Day 3: wild fire closing in on Jim Thorpe | April 21, 2025

On the afternoon of Saturday, April 19, 2025, a large brush fire broke out on the side of Bear Mountain in Lehigh Gorge just south of Jim Thorpe, PA. By Monday morning it was upgraded to a wildfire ranging from 300 to 600 acres depending on the report. I resumed my normal workweek in Nesquehoning on Monday, but on my drive to work I was shocked at how far it had spread overnight. The flames and smoke had crested Bear Mountain and were visible across the river from the train station. It was an uneasy day at work as the smoke had drifted to Nesquehoning as a constant reminder of what was happening just a few miles away. Things did get pretty bad that day, but the fire stayed on the east bank of the river and had settle down some by the time I headed for home. This video is a combination of my own footage from Monday afternoon, and footage from my friend Mike Stanislaw ‪@smike01‬ who was in town much of the morning. Thank you Mike for sharing this great footage with us! I worked in Jim Thorpe Easter Sunday, April 20th as Ticket Agent on the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway. My drive to and from work gave me a chance to get an update on the fire situation. Things were looking better in the morning with less spread than I feared and less smoke. However, in the afternoon things took a turn for the worse. Gusty winds all day drove the fire closer to Jim Thorpe, but also spawned more fires east towards Long Run Road north of Weissport. I'll update you more when possible. And for those of you asking about the train videos, I have about three dozen of them filmed, but I've had no time edit lately. I'll get to them as soon as I can, but with a jam-packed schedule the next few months, it might be a while. Thank you for your patience, be safe, and have a Happy Easter. 0:00 near the Jim Thorpe train station 1:37 flashback to morning commute 2:33 near the Jim Thorpe train station 9:58 Mike Stanislaw video 13:02 atop Flagstaff Mountain Chasing trains and building models is hard work! You can help me refuel and support my adventures at: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jamiemakin