Close calls on the fire front

Carson City residents know the hazards of wildland fires, but rarely do they get such a front-row seat as Wednesday afternoon's lightning show.

In moments, a half-dozen fires erupted on and around C Hill. The possibilities were frightening, as residents on the southwest side of town began to wonder just how fast and how far the flames might spread.

Almost as quickly, while we watched from the Nevada Appeal's windows, brush trucks climbed the hills with firefighters ready to do battle. Fortunately, a downpour knocked down the flames before they could devour much of the slopes. But it was enough to remind us again how much we depend on the firefighting crews -- and how they risk their lives to protect us.

Just a day earlier two young men died in an Idaho fire. It quickly overran Jeff Allen, 24, and Shane Heath, 22, after they had rapelled from a helicopter to start clearing a landing zone.

They were the eighth and ninth firefighters to die in the United State since February, although most of the others lost their lives in helicopter crashes and other accidents.

In this part of Nevada, we'll never forget the fire season of 2002 when three men died in the crash of a plane as it fought a wildfire near Walker, Calif. The cause of that fire has never been determined.

Clearly, fire is not always -- perhaps not even usually -- the biggest threat to the men and women who must make their way into rugged and often remote country to do their jobs. As far as we can tell, there is nothing easy about the work. It's all a matter of calculated risks.

So while the lightning show and subsequent flames were fascinating to watch on Wednesday, keep in mind there are thousands of people working on dozens of major fires throughout the West. They may be out of sight, but never out of mind.

And let's hope that's the closest fires come to Carson City this, or any, summer.