‘Eerie’ is not a word I often use to describe track meets but as night descended upon Dublin’s track meet Thursday, that’s the word that seemed most appropriate.
As students ran all manner of races, hurdles and relays, coaches, spectators and a tired editor kept checking their phones as reports piled up about wildfires growing both in Erath county and in nearby counties in what would eventually be the Eastland Complex fire.
A bright but hazy dusk gave way to a smoky, dark night that suddenly had tons of moisture for a few minutes and then got ominously bright.
It was clear to see that the minds of many were elsewhere as evacuations were mandated for towns like Carbon and Gorman.
I only realized how close the fire was when someone asked about its proximity and a coach said DHS senior Colton Moore left to check about fire response after competing in the pole vault.
Moore, along with fellow students like Roger Adair and Sheldon Armstrong, are part of the junior volunteers at Dublin Volunteer Fire Department, already gaining training and helping their community before they graduate high school.
As thousands of acres burned in Erath and nearby, I was reminded of just how grateful I am for the people in our community who risk their safety and freely give of their time to protect their neighbors when danger arises.
I admit being frustrated several times in the past week from high winds that kept fire advisories fresh, the constant warnings and updates and burn ban violations, but even while packing ‘bug out’ bags in case we had to evacuate, I knew to be grateful to the men and women on the front line keeping fire as far away from my front door as possible.