Baltimore Burns

Big fire


REALLY big fire


Complete with water drops


Soldiers Delight is a unique and beautiful place. Visit it if you can, when it reopens.

We just had a 700 acre brush fire in Baltimore County, a few miles from our home.

It never came anywhere near our house, though there were some concerns because it was very near the shop where Sharon's* car was being serviced. (Car and shop are fine too) 

29 homes were evacuated.

There is an interesting side note to all of this, this occurred in and around the Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area, which has some unique geography, flora, and fauna.

The area has been shrinking for decades, because it is, much like many places in California, Soldiers Delight is a fire sculpted ecosystem, and years of fire suppression have led to changes, including the increases presence of invasive species.

The area may experience a significant recovery as a result of the fire.

That being said, if I had wanted to live in California, I would have moved there, thank you very much.

The Maryland Forest Service is investigating the cause of a Tuesday brush fire in Reisterstown and Owings Mills that quickly sparked into the largest fire in Baltimore County’s recent memory.

Firefighters from across the state responded to the 700-acre wildfire and successfully prevented the flames from damaging any homes.

………

The eight-alarm fire, which started after 3 p.m. in the 5100 block of Deer Park Road and spread into the Soldiers Delight Natural Environment area, drew over 200 personnel — the largest response in the county since a major fire at a propane facility in the 1970s, according to Baltimore County spokesperson Elise Armacost.

The Maryland Forest Service says it responds to an average of 123 wildfires that burn more than 1,780 acres of forest, brush and grass each year.

This year, BWI Marshall Airport has measured 5.7 inches of rain compared to an average of 10.5 inches. Wagner said the state is at risk of seeing more brush fires until significant rainfalls.

Wednesday morning, Maryland National Guard helicopters carrying 250-gallon balloons of water were still dousing hot spots around Soldiers Delights and sparse surrounding neighborhoods where 29 homes were evacuated.

We have had no meaningful snow this year, even while New England got repeatedly hit by blizzards.

I'm going to give anthropogenic climate change credit for the assist here.

^*Love of my life, light of the cosmos, she who must be obeyed, my wife.