Mt. Hood Is On Fire!

Take a look at these pictures. Wild fires can be devastating and terrible-but I was in awe looking at Mt. Hood this afternoon before my live shots.
This is the north face of the mountain. The Dollar Lake Fire has was started by a lightning strike on August 27th. Amazing that a single lightning strike can spark something this big. So far it's burned more than 1,800 acres. There are about 275 firefighters battling the flames from the ground and the air. Me and my photographer Dean went up Highway 35 onto Mt. Hood this afternoon and spoke with about a dozen hikers and campers-all of them told us the smoke isn't bad enough to spoil their Labor Day weekend fun. I could smell the smoke, but I agree-it isn't enough to ruin plans. The fire is threatening three campsites and four hiking trails (they've all closed)-but there are definitely other options for campers (the spokesman for Mt. Hood National Forest told me there are 81 campgrounds on the mountain!). I hope everyone has a safe and happy Labor Day weekend. It looks like it's going to be a hot one!!