The “I Smell Smoke Fire”

     It’s been really warm the past few days and today I had fire on my mind.(Ok, well it’s on my mind alot these days but today more than normal.)  I was thinking about the lack of humidity, the wind and wondering what all the fire numbers were looking like.  I know we have had alot of rain lately, but nonetheless, fire was on my mind.

     I felt kind of silly when I smelled smoke around 2:30 pm today.  The smell was faint and I knew it could be someone’s campfire but I went out on the deck to take a look at the sky.  I didn’t see anything but the smell of smoke was a little stronger so I went downstairs to talk to Mike.

     "I smell smoke, do you?"  "No." "Well, I do.  Would it be really paranoid of me to call it in?"  "No, go ahead."  I dialed the US Forest Service number and spoke to the woman at the desk.  I told her my name, my location and that I smelled smoke.  She said she would let the proper person know. 

     Then I decided to call law enforcement to let them know.  While I was on the phone explaining the situation someone came in the store and said they could see smoke on Gull Lake.  I began to panic and lost my patience with the dispatcher when she wanted a better location of the fire.  I think I said something like, "It’s on Gull Lake in the woods just send a plane up here!"  Ok, I maybe yelled it and I also maybe swore, but I’m not sure. 

    About that time a neighbor walked into the store and said, "There’s flames on Gull Lake!"  At that I know I screamed out loud. 

     For those of you who don’t know, we live on the Seagull River and less than 1/4 of a mile to our south is Gull Lake which flows into the river.  The fire was burning on the southeast corner of Gull Lake, about 1/2 mile straight south of us.   The fire was close and memories of the fast moving Ham Lake Fire were even closer in my mind.