Thursdays afternoons "Arden fire" started when a 100 foot tall Cotton Wood tree along Slide Creek Road ( about 300 yards from our house) fell onto some power lines. The sound of the snapping power lines brought the Kluzneys outside only to see a line of fire coming from the downed power lines.
The fire began moving southwest toward their home. They quickly got some shovels and water buckets and began fighting the fire. At first Leslie Kaluzney thought that they were going to get the fire under control, but quickly the wind changed directions and moved the fire toward the North East and it quickly gobbled up their field and barn.
Great plums of black smoke bellowed from the barn as it was consumed. Meanwhile the fire raced into the forest and burned hundreds of acres, 9 out buildings and 2 homes. Crews were quickly on the seen and helicopters and planes dumped water and retardant on the fire late into the evening.
