Maybe It Was Mitchell Moore Who Said It....Maybe Not

I think Mitchell Moore posted this on Facebook earlier today or yesterday:
"We smelled the smoke.  Others lost everything." 

I thought about his words and realized this was a subtly profound statement.  The threat of fire, the possibility of loss of life or property, and the fear of the unknown, were carried on the wings of the wind.  But while some people only experienced the fear, others had to come to grips with the total loss of all they owned.  Several dwellings on the south side of Midland burned down.  Most of the owners lost everything except what they were wearing.  Others who lived nearby did not lose their homes, but had to wait in suspense at a local shelter until the neighborhoods were declared safe.  Only then did these luckier ones learn that their homes had been spared. 

In Marfa and Fort Davis, the scene was repeated several times as fire ravaged parts of those towns as well as dwellings in the country side.  Compounding the disaster was the failure of the water system there after a power substation was destroyed by the wildfire.  Many homes were lost there, as well as outbuildings and other property.  Fire threatened the McDonald Observatory.  Fortunately that facility was spared.  But the fire continues to burn in Jeff Davis County, and is within miles of Balmorhea. 

Now many people are watching and waiting, living in fear of what may be.  The people in the area have smelled the smoke for days as the fire moved closer to their own property.  While reports say the fire
is now sixty percent contained, for those in the flame's path, the fear is still very real, the uncertainty still growing.  I am certain many people have a new and more profound respect for the firefighters who stand between them and the racing fire.

So some smelled the smoke...other lost everything.  When the flames are finally extinguished, there will be those whose homes were miraculously spared, while others will return to only ashes and memories. These events are no longer something that we saw on TV, that happened to "someone else."  No, many of us have friends or relatives who were (or will be) effected in some way by this disaster.  For those of us outside the danger zone, this is a great opportunity for us to share our blessings with those who are in need.