Below is a panorama of the Silver Creek Preserve. This was taken on Aug 10th and the Beaver Creek Fire started on Aug 7th. The Beaver Creek Fire on this day was picking up momentum. The good news here is that the air is getting much much better and the firefighters are making substantial progress.

Here is a quote from the Hailey Chief of Police:

From Hailey Police Chief Jeff Gunter
---
"As the news of the Beaver Creek Fire becomes more optimistic, and fire containment numbers continue to rise, here are some personal thoughts. 1st, we just witnessed a 108,000 acre fire rage through our valley that was larger than the size of Denver. 2nd, so far we only lost a few a structures, the property owners are in my thoughts and prayers. 3rd, keeping the fire confined to the west side of the HWY is miraculous. This fire had the potential to burn thousands of homes. The battle to stop the fire is ongoing and will continue for some time. 4th I thank all the firefighters who risked their lives and protected all the communities we live in. I witnessed so many acts of heroism. I also wish to thank all of law enforcement who have work so many hours breathing the unhealthy air, putting themselves in harm’s way to protect the wonderful valley where we live. Teamwork, so far has minimized the damage and I am confident this effort will continue until the fire is put out. Thank you to all the emergency services that come from out of the area to help us fight the beast, May God bless this valley and everyone who participated in this event."

Here is a link to a news story recently passed along to me discussing the economic impact fire has had this year in the west. The title is: Cost of Western blazes spreads like wildfire HERE