Rain in Utah and the Southwest United States is so needed, and luckily it is just now staring to rain from the monsoon rains coming up from the Southwest and Gulf of Mexico to extinguish the wildfires. It has been in the high 90’s and in the 100’s for days and combined with all the long grass from last years 300% rain and snow pack has combined to a dangerous situation. We need rain due to all the fires in which I have had two friends almost lose their homes, one lost a barn. Even one of my favorite Autodesk colleagues has a fire now behind her brand new home she just moved into. Amy Fietkau lives up to a beautiful mountain range near me in the Greater Salt Lake valley.

Photos from Amy’s Facebook page showing the Quail Fire and one can only imagine the panic to grab your family and a few belongings and evacuate. She has luckily been allowed back in her home.

Utah wildfires burn hundreds of thousands of acres via KSL News

Time-lapse of the Quail Fire near Alpine Utah July 3 2012 - YouTube

The causes have for the most part not been fireworks but construction crews, a person parking a car over long dry grass, target shooting, and dry lightning strikes.

Thank you to all the hard working fire crews and National Guard and others risking their lives to fight the wildfires raging in Colorado, Utah, and Idaho. My heart goes out to those affected by the fires and I hope no more of my friends come under the threat of wildfires.

Hoping we get less heat, and winds, but more rain!

-Shaan

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