California Wildfires, 2014

[Kaptlt.Endrass]

With the sudden increase in Santa Ana winds (east to west), as well as minimal rainfall, the fire season has returned to southern California. As a citizen of Ramona, a small rural town in the area, I was here for the 2007 Witch Creek fires, and have heard about the 03 Cedar fires. The area is drier than a dog's bone in summer, and it's getting up to triple digits in temperature. Your thoughts on this new wave of wildfires?

American guys should know what I'm talking about, not sure about the rest. Side note: I have been really active lately and haven't realized it. So much going on in my life.

[Platapus]

I remember this well when growing up in CA. :nope:

To, as they say, add fuel to the fire, there is a specific type of brush that grows in Southern CA where in the summer the sap dries and forms a flammable gas within the stalks. I have seen brush fires go up a several hundred foot hill in a matter of seconds.


Terrible thing to see.

[fireftr18]

I'm not in a wildfire prone area, but we do get them. I have had training in wildfire firefighting and fought several. I don't wish to do it at all out west. The fires get huge, and dangerous.

[Kaptlt.Endrass]

That they are. There were nine of them starting today as of the time of my first post, but the work of the boys in yellow have reduced that to only four in one day. There is some speculation that a firebug set the fires for some reason. But nevertheless, the county is safe. The numbers are over 20 houses, 25000+ displaced, thousands of acres burned. The main problem were the 25-70 mph winds coming from the mountains. Also, most school districts ( including mine) have cancelled tomorrow's classes.

[Oberon]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BnoJMs_IAAEN2XN.jpg

[Wolferz]

It's firenado season. :huh:

[Jimbuna]

Either that or the summer season in Pompeii.

[swamprat69er]

You guys in fire prone areas stay safe.

[Aktungbby]

Either that or the summer season in Pompeii.

INDEED! 8/24/79- summertime...but I never paid attention to what season till you mentioned it! Weirdly : An average surface fire on the forest floor might have flames reaching 1 metre in height and can reach temperatures of 800°C (1,472°F) or more. Under extreme conditions a fire can give off 10,000 kilowatts or more per metre of fire front. This would mean flame heights of 50 metres or more and flame temperatures exceeding 1200°C (2,192°F).
The flash point, or the temperature at which wood will burst into flame, is 572°F, A pyroclastic flow (also known scientifically as a pyroclastic density current) is a fast-moving current of hot and rock (collectively known as Tephra), which reaches speeds moving away from a volcano of up to 700 km/h (450 mph). The gas can reach temperatures of about 1,000 °C (1,830 °F). Pyroclastic flows normally hug the ground and travel downhill, or spread laterally under gravity. Those reaching the river or sea and flowing below the surface are lahars. Their speed depends upon the density of the current, the volcanic output rate, and the gradient of the slope. They are a common and devastating result of certain explosive volcanic eruptions. Whether a 'tephra in my toga' circa 79 AD-Vesuvius-due again (last blew in 1944) or a Lahar in my neoprene dive-suit off Hawaii's Kilauea volcano-due anytime! I fear my gandu is "frickaseed' either way:dead:

[Jimbuna]

INDEED! 8/24/79- summertime...but I never paid attention to what season till you mentioned it! Weirdly : An average surface fire on the forest floor might have flames reaching 1 metre in height and can reach temperatures of 800°C (1,472°F) or more. Under extreme conditions a fire can give off 10,000 kilowatts or more per metre of fire front. This would mean flame heights of 50 metres or more and flame temperatures exceeding 1200°C (2,192°F).
The flash point, or the temperature at which wood will burst into flame, is 572°F, A pyroclastic flow (also known scientifically as a pyroclastic density current) is a fast-moving current of hot and rock (collectively known as Tephra), which reaches speeds moving away from a volcano of up to 700 km/h (450 mph). The gas can reach temperatures of about 1,000 °C (1,830 °F). Pyroclastic flows normally hug the ground and travel downhill, or spread laterally under gravity. Those reaching the river or sea and flowing below the surface are lahars. Their speed depends upon the density of the current, the volcanic output rate, and the gradient of the slope. They are a common and devastating result of certain explosive volcanic eruptions. Whether a 'tephra in my toga' circa 79 AD-Vesuvius-due again (last blew in 1944) or a Lahar in my neoprene dive-suit off Hawaii's Kilauea volcano-due anytime! I fear my gandu is "frickaseed' either way:dead:

HEY!!....Read the link above my sig.

Now enough is enough if you'd be so kind!!

[fireftr18]

A couple links

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152410244209614

http://ktlane.ws/1gr0UkR

[swamprat69er]

A couple links

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152410244209614

http://ktlane.ws/1gr0UkR

Scary stuff.

[Kaptlt.Endrass]

They've started arrests on possible suspects for starting the fires.
Where I live, the air is getting smoky and the sunlight is even brown at some points. They're still popping up all over too.

AND they just happen to be headed for where I live.

[I-25]

I almost lost my house in the 07' harris fire.

seems theres quite a few of us San Diegans on subsim.
We should start a SD charter:arrgh!:

[Platapus]

Back in the 1970's when I lived next to the LA national forest (prime brush fire area), there was actually a city ordinance that REQUIRED all of the houses to have roofs made of wood shake shingles. You could not have ceramic or any of the artificial wood shingles. By law, we had to have a very flammable roof material. :/\\!!

Dry, wood shingles on a house where there are brush fires almost on a yearly basis. What could possibly be wrong with that? :huh::o:stare:

It was not until the 1980's that people were able to start replacing roofs with a synthetic wood shingle that, honestly, looked way better than real wood.

[swamprat69er]

Back in the 1970's when I lived next to the LA national forest (prime brush fire area), there was actually a city ordinance that REQUIRED all of the houses to have roofs made of wood shake shingles. You could not have ceramic or any of the artificial wood shingles. By law, we had to have a very flammable roof material. :/\\!!

Dry, wood shingles on a house where there are brush fires almost on a yearly basis. What could possibly be wrong with that? :huh::o:stare:

It was not until the 1980's that people were able to start replacing roofs with a synthetic wood shingle that, honestly, looked way better than real wood.
The wooden roofs look good.

Nothing wrong with it, IF your city wants to keep the money flowing to the lumber yards.

Plastic roofs are okay, I prefer steel, tho.

[fireftr18]

They've started arrests on possible suspects for starting the fires.
Where I live, the air is getting smoky and the sunlight is even brown at some points. They're still popping up all over too.

AND they just happen to be headed for where I live.

Prayers for you and all those who live in the San Diego area.

[Kaptlt.Endrass]

Thank you.

They've put some of them out, but there are still more. For example, A fire near Las Pulgas (creatively called the Las Pulgas Fire) started yesterday and has already burned 15000 acres, 0% contained. Although, as of today, nearly all of them have been contained, put out, or are in mop-up. If that's the last of it, and no more happens this year (May is EXTREMELY early for fires, usually occur in October), then Firestorm 2014 is over.:rock:

No human or domestic animal casualties, but over 25000 acres burned, over 20 houses burned, and an est. $3.0 million (~6.5-7.0 pounds I think) lost.

[Platapus]

The wooden roofs look good.



When the wood shake shingles are new, yes, it does look nice. But after baking in the CA sun for 3-5 years, they did not look so good.

[fireftr18]

An article with some nice pictures

http://www.ijreview.com/2014/05/139190-cooler-weather-helps-firefighters-battling-ten-different-blazes-san-diego-county/

[Kaptlt.Endrass]

I remember seeing those on the news.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BnoJMs_IAAEN2XN.jpg
And when I saw this I near pissed myself. And yet I'm toying with the idea of becoming a CalFire. Still.:shifty: