Video: Sheep Herd Evacuated in Advance of Badger Fire

I took a gut wrenching call today from a man trying to move his sheep out of the South Hills.  He was pushing some through the fire line in order to get them away from the Badger Fire.  Some had wool charred and may not survive.  He has other sheep somewhere in the forest but there weren’t available planes to spot them and possibly also recommend a better escape route.  Some federal agents recommended he take the sheep back to an area already burned.

The sheep refused to go.  Even with herding dogs attempting to move the mass.  Cloud cover may have been an issue this morning.  Mixed with smoke there was a low ceiling.

It was easier yesterday.  Sergeant Ken Mencl is with the Twin Falls County Sheriff’s Office.  He took some pictures of sheep being herded along a road.  The driver of a pickup truck pulling an RV had pulled over to allow passage of the animals.

The caller struggling to move his sheep sounded the voice of despair.  The emotional toll of watching your flock burn and die in front of you is incredibly stressful.  It puts into perspective many of the daily troubles we think we’ve got.

The property losses are certainly going to be difficult.  When you consider the roller coaster ride we’ve been on since March!  Coronavirus, a shaky economy, businesses closed that will never re-open and now some people have this added burden.

Sergeant Mencl was back in the South Hills Friday, assisting with evacuations.  It’s time to take a moment and offer thanks for first responders.  Their line of work has also been under attack, at least at the national level, for several months.  Here’s a question, in a crisis aren’t you glad they’re here?  And a thank you to Sergeant Mencl for the use of his video.  It shows a side of life we rarely ever see today.  Like from a more innocent age.