A Fire Weather System

I've watched programs on the Weather and Science channels about fire-driven weather systems, but never thought I would see such a thing myself.

Yesterday, the fire that's burning closest to town jumped the containment barrier and roared to new and dangerous life in the afternoon.

Nick was over and called me outside around 4:30 or so to look at this weird cloud.  At first, I thought it was just a normal Summer thundercloud and hoped it wouldn't add lightning to the out-of-control blaze.  I snapped a quick shot but couldn't stay out on the side deck for too long as the temperature was 106* and still climbing...

Curious about what we thought might be a pending storm, Nick went out again at 5:00 while I was starting dinner, then yelled at me to bring my camera.  The cloud had grown, creepy and huge and we now knew it was a weather system generated by the fire.  Doesn't that second shot look like a giant mouth, ready to take a big bite?

Another check, just past 6:00, temperature 108*.  This was amazing in real life; wish my camera could convey the magnitude of this monster, or the turmoil I tried to capture in the second photo. At the bottom right corner of the first shot, you can actually see part of the fire smoke rising just on the other side of that hill.  And yeah, that's the town right below...

I heard this morning that another fire has started 30 miles south of this one and has already consumed 6,000 acres of wilderness.  The scary part is, the two fires are burning toward each other.

Today is to reach close to 110*, the area is tinder dry in this endless drought, the air is nearly too scorched to breathe...and I'm thinking a nice, long vacation at the coast just might be in order.