Seconds after the incendiary device left the hands of the circling helicopter crewmen, the ground burst into flames! Sounds like the opening to a David Baldacci mystery novel. Ok, maybe a bit more drama implied but what the heck, it got you reading...;)
Today was a controlled burn day, or better yet controlled smoldering day, at MCCS Cherry Point. Unannounced & unpublished, with the dry wind blowing from the SW @ 10-12 knots the wooded area just SW of Calypso was torched.
According to a US Forestry Officer monitoring the evolution from the ground, the forest service helicopter which circled overhead would drop a ball containing water and phosphorus. On impact the two combined creating intense heat and igniting the forest brush.
Controlled burns happen infrequently and are good for the overall health of the forest. If the wind had been blowing from another direction it would have been pretty interesting to hang around and watch. However, the smoke fell over the marina, as thick as any fog, making it hard to breath. So, we packed up and headed out for a drive, up wind.
More later,
Jeff & Wendy