Fire in the Mountains

My grandson Rylan idolizes firefighters.  From our trip to New Mexico, I brought him a small Smokey dressed in bluejeans and a ranger hat. When I told him Smokey was a fire-fighting bear (and his Daddy confirmed it), Ry put Smokey to work driving his toy trucks.

The High Park fire occupying us here in Colorado is one forest fire Smokey the Bear couldn't have prevented, started by lightning they say, rather than delinquent humans.  An act of God, the insurance companies frame it, which I think is a bad rap.  It jumped the Poudre River last night.


Horrifying photos on Facebook and in the Daily Camera show the entire mountain top ablaze.  Not far down the road, we are still breathing the smoke, smelling it on our clothes, tasting it.  For two days we couldn't even see the mountains.  Even our dog isn't feeling well.  Volunteers from our church have collected food and are in Ft. Collins providing support for firefighters and refugees from the flames.  Prayers for all.

Smokey Bear was created for a forest fire prevention by the National Advertising Council, born out of the propaganda board of WWII.  Disney folks helped out.

When a real live baby bear was found in a fire in the mountains Lincoln National Forest in New Mexico, hugging a tree, its paws burned.  One of the rangers rescued it and promptly dubbed it Smokey and it became the living breathing mascot for the campaign for the rest of its life.  The incarnated Smokey grew to be a 600-pound black bear and died of old age in the National Zoo in Washington, DC.  Smokey was buried in Capitan in the little park that bears his name.  No other living bear was chosen to replace Smokey, though the animated cartoon Smokey continues to promoting the message.

Do you remember the Smokey the Bear song?  When the exhibit mentioned it and displayed the music, it came flooding back:  "Smokey the Bear, Smokey the Bear, prowling and a growling and sniffing the air.  He can spot a fire before it starts to flame.  That's why they call him Smokey and that's how he got his name."

While the information center has collected many of the original posters for the various campaigns, the heart of   this national park is to educate the public about--yes--forest fires:  managing forests to minimize the extent of fires, ranger lookouts, forest fire fighters, controlled burns.  The dangers of building housing in forested area is included.  The danger to wildlife, the destruction of recreation areas, the waste of our natural resources.















Smokey Bear is right. Preventing forest fires is better than having to put them out once they are raging.  And God bless all the folks near High Park.