Sending positive thoughts that those fires can be quelled very soon. I could never be a fire-fighter facing a wall of flame like that, I'd run. Did those people who left their pets behind have time to grab them? I remember the fires in California recently where people had seconds to get out.

As I drive home from Seattle every day I see new evidence of fires on the dry embankments on the sides of the freeway, and sometimes we can smell smoke as we drive - in fact, last week I saw a helicopter moving eastward with a load of water for a fire somewhere.

Hopefully, the overcast weather that is here today and looks like staying into the weekend will help the firefighters, especially if there is no significant wind.