Fires

The Steiner Ranch fire on 4 September, 2011. Austin, Texas.

I have a tendency to be where the fires are.

Hence the name, Fire Girl Photography. What started out as an old pen-pal nickname has evolved into so much more. I remember soon after 9/11 when letters arrived opened by Homeland Security with a warning notice placed inside to cease using names such as “Fire Girl” and “Fighter Pilot”. Guess I was a high risk thirteen year old.

Yesterday here in Austin reminded me of the Western forest fires back home in Montana. I used to spend hours watching the smoke clouds billow and once spent a whole summer learning the science behind forest fire behavior. I learned the important things about living and moving around a fire – including the fact that you can often get away with speeding around the area during a blowup because the Forest Service and police will be too busy dealing with the emergency at hand to give you a ticket.

I took full advantage of that knowledge yesterday as I was moving to a new apartment in Austin. To hear the locals talk you would think the whole of central Texas is on fire (well, a fair piece of it is). A neighborhood fire closed one of the roads to my new place – a press pass and a flirt got me past the patrolmen just as the fire started, but I was unable to get back in with proper gear. Situated in Steiner Ranch, the reports last night were that twenty-five homes had burned and the fire was nowhere near containment. Steiner Ranch houses roughly 11,000 people and has a mere two roads for access. The subdivision was closed to all traffic, much to the distress of families who still had children and friends inside and were unable to reach them. Denied entrance, a friend parked on the central road, bushwhacked in eight miles, picked up her dog and then hiked back out eight miles. She then crashed with me here at the new apartment – what a way to break in a new place.

After a face full of ash and inundation in smoke, memories of wildfires in Montana swamped back and led to this train of thought. Camera in hand, I realized there is no place I would rather be than behind the lens in the middle of a crisis. It felt right.

Thanks for listening.

Tags: Fire Girl Photography