Students from Trego School

Students from Trego School gather around a hot air balloon basket Monday morning as the pilot hits the propane burner during a wildfire education program for area students. The warm blast was a relief to the students, who were shivering in the cold and rainy weather. The Smokey Bear Hot Air Balloon, which unfortunately was not able to inflate due to the weather, is a non-profit corporation dedicated to helping prevent human-caused wildfires. Several hundred students participated in the Wildfire Awareness Day, which was organized by the U.S. Forest Service and incorporated local fire departments and other public-land agencies.