On Sept. 11, the surrounding communities of Cle Elum, Ellensburg, Leavenworth and Wenatchee were basking in temperatures between 91 and 97 degrees with a forecast of more of the same. These communities, having witnessed the devastation of 97,000 acres going up in smoke last September have all been anxiously hoping to get through this September without a repeat of last years fires. An all out burn ban had been in place, and private property owners were holding their collective breath until the rains of September could lessen the wildfire danger. A column of smoke rising from the hills under these weather conditions was the last thing anyone in these communities wanted to see. The lack of concern over what the people of these communities might have thought when they saw that column of smoke rising shows a decided absence of any degree of common sense.