The first weekend in May was warm, dry, and breezy.  Driving home Sunday afternoon, we saw smoke rising in the valley.  Later we learned that a homeowner burning rubbish had accidentally ignited a small fire.  Volunteer firefighters and state forest rangers bulldozed lanes through the woods to contain the blaze.  But the flames lept over the firebreaks and fanned by dry winds spread rapidly across the ridge.  Before it was finally extinguished, the fire had engulfed 2,000 acres in the heart of the Shawangunk Mountains. Continue reading “Fire on the Ridge” →