Mt Charleston on Fire

Excessive heat, wildfires and flooding our biggest concerns here in the desert. We've had a bit of it all the past week. We survived a week above 110 and tied records at 118 and set a record high for a low. 93, I think it was? July 1, lightning caught the backside of Mt Charleston on fire, only Trout and Carpenter Canyon were in danger at first. Both areas combined have a small number of homes. It's far easier to contain on the Pahrump-side. Unfortunately, the winds shifted and the fires burned up the mountain and put everyone on the Vegas-side on alert. Kyle and Lee Canyon have been evacuated and firemen work around the clock to contain the blaze. I have a couple friends with homes on the mountain. I cannot imagine how unnerving it is to only get one update per day, at most. They are hanging in there as best as can be expected. They are safe. That's what matters most. Yesterday, the skies opened up for the first time in ages. I really don't recall the last time it rained. It poured and the streets flooded. Apparently, it doesn't take long on the Southeast part of town. Intersections were flooded in a few minutes. Once we got home, we sat on our patio and enjoyed the storm. We hoped the lightning wouldn't start any new fires, but welcomed rain to douse the mountain. I don't think they ever saw any rainfall, however.

As awful as it is to see the mountain burn for a week, it is part of nature and it does provide some spectacular sunsets. It's eerily beautiful.