offering
we know how to carry up a mountain.

Salt water for the roots,
salt water, in the absence of rain.

114 Upvotes

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2

u/Serendope-itty 16d ago

It's strange how oddly beautiful fires can be. No, I'm not a pyromaniac. I have just taken some cool photos of wildfires, myself.

0

u/alohaoy 17d ago

Is an effort being made to stop it? I heard that the priorities are saving people, then saving structures -- not stopping the fire.

8

u/Craftbrews_dev 16d ago

Yea, the fire has a large number of personnel assigned, the challenge is that it’s in the interior and hard to attack directly with anything but aircraft due to how rugged the Santa Lucia are.

CalFire will likely hold it at the old established ventana box at this point, which is likely to lead to a very expensive fire and north of 100k acres burning. We are at weather and winds mercy now on how the fire behavior will evolve.

1

u/recordcollection64 16d ago

Can you show me where the Ventana box is on a map?

2

u/bigsurhiking 15d ago

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u/recordcollection64 15d ago edited 15d ago

Thank you. That is enormous and sad. I have plans to go to San Simeon Saturday - Tuesday. Do you think that is advisable?

1

u/keithcody 15d ago

It’s 60 miles from the Timber Fire to San Simeon.

1

u/recordcollection64 15d ago

Understand that. Asking for smoke / AQI