The Boles Fire in Weed, California

Weed, California 

is where I was born,

and most of my cousins and I

grew up in the communities

surrounding Mt. Shasta.

I moved away when I was three

or four, but my cousins lived

there for much longer. 

Our grandparents lived in

Dunsmuir, so we were up there visiting  

frequently while growing up.

Weed is a very small community

on the Northern side of Mt. Shasta

near the base of the mountain.

It's sixty miles from our home.

Weed, Dunsmuir,  and Mt. Shasta

(where our daughter's family lives)

are all deeply connected 

to my own sense of home

and where I come from.

Weed is a lumber mill town,

with a population around 3,000 people.

The mill is a major employer there.

The mill burned yesterday.

Courtesy of Last Alarm ~ Facebook.

"There were houses here

 just 24 hours ago in Weed, California. 

 Now this neighborhood has been absolutely devastated by the #Boles Fire."

Photo credit Daniel Berlant.

Photos from KRCR 7, our ABC affiliate,

and our newspaper Redding Record Searchlight.

Weed Elementary School evacuation.

Last's night news program was covering

the fire with live video as it was happening.

It's heartbreaking.

So far, 150 buildings burned,

mostly homes, along with 2 churches,

and of course the mill. 

350 acres, 20% contained 

as of the last update.

This fire was quick to destroy

a large portion of Weed.

There was very little time to evacuate.

The winds in that area were whipping

in all directions up to 40 miles per hour.

Thank goodness there were lots 

of firefighting planes and helicopters

already in the area.

They were fighting a fire in 

a nearby community.  
It's the Happy Camp fire 
that's burned 112,000 acreas and
is just 55% contained.
That is the fire that was already sending

smoke our way every time the wind 

blows in our direction.

We're not even near the end 

of this fire season, 

which won't end until we

get a few good rainfalls.

But, with the extreme drought conditions 

who knows.

I just know we are in serious trouble.

"Daniel is home from the military

visiting his family and saw

 the Boles Fire explode before his eyes. 

 This morning he walked me

 through the destroyed home 

he grew up on Hillside Drive.  

He said his community is strong 

and will get through this."  

Shay Arthur, a local news

reporter at KRCR.