an important event...

I inadvertently skipped right over a very important event!
Before we began the tear off of the front, while we were still shoring up and patching up it was early June 2012, the 4th of June to be precise and the Little Bear Fire broke out.

Didn't think much about it for the first day - it was on the other side of the main ridge of the range and conditions were ok.

That didn't last long. 

Before we knew it, the wind had kicked up as it has a tendency to do around here and the fire was out of control and heading east.   We live east.  Along with most of the population of Lincoln County.

By a couple days into this we were attending the fire meetings they were holding and trying to figure out if we were going to evacuate.  It was moving fast and they had some containment lines, but they were at their limit.

If it broke the hold at Eagle Creek campground they were going to evacuate Cedar Creek area(us) and if it broke another line up the mountain they were going to evacuate the Upper Canyon..the cabin. 

So, what do you do? move everything to one house and hope you picked the right one?  Just wait it out? 

We did the latter.

We were blessed and they amazing firefighters who were working around the clock saved so many homes.  There were homes lost.  Too many homes.  Including several friends of ours who lost homes and property.

During the fire we hiked up to the ridge above us to watch the planes dropping water and retardant on the unburned areas.

 This was the view view on the first major day it blew up from Carrizozo, NM: 

The view from midtown Ruidoso several days into the fire"

 

And some views from our property:

 

 

Let's just say it was a little too close for comfort, but just like that on June 26, they proclaimed it 90% contained.

It's been two years and the area is still cleaning up and rebuilding....and will be for some time longer, I'm sure.