Hang in there, California: wild fires [Archive]

Aktungbby

10-10-17, 04:53 PM

Devastating wildfires

http://abcnews.go.com/US/thousands-flee-wildfires-ravage-northern-california-10-killed/story?id=50383162

The worst of all natural disasters.:k_confused:

You're a little late to the party Onkel;:D Moderator please move to http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showpost.php?p=2517667&postcount=105 (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showpost.php?p=2517667&postcount=105) :O: We just got back power and Verizon/internet( incl. my computer) two minutes ago after eighteen hours. Still totally smoked out; visibility is under two hundred yards. I had driven 30 miles to regain some phone service and shop for a generator (the local stores are sold out) when the call came from the daughter that the power was restored. This 'peace' with the elements is short-lived however; the forecast is for 30 mph winds tonight so it's not over yet, embers still in the rugged area ravines and gullies tend to revitalize and start the fires afresh. This fire has incinerated twenty sq. miles and 11 are dead so far with well over a hundred homes totaled with some 1500 structures total...some within 1000 yards of my own home in all four directions. We're breathing with masks or wet bandanas; ash is everywhere and tree boughs are all over the yards from the winds: 'copters cannot drop retardant in such winds. The house is closed up tight to keep out smoke, and use of the AC is not advisable. More as things develop... https://www.wsj.com/articles/thousands-forced-to-flee-as-wildfires-continue-to-rage-in-california-1507644679 (https://www.wsj.com/articles/thousands-forced-to-flee-as-wildfires-continue-to-rage-in-california-1507644679) http://ww2.hdnux.com/photos/66/47/31/14317145/3/1024x1024.jpg(all that gray stuff is what I'm breathing as it 'settles' in the Napa valley!) the winds, usually from the west, are coming from the East and nort...very unusual and forboding and blowing embers everywhere- these CHP fotos are of the Atlas Peak area fire to the east of me (5 miles) which has accounted for 50+ homes destroyed alone. Fire services are hard pressed in the rough terrain. http://ww4.hdnux.com/photos/66/47/31/14317143/3/1024x1024.jpg

GoldenRivet

10-10-17, 06:15 PM

My employer has asked me to head to California to assist with these fire claims.

the commissions would run about $18,000 - $25,000 per week

I respectfully declined the assignment.

California is the hardest state in the USA to work insurance claims due to the burdensome red tape and bureaucracy, not to mention the litigation which accompanies about 1 in every 3 or 4 claims worked there.

I could go there and stay til spring and pay my house off and then some, but is just not worth the headache.

I'm told they are going to suffer a massive shortage of experienced insurance staff as a result of the back to back hurricanes and the dispersal of personnel in other parts of the country.

I feel for these folks. they are probably going to get bottom of the barrel, brand new people with zero experience trying to adjust $700,000 losses

Aktungbby

10-10-17, 07:04 PM

they are probably going to get bottom of the barrel, brand new people with zero experience trying to adjust $700,000 losses Those would be perfect people then... $700K is the 'bottom of the barrel' in Napa and Sonoma county! The earthquake insurance policies are a complete rip-off hassle. Fire damage is always preferable. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/25-years-after-bay-area-quake-most-dont-have-earthquake-insurance-2014-10-17. :O: :()1:"Hey GR?!" What AK?" "Welcome 2 CA. R.E. 'sticker shock 101' BBY! The average home price in the bay area is apprx. $1,000,000 http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2017/04/28/bay-area-median-home-price-approaches-all-time-high/ (http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2017/04/28/bay-area-median-home-price-approaches-all-time-high/)I just hope these adjusters are wearing their pacemakers!:timeout:

GoldenRivet

10-10-17, 07:29 PM

i lived in Los Angeles for about a month.

You literally cannot pay me to go there LOL

Buddahaid

10-10-17, 07:39 PM

I've lived in California all my life and you couldn't pay me to live in LA either! :shucks:

Mr Quatro

10-10-17, 08:06 PM

i lived in Los Angeles for about a month.

You literally cannot pay me to go there LOL

You could park in the middle of Hwy 405 in LA in the morning and no one would know it as they all slowly pass you by on their way to work.

fireftr18

10-10-17, 08:38 PM

I'm glad to hear that you're safe Acktung. I was wondering about you and ready to send a pm. Everyone, don't forget, wildfires have been going on for months in other parts of the US and Spain.

Aktungbby

10-11-17, 12:02 AM

Thanks! :k_confused:forecast is for 30 mph winds tonight so it's not over yet,

I'm glad to hear that you're safe Acktung. I was wondering about you and ready to send a pm. Everyone, don't forget, wildfires have been going on for months in other parts of the US and Spain.
Advisory: Evacuations have been conducted on Redwood Rd and Redwood Road at the intersection of Browns Valley Rd is now closed. Advisory: Evacuations were conducted on Dry Creek Rd and the road is now closed from Orchard Ave to Oakville Grade
< those two advisories just in as I post this and only two miles from my location.... Well I'm surrounded on three sides by 'advisories' so the east is still open for a 5 minute notice 'bugout'. Half the neighbors are packed and gone but the fire-chief neighbor just got home and has stated he's 'not going anywhere' :salute:so I'll sleep on the sofa with two cars packed and cat carriers in case of a change in the fire; as winds are expected to rise. My very nervous wife is considerably calmer since the chief is staying put!:yeah:

Catfish

10-11-17, 01:46 AM

Hello Aktung,
good to hear from you! I hope you can stay, or if not that your house will not be damaged. But better leave if things get worse!

That said, can someone advise if you can somehow protect your house, i mean maybe with getting all the ground around the area, roof and walls soaking wet maybe? Must be 200 m of perimeter at least of course :hmmm:

Stay safe.

Aktungbby

10-11-17, 04:16 AM

^Yup! still up watching up-to-date situation reports. Daughter came by to check and remove pictures and an Eyvind Earle print of my wife's particular favor these last 35 years.. We had been to see an exhibition of his work this weekend in SF. I just checked; the firechief's official car is still out front across the street. I assisted a few neighbors who did leave with their pets. Then reassured some very elderly neighbors (90's) and their kids that the chief, who has been on duty since Saturday, was staying which reduced their considerable anxiety. My boat captain is still up, like me, watching TV two doors down and my immediate other stalwart is tuned to his police scanner receiver. The wife has finally 'hit the hay' as I pointed out she'll be worthless without some sleep. Two cars are in the drive outside, loaded with pet food, documents, and clothes in case the power fails again so we don't waste time overriding the electric door. Currently there is little wind and the heavy smoke of two days is dissipating; the moon is clear. Not like this AM when the sun came up blood-red with visibility at 2-3 hundred yards. Fortunately I have an old land-line ATT house phone which works so I can call out. The Verizon cellphone/Wi-Fi situation is very bad otherwise. I'm lucky to still have internet and appreciate the concern.:Kaleun_Thumbs_Up:

vienna

10-11-17, 05:13 AM

Sometimes an old, analog, landline is really handy, if not essential, to have; I hope the worst is over for you and the missus, and kudos for checking up on the oldsters... :Kaleun_Salute:

Re Catfish's question, I seemed to recall some SoCal companies offering special spray-on coatings designed to provide a degree of protection to homes during wildfires; I did a little bit of a lookup and found this article from 11/25/2007 about the products:

Fire retardants that protect the home --

http://www.latimes.com/business/realestate/la-re-fire25nov25-story.html

<O>

Onkel Neal

10-11-17, 06:20 AM

I feel for homeowners in these areas. If they survive, they have lost their homes--and even though insurance can replace them all the trees on their property and in the area are gone forever. :(

Mr Quatro

10-11-17, 07:40 AM

I feel for homeowners in these areas. If they survive, they have lost their homes--and even though insurance can replace them all the trees on their property and in the area are gone forever. :(

All I saw on TV was sidewalks and chimneys left and whole neighborhoods wiped out.

Sad. sad, stay safe Aktung we would miss your strange, but quality personality :up:

Aktungbby

10-11-17, 09:53 AM

stay safe Aktung we would miss your strange, but quality personality :up: Hey! I resemble that remark!:timeout: Just up from the all-night TV monitoring sofa(stiffnecked!!)no evac updates; newspapers at end of drive and a yellow sunrise.... and still no wind:yeah: The chief has gone back to work after finally sleeping in his own bed. My two mine-canary cats are not twitchy from smoke inhalation as before-so I make the coffee; act normal; stay in pre-bugout mode's the game today. The map clarifies the situation: Lower red zone is two miles due west of me :ping::ping::ping:http://i738.photobucket.com/albums/xx22/aktungbby/napa%20fire_zpsok3gc9p6.png
https://california.liveuamap.com/en/2017/11-october-fire-on-mt-veeder-rd-mandatory-evacuation-ordered (https://california.liveuamap.com/en/2017/11-october-fire-on-mt-veeder-rd-mandatory-evacuation-ordered)

Platapus

10-11-17, 02:29 PM

I also used to live in LA. LA is a great place to be from.

Aktungbby

10-12-17, 03:59 AM

Still in Uber bugout mode with three cars loaded with weird short-notice 'essentials'... Deeds, a sewing machine, wedding photos etc. Daughter had to go take original documents from her small museum as entire town of Calistoga to the north is is evacuated. 5000 people on the road to somewhere! I'm monitoring local channels for any sudden down turn in calm winds or movement of active fires just two miles to the west. This one is as bad as the Cobb Mtn/Middletown disaster of 2015-twenty miles north; Currently: over twenty dead and thousands of homes destroyed. As for the smoke: The worst hour was measured at Napa College on Tuesday at 8 a.m., breaking all records in the area. The air quality index of 486 for small particulate matter is so high it’s off the chart, Worst level =201-300 https://ww2.kqed.org/science/2017/10/11/bay-area-air-quality-worst-on-record-check-out-your-city/ (https://ww2.kqed.org/science/2017/10/11/bay-area-air-quality-worst-on-record-check-out-your-city/) An official 'spare the air' day is in effect through the weekend...jeeze! no barbequing! Correct 'particulate' breathing masks are in short supply at hardware stores. We do have a 19,000 gallon 747 Global supertanker helping for the firstime- really something impressive; video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3AWMGQ5ot0

Mr Quatro

10-12-17, 05:07 AM

Still in Uber bugout mode with three cars loaded with weird short-notice 'essentials'...

10-12-2017, 03:59 AM ?????

you really are staying up all night ... get some sleep man.

Praying that you don't feel the heat ... good grieve hurricanes, fires, Trump, Rocket Man don't we have enough to worry about?

vienna

10-12-17, 05:44 AM

Aktungbby is like rust: he never sleeps... :D

<O>

Catfish

10-12-17, 07:07 AM

Hey, he is not that corrosive!

vienna

10-12-17, 07:49 AM

:haha:

<O>

Aktungbby

10-12-17, 10:56 AM

10-12-2017, 03:59 AM ?????

you really are staying up all night ... get some sleep man.

Praying that you don't feel the heat ... good grieve hurricanes, fires, Trump, Rocket Man don't we have enough to worry about? I'm reminiscing the flash flood earlier this year in Feb that almost got me and now this. My wife and I are doing it in shifts; she's at the coffee table on laptop and the TV with the county gov channel with evac and fire activity updates. The N. Korean leader need not threaten to turn us to ash; we're doing a fine job on our own.:doh: After two quakes and now this, one agitated neighborhood housewife is referring to this as 'the slow apocalypse'!

Aktungbby is like rust: he never sleeps... :D
<O> Indeed! I am a night owl: probably the security work and long-haul trucker job influence. In these circumstances, it helps.

Hey, he is not that corrosive!....He said acidly....:O: At any rate, the fire activity due west of me approx. 8,000 ft. to the west, northwest, and now, southwest, has shifted almost due south during the last five hours. This particular fire is the Partrick Fire portion of the general conflagration now dubbed the LNU fire.http://i738.photobucket.com/albums/xx22/aktungbby/napa%20fire_zpslgenmo5u.png Northerly winds and cool temps are in our favor...for the moment; the 30 mph winds did not occur as predicted; so for now: good.:up: Smoke is still predominant and staying indoors is advised. If the winds shift back to normal westerly breezes and increase to 20-30 mph, the game can change drastically. http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/wind-predictions-bring-napa-county-wildfire-uncertainties/article_3f8af9e0-4062-5c65-b307-0fd3353b9a91.html (http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/wind-predictions-bring-napa-county-wildfire-uncertainties/article_3f8af9e0-4062-5c65-b307-0fd3353b9a91.html)

Reece

10-12-17, 06:05 PM

Take care Aktungbby.

Aktungbby

10-13-17, 01:05 PM

Take care Aktungbby.

#PartrickFire [update] west of Napa (Napa County) is now 12,379 acres and 18% contained. slightly up from yesterday's 2% contained...winds from the NW expected to increase this evening. Saturday is expected to be difficult. Air quality is miserable; the color purple has just been introduced for worst condition 300-400 particulate level: ie Napa at 296 (was at 486!!!) https://www.airnow.gov/images/aqi_vunh_text.gif...what with the smoke haze 200 yard visibility :O: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjwWjx7Cw8I (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjwWjx7Cw8I) Meets my morning paper morale boosting headline::yeah: http://i738.photobucket.com/albums/xx22/aktungbby/on%20my%20own_zpsw7k0s5vt.jpg:k_confused:

Aktungbby

10-13-17, 01:42 PM

From the real-time situation map as I post: sitting with tv, radio, and computer... awaiting an evac order from the familyroom 'bunker': http://i738.photobucket.com/albums/xx22/aktungbby/situation%20NOW_zpsozyt6obo.pnghttp://www.pressdemocrat.com/multimedia/7516058-181/pd-default-story-headline-xy (http://www.pressdemocrat.com/multimedia/7516058-181/pd-default-story-headline-xy)

Catfish

10-13-17, 01:49 PM

Oh no, now it again looks like evacuating?! :o

Do you have breathing masks? Stay safe, and despite house and all: better leave in time!

Aktungbby

10-13-17, 02:04 PM

Oh no, now it again looks like evacuating?! :o

Do you have breathing masks? Stay safe, and despite house and all: better leave in time! Yup we got masks; but remaining indoors is the recommended thing so I'm in no 'particulate' rushhttp://www.emofaces.com/png/15/emoticons/gasmask.png at this point; the neighbor fire chief spent the night at home and went back to work this AM. which alleviates much decision making tension. He's the communications/media PR spokesman, so I figure ...HE KNOWS ALL! If he leaves, we leave; simple as that! As before: Saturday's expected winds, both velocity and direction, will be very decisive. This mess is expected to go on for the balance of the month....At least I now have (above) a real-time fire-map to properly monitor the fire's movement-red stuff is flames.

Aktungbby

10-15-17, 01:52 PM

All 10 western states' aerial resources are involved in the Napa/Sonoma fires at this point including the 747 Global supertanker. A spotter aircraft with a experienced smoke jumper to gauge the wind and other imponderables flys into the target and leaves a smoke puff; when the 747 nose hits the puff the 19,000 gallons is released on target....well not always: there have been a few misses that have doused the ground fire crews.:timeout: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/83/U.S_Supertanker_during_the_Carmel_forest_fires_in_ Israel.jpgSo far in both counties home losses are approaching 5000 and 40 are confirmed dead. The elderly are most vulnerable: the median age of victims is 79. Winds are the key: they are out of the East so air quality is good; but what is good for Napa is bad for Sonoma to the west. Our place is still within 8000 feet of the Redwood RD./Partrick fire line with occasional hotspots so we're still in bug-out mode as yet and can smell the smoke. The situation as of 07:30: http://i738.photobucket.com/albums/xx22/aktungbby/current%20fire%20situation_zpsnc6cdur0.png11:50; Effective immediately the Evacuation Advisory in place within Napa city limits is lifted. Residents are reminded to exercise caution while emergency vehicles continue to operate within the area. (subject to sudden wind changes of course):oops: :wah: :timeout:

Buddahaid

10-15-17, 02:30 PM

The wind definitely shifted in San Rafael yesterday and started blowing northward clearing the smoke quite a bit, but the air quality is still bad for toxin levels.

I worked in Santa Rosa at Memorial Hospital Friday and it wasn't any smokier than home forty miles south. Driving up in the predawn dark you can't tell anything is happening oddly enough. No fire glow anywhere but kind of a "Twilight Zone" feel all through the day. Many doctors and hospital administration types, as well as all other workers have lost their homes. The Kaiser hospital is supposed to reopen Monday but Sutter will still remain closed due to smoke.

I've lived in this area all my life and it will be very depressing having to drive through areas forever changed of decades old landmarks.

Thanks for all the help from all over.

Aktungbby

10-15-17, 03:36 PM

Just drove Dry Creek and Orchard (roadblock still there); heavy smoke is only directly North at the Yountville breakthrough along Oakville Grade with all smoke along the Mt Veeder Ridge dissipated completely. The chief just pulled in and says the worst has gone by; all of city-limit Napa evacuations are lifted. I'm now out to Geyserville up toward Lake Sonoma to assist my 80 year old family friend to move back into her rural 5 acres/mobile home with all of her cats and birds. The trip way'round through Novato to 101 should be interesting as hwy 128 through Calistoga(North) and hwy 121 past Sonoma(South) is sealed off. Thanks for all the help from all over. No kidding! just spotted a pumper unit at South Napa market 20 minutes ago; from Cornelius....I had never heard of Cornelius.... duh: its from Cornelius, North Carolina -3000+ miles away!:Kaleun_Salute: Australian and Canadian crews are here as well alongside neighboring state's crews. This is serious all-out fire fighting!

Catfish

10-16-17, 03:53 AM

Glad to hear you two are safe!
So you are now out of danger?

Aktungbby

10-16-17, 10:41 AM

Fire wise probably:hmmm:; now we'll await the mudslides from the bare-burned steep hillsides when the winter rains hit. Rain is expected around Thursday which will help with the hotspots still burning to the north on both sides of Napa and in Sonoma. The smoke is still discernible so the house stays buttoned up today. The fire hazard is a constant of this area as with my traffic stop two years ago, the primary concern is always to prevent a fire; it is everyman's concern:http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showpost.php?p=2412132&postcount= (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showpost.php?p=2412132&postcount=788)788 (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showpost.php?p=2412132&postcount=788) The current rumor investigation is that high winds caused old PG&E power lines to spark. The fires currently burning in Northern California, particularly in Sonoma, Napa, and Yuba Counties, spanned more than 265 square miles (http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-california-wildfires-20171011-story.html) as of the morning of October 12, 2017. Weather conditions Thursday could reverse some containment efforts, as the forecast calls for winds gusting up to 45 mph. Emergency workers have reported multiple instances of power lines falling down and electrical transformers exploding, leading some to suggest utility giant PG&E may have caused or contributed (http://www.ktvu.com/news/dispatch-calls-link-pge-power-lines-to-north-bay-wild-fires-cause-still-under-investigation) to the fires now scorching Northern California through poor equipment maintenance and noncompliance with state fire risk regulations. But a dragging trailer hitch chain, vehicle backfire, or glass bottle in sunlight can cause it: 40 dead; 200 missing; and 5000+ homes destroyed. Most people in the suburban mountain interface understand the danger of beautiful remote locations; this monster broke the rules: tearing through an entire subdivision in minutes in downtown Santa Rosa. Currently the fire in my area is 50% contained; 11,000 firefighters are on 12 fires. The winds are currently very lenient and the temperatures are cool- all in our favor. Fire officials report the worst is past....EDIT: the news report on TV just now is that a fire tanker truck overturned on the steep Oakville Grade just north of me; killing the driver;http://www.pressdemocrat.com/csp/mediapool/sites/dt.common.streams.StreamServer.cls?STREAMOID=0HpBA fp6Ojb86dlSd5I0e8$daE2N3K4ZzOUsqbU5sYv3NmX6EkhjmDY 1vcm1v4DaWCsjLu883Ygn4B49Lvm9bPe2QeMKQdVeZmXF$9l$4 uCZ8QDXhaHEp3rvzXRJFdy0KqPHLoMevcTLo3h8xh70Y6N_U_C ryOsw6FTOdKL_jpQ-&CONTENTTYPE=image/jpeg I hope it was not the gentleman I spoke to yesterday while he filled his equipment from a Dry Creek Rd. fire-hydrant near my home. Crews have been pulling 24 hour shifts but are expected to rotate properly now that sufficient manpower resources are at hand. Fire water tanker-tenders are a particular hazard: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/pdfs/hid14.pdf (https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/pdfs/hid14.pdf)

Aktungbby

10-16-17, 01:55 PM

http://i738.photobucket.com/albums/xx22/aktungbby/current%20siuation_zpsz6ce0r1g.png?t=1508093423 :yeah: Fires to the north currently. A slight flare up directly to the NW of me. Calistoga residents are permitted back into their town. Map is in real-time; http://www.pressdemocrat.com/multimedia/7516058-181/pd-default-story-headline-xy (http://www.pressdemocrat.com/multimedia/7516058-181/pd-default-story-headline-xy) Brown is cool; yellow is mellow;...red is hot! NOTE: single red squares along the Sacramento River (south of Napa) tend to be oil refinery flares as this is an infra-red based map.

Aktungbby

10-16-17, 11:00 PM

http://i738.photobucket.com/albums/xx22/aktungbby/current%20situation_zps8u3pcqxx.png~original (http://s738.photobucket.com/user/aktungbby/media/current%20situation_zps8u3pcqxx.png.html?sort=3&o=0)

Aktungbby

10-19-17, 12:59 PM

Currently no active red hotspots on any real-time maps including the Oakville Grade blaze that persisted till yesterday to the north and cost one tanker driver's life. Now we await the runoff/pollution into the water reservoirs from scorched earth watersheds this winter. Hydro-seeding forest hillsides may be required as there are still damages from the Cobb Mountain/Middletown disaster of 2015 just a little further north. The air quality is improved but iffy: WOW the worst air quality rating in the Bay area this past week is a 'typical day' in Beijing, China!!!:k_confused: Having packed up two cars, ready to bug-out myself for four days(currently unpacking) including all house-cat supplies, passport and pictures- a little sympathetic weirdness as what seems important is subject to extreme tunnel vision with 10+ minutes warning!:timeout:: http://www.pressdemocrat.com/lifestyle/7539146-181/sonoma-county-residents-shared-the?ref=most&artslide=0 (http://www.pressdemocrat.com/lifestyle/7539146-181/sonoma-county-residents-shared-the?ref=most&artslide=0) My dirty laundry! Figured it was everything I'd worn in the last week, so at least I'd have some clothes I knew fit!

Mr Quatro

10-21-17, 03:03 PM

The new class of homeless people in the California wild fire district ... this is sad for many have no where left to go and the shelters are now down to just three from 30.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/california-wildfires-survivors-face-housing-crisis/ar-AAtNgLq?li=BBnbcA1

"Everyone has to start over," she said.

She and her family were displaced by one of the massive Northern California fires last week.

The fire didn't discriminate. The most destructive fire in California history torched Santa Rosa's high-end homes, middle-class neighborhoods and a mobile home park. It left the entire spectrum of the city's population in distress as homes and businesses went up in flames.

RickC Sniper

10-23-17, 03:14 PM

Currently no active red hotspots on any real-time maps including the Oakville Grade blaze

Glad this is all behind you. It's sad to see the pictures of all the destruction these fires have done.

Buddahaid

10-23-17, 03:29 PM

Read an email today stating 51 doctors associated with Santa Rosa memorial Hospital lost their homes.

Aktungbby

10-23-17, 08:22 PM

^ thanks! this is a total misery. Combined with the wipeout two years ago just to the North of the Cobb mountain/Middletown disaster with 1200 homes, 50 sq. miles, and four dead... that's about it for the region.

Buddahaid

10-23-17, 09:04 PM

Yep, it's hard to take in. Saw what's left of Stornetta's Dairy Saturday. Made me cry remembering they used to deliver our milk when I was young. Plus that clock.....gone.

Aktungbby

10-23-17, 09:09 PM

The current rumor investigation is that high winds caused old PG&E power lines to spark.

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/7553691-181/pge-slowed-fire-risk-mapping-of?ref=most&artslide=0 (http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/7553691-181/pge-slowed-fire-risk-mapping-of?ref=most&artslide=0) Two days before the deadliest outbreak of wildfires in California history, PG&E and other utilities won the latest in a long series of delays to map where power lines pose the greatest wildfire risk, a report said Sunday. For the better part of a decade, California’s utilities have helped to stall the state’s effort to map where their power lines present the highest risk for wildfires, an initiative that critics say could have forced PG&E to strengthen power poles and bolster maintenance efforts before this month’s deadly North Bay fires. ....
Within the first 90 minutes of the fires in Sonoma and Napa counties, firefighters received reports of at least 10 blown transformers or downed power lines at the same time they were called out to battle 19 structure and vegetation fires.
PG&E has acknowledged that some of its lines and poles went down that first night of the fires, citing drought-ravaged trees and what it insisted was a “historic wind event.” But the Bay Area News Group found that the winds when the fires were first reported were roughly half the speed that power poles and lines are required by law to withstand. As I stated in a previous post; what a mess! The Stornetta Dairy was a landmark and I know some of the family members; one was a Napa cop. Saw some smoke along a ridge line earlier this AM while driving a sailboat up the Napa River from Vallejo to the Napa marina for a haul-out. The local Cal Fire tell me there still some minor stuff but its pretty well contained.... for now. One of my techs in Windsor is housing his inlaws who lost their home in the Geyserville Fire; and I've met several locals who lost everything. They are remarkably calm.

Buddahaid

10-23-17, 10:04 PM

I firmly believe PGE will be ripped a few new holes with all the professional people having lost so much. The sad part is they will prevail in passing it on to all the consumers just like what happened with the Brisbane pipeline explosion caused by their ineptness and failure to use funds they received in previous years earmarked to inspect those very same pipelines. Can't disappoint the investors you know.

Aktungbby

10-23-17, 10:44 PM

Now we await the runoff/pollution into the water reservoirs from scorched earth watersheds this winter. Hydro-seeding forest hillsides may be required as there are still damages from the Cobb Mountain/Middletown disaster( known as the Valley Fire) of 2015 just a little further north. http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/pub/cdf/images/incidentfile1226_1955.pdf (http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/pub/cdf/images/incidentfile1226_1955.pdf) This report gives greater clarity to the long-term post-fire danger to the region watersheds and environment when heavy winter rains hit. The current disaster, which is even larger, will bear the same consequences over the decade to come.
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/6041674-181/a-year-later-valley-fires?gallery=6044366&artslide=12 (http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/6041674-181/a-year-later-valley-fires?gallery=6044366&artslide=12) http://www.pressdemocrat.com/csp/mediapool/sites/dt.common.streams.StreamServer.cls?STREAMOID=lWKsU kgjzuVBT3WghvRYgM$daE2N3K4ZzOUsqbU5sYskyMVUHJyqovq XWeL6BuCDWCsjLu883Ygn4B49Lvm9bPe2QeMKQdVeZmXF$9l$4 uCZ8QDXhaHEp3rvzXRJFdy0KqPHLoMevcTLo3h8xh70Y6N_U_C ryOsw6FTOdKL_jpQ-&CONTENTTYPE=image/jpeg

fireftr18

10-24-17, 06:45 PM

Aktungbby

10-25-17, 11:45 AM

Acktung, thanks for the continued updates. I'm getting virtually nothing about in the news about the fires here. There is very little in fire trade magazines. I pass along the information when I can. Prayers for all of you. The tally thus far in today's paper: 651 homes damaged in Napa county with 569 of that tally: destroyed; 4882 homes are destroyed in neighboring Sonoma County; with 601 commercial structures also destroyed...So far the death toll stands at 43 but all of the 'missing' are not accounted for as yet. All road blocks are supposedly lifted so I will be viewing the damage on Oakville Grade/Trinity Rd. road sometime this week.

Aktungbby

10-27-17, 12:07 PM

I'm curious about the loss of structures. In an area that has a history of wildfire, why weren't the newer areas built and older areas redone to protect them from wildfire?
The Redwood Valley fire in Mendocino County (8dead 36,523 acres0 is 100% percent contained. The Tubbs fire in Sonoma is 95% contained; the Nuns and Pocket fires in both Napa and Sonoma are 94% contained.as of this AM full containment is expected today. In today's SF chronicle: the Hanley Fire of 1964 burned 52,000 acres and destroyed 100 homes This present fire is a more savage copy along nearly the same path....half a century later: Local officials had long been aware that another tragic wildfire was a possibility. As recently as last spring a Sonoma Counrt report on potential hazards facing the region cautioned that a fire comparable to the Hanley Fire could cause 'catastphic damage to the City of Santa Rosa. hazard. If multiple blazes broke out around the state during fire season firefighting resources in Sonoma County could be stretched beyond theircapacity the Hazard Mitigation PPlan stated...In Santa Rosa's Fountaingrove neighborhood, built in an area that the Hanley Fire had roared through in 1964, homeowners had spent heavily on protection measures to prepare for a wildfire. Still the neighborhood was lost to the flames. No one expected that a fire could jump into the heart of Santa Rosa burning a subdivision such as Coffey Park.http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/59dbfaea92406c35008b537a-1200/rts1fstw.jpg This fire will rewrite the books....it isn't just about the 'wildland urban interface' where 1/3 of Sonoma County residents live. https://www.pressreader.com/usa/san-francisco-chronicle/20171027/281539406209892 (https://www.pressreader.com/usa/san-francisco-chronicle/20171027/281539406209892)

Aktungbby

11-01-17, 09:48 PM

Drove the Oakville Grade/ Trinity roads and Hwy 128 today, through formerly evacuated Calistoga to Geyserville and back: approx. 120 miles incl. the Silverado Trail. Much complete devastation and some of the mountain slopes and beautiful homes I've seen for decades are just....gone.

fireftr18

11-03-17, 01:09 PM

https://ww2.kqed.org/science/2017/11/02/after-wildfires-what-happens-to-fire-retardant-soaked-crops/

Mr Quatro

11-06-17, 02:16 PM

Hang in there California ... the fire stops here :yep:

http://highway1discoveryroute.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Web_VisitorGuide_Header_1920x500_GenericHeader-1.jpg

Aktungbby

11-23-17, 01:37 PM

California didn't vote for the Gropinator-in-Chief: http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2017/11/17/white-house-44-billion-disaster-aid-bill-offers-no-relief-for-wildfire-victims/ (http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2017/11/17/white-house-44-billion-disaster-aid-bill-offers-no-relief-for-wildfire-victims/)
In a joint statement, (Democrat) Senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris called the bill “appalling.”
“It’s appalling the White House is choosing to ignore the victims of California’s wildfires,” the senators said. “The latest disaster supplemental request is a completely inadequate response to all of the recent natural disasters, but it’s particularly egregious that no money was included to help Californians rebuild.”
“To help with the recovery, there’s been a bipartisan effort between California’s congressional delegation and Governor Brown to secure $7.4 billion in federal funds for those devastated by the wildfires,” the statement continued. “Despite the Trump administration’s request, we’ll continue that effort to ensure enough funding is included for California in this aid package before it passes Congress.” In all fairness though, the hurricane burden, especially in Puerto Rico, Texas, and Florida is at $100 billion dollars. The amount requested by CA's Gov Brown ( governor moonbeam in his own right?!) is $7.5 billion and separate FEMA aid has been authorized to California disaster victims. As a greatfull FEMA recipient in one past earthquake disaster myself: destroyed chimney and foundation to house etc, I imagine the Donald has to make some tough allotment decisions and is discovering there are no good deals!:timeout:! https://www.fema.gov/news-release/2017/10/10/president-donald-j-trump-approves-major-disaster-declaration-california (https://www.fema.gov/news-release/2017/10/10/president-donald-j-trump-approves-major-disaster-declaration-california) The world's 10th largest economy, California, and its 'wine country' will weather the firestorm...sodaspeke!:yep: :yeah:

Aktungbby

12-06-17, 11:00 AM

ON the radio this AM: Insured fire damages are listed at $9,000,000,000! Additionally and chairman of AccuWeather.
“We estimate the California wildfires will profoundly affect the economy of California. The cost to contain and fight the fire and deal with the aftermath will be in the billions. And, the loss in tax revenue from businesses no longer around, including the vineyards; the workers who have lost their jobs and can no longer pay taxes as well as other impacts will be quite costly. This will create a hole in the California budget, which may necessitate an increase in taxes. (naturally:shucks:) If California has to borrow more this might negatively impact its bond ratings and it will have to pay higher interest rates on all borrowings, which can cost upwards of 10s of billions of dollars. At this time, we estimate the economic impact of the fires is already approaching $70 billion dollars. Based on our forecast the total costs from this disaster on the economy would exceed $85 billion the total economic impact could even reach $100 billion.” Now we have the Ventura Fire. Winds up to 70 mph( air dropped retardant cannot be used above 30mph) have caused 27,000 people to evauate and the fire has consumed 50, 000 acres; The town of Bel Air is presently threatened. http://www.trbimg.com/img-5a274b5d/turbine/la-1512524632-kuic14zx0f-snap-image/750/750x422

Mr Quatro

12-06-17, 11:49 AM

High winds today too ... I feel so sorry for the people involved especially the ones without insurance. I hope this one is over soon.

Morning news said another fire broke out near hwy 405 at 5 am this morning ... starting to wonder if someone is starting these fires knowing the high winds will spread them. :o

Steiger

12-06-17, 01:18 PM

If there ever was a year to have another El Nino, this would be it.

vienna

12-06-17, 02:36 PM

ON the radio this AM: Insured fire damages are listed at $9,000,000,000! Additionally Now we have the Ventura Fire. Winds up to 70 mph( air dropped retardant cannot be used above 30mph) have caused 27,000 people to evauate and the fire has consumed 50, 000 acres; The town of Bel Air is presently threatened. http://www.trbimg.com/img-5a274b5d/turbine/la-1512524632-kuic14zx0f-snap-image/750/750x422

A bit of clarification: as of the last time I heard, about an hour ago, there is a total of six separate fires burning in the general area of Ventura County and Los Angeles, both of which areas are adjacent. Bel Air is not a town, but a neighborhood in LA and the site of some of the most expensive homes and estates in the US. The Bel Air fire is the most recent blaze and is threatening not only the homes, it is threatening the Getty Museum, home to a collection of some of the most priceless art works anywhere; also in jeopardy is the Skirball Cultural Center. As of last check, only one of the fires has any containment, but it was only 10% contained. The biggest problem has been the presence of the Santa Ana Winds (https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=5&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjsytLWjvbXAhUU_WMKHdxIA8oQFgg_MAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FSanta_ Ana_winds&usg=AOvVaw0-Iv5se2yI2NOD__7by-HF), a recurring meteorological phenomenon featuring very high winds and very low humidity. The winds have died down a bit at present, but there are predictions they may pick up again later in the day. The Bel Air fire is causing some really big problems; it is right next to the 405 Freeway, the main traffic route between the Los Angeles Basin and the San Fernando Valley; LA is divided into two by the Santa Monica Mountains and other smaller ranges, with the Basin to the south and the Valley to the north. The 405 has been shut down and this is really bad since the 405 is one of the most heavily traveled roadways in the US and is a rough go, trafficwise, even in the best conditions...

Los Angeles threatened as wildfires spread, forcing thousands to evacuate --

https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/western-wildfires/southern-california-wildfires-spread-putting-thousands-under-mandatory-evacuation-n826946

Fire crews fight to protect Ojai; hundreds of homes are feared lost in Ventura County --

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ventura-fire-20171206-story.html

This map shows where 5 of Southern California’s biggest wildfires are burning --

http://www.dailynews.com/2017/12/05/this-map-shows-where-3-of-southern-californias-biggest-wildfires-are-burning/

<O>

Mr Quatro

12-06-17, 06:05 PM

Hwy 405 this morning: http://www.dailynews.com/2017/12/06/this-is-what-the-405-morning-commute-looked-like-during-the-skirball-fire/

https://pbs.twimg.com/ext_tw_video_thumb/938409897825247233/pu/img/CXkAdcMXCUIA56b5.jpg

A wildfire broke out near the Skirball and Getty Centers along the 405 freeway early Wednesday morning. The fire has currently burned more than 50 acres and the 405 has been shut down. This newly ignited fire is the fourth fire, following the Thomas, Rye and Creek fires, that is currently burning in Los Angeles County.

vienna

12-06-17, 06:28 PM

The Skirball Fire has gotten a bit worse since those morning news reports:

As many as six homes destroyed in Skirball Fire burning near 405 freeway in Bel Air --

https://la.curbed.com/2017/12/6/16741658/skirball-fire-405-getty-bel-air-map

If the Santa Ana winds do pick up again later in the day, it could be very bad for those to the east of the current blaze since the winds come from a east and northeast direction. Back in the 80s, there was a fire that started in the Laurel Canyon area, on the north edge of Hollywood, and it burned all the way to the ocean, a distance of about 12+ miles, straight. I witnessed how the fire first started and the speed with which it spread, from some kids playing with firecrackers to the massive blaze it became, was startling...

<O>

fireftr18

12-06-17, 10:04 PM

http://www.fireengineering.com/ap-news/2017/12/05/the-latest-nearly-8-000-homes-evacuated-due-to-wildfire.html?sponsored=topic22&cmpid=enl_fe_fire_engineering_daily_2017-12-05&email_address=ken.p.henke62@gmail.com&eid=293115619&bid=1942343

fireftr18

12-07-17, 08:39 PM

https://www.facebook.com/deryck.sayers/videos/10214785500819279/

Jimbuna

12-08-17, 06:58 AM

^ Amazing to see, thanks for sharing :cool:

fireftr18

12-15-17, 03:32 PM

A good picture that shows the fire companies from all over California for the current fire. Keep in mind, this is just a small part of those who are battling this fire.
https://www.facebook.com/SacramentoFire/posts/1921945397834648

Mr Quatro

12-15-17, 06:29 PM

Aktungbby

06-26-18, 08:32 PM

http://wildfiretoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Pawnee-Rocky-Valley_FiresMap_6-25-2018.jpgstating that the PawneeFire (https://twitter.com/hashtag/PawneeFire?src=hash) has grown to over 11,500 acres and is 5% contained. , Infrared, and SWIR images taken June 25, 2018. Several other fires are burning in Northern California, including one 21 miles southeast of the Pawnee Fire just southwest of Hershey, another fire 21 miles northeast of Red Bluff, and a third, 8 miles southwest of Redding. https://s.hdnux.com/photos/74/15/05/15782231/3/1024x1024.jpg

Aktungbby

07-01-18, 10:28 AM

THE PAWNEE FIRE HAS EXPANDED TO 13,700 ACRES AND 'BROKEN IT'S CONTAINMENT' WHICH WAS AT 73%... https://www.sacbee.com/latest-news/6uxeqf/picture214140114/alternates/FREE_1140/cachecreek.JPGTHE MORNING AIR OVER MY HOME, APPROX. 25 MILES TO THE SOUTH, IS OVERCAST UNDER A DENSE AND DAMP PALL OF YELLOW SMOKE AND THE WHOLE YARD, ROOTOPS, CARS AND PATIOS ARE COVERED IN THICK DAMP ASH PARTICLES. CLEANING UP THE MESS WILL BE A JOY. THIS FIRE IS NEAR WHERE THE COBB MOUNTAIN/MIDDLETOWN DISASTER STRUCK IN 2015 WITH 50 SQUARE MILE, 1200 HOMES AND FOUR DEAD....TEMPERATURES WILL BE IN THE HIGH NINETYS TO 100 DEGREES TODAY.:down: THE ''NEW NORMAL'' FOR CALIFORNIA HOME OWNERS??!!: Denise Ogle's home along with three others on Wolf Creek Road did not survive the flames. She did hot have insurance and not by oversight. "I couldn't get fire insurance when I moved here. Nobody was giving out insurance," she said.

At least 22 structures have been destroyed.

Mr Quatro

07-01-18, 12:11 PM

Aktungbby

07-01-18, 02:18 PM

Great picture, but at least it's not an earthquake or a volcano or a hurricane or a tidal wave from another earthquake in Alaska.

Fires are bad, but the options of the other disasters are even worse. They estimate that 250,000 to 400,000 people would be homeless from a earthquake in your area.

Think about that :oWELL THAT'S A DAY-BRIGHTENING ATTITUDE....ONE COULD CERTAINLY ''LOSE ONE'S MIND''....SODA SPEKE:O: https://s.abcnews.com/images/International/pompeii-1-ht-er-180529_hpMain_4x3_992.jpg <LITERALLY! https://abcnews.go.com/International/skeleton-man-possibly-crushed-running-lava-found-pompeii/story?id=55503454 (https://abcnews.go.com/International/skeleton-man-possibly-crushed-running-lava-found-pompeii/story?id=55503454)

Aktungbby

08-09-18, 12:32 PM

THE MAP SPEAKS FOR ITSELF: https://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/B3-BI949_backgr_16U_20180808110250.jpg

Peter Cremer

08-09-18, 03:33 PM

I don't know if anybody has brought this up before, or thought of it but even after the fires are all out, the problem is not over. When the spring rains come, all that water will cause huge mud slides in the areas that were burned. I believe this has happened in the past after fires like they are having now. There is usually no warning so people can escape the mud like there is with the fires. I think more people die in the slides than in the fires. Any Comments? :hmmm:

Aktungbby

08-09-18, 05:45 PM

^ THIS ONE: 1982 LOVE CREEK SLIDE, STICKS IN MY HEAD BECAUSE I WAS ONE OF THE FEW REAL ESTATE VALUERS/APPRAISERS THAT WOULD VENTURE INTO THE REMOTE SAN LORENZO VALLEY OF THE SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS. In 1976 the Santa Cruz county officials had started to contract for the services of an environmental consulting firm with Michael C. Moore and Bruce W. Stenman, to use the newly declassified NASA satellite photos of the county to conduct a mapping and on the ground assessment of stability. The county officials cancelled the survey after local real estate developers expressed strong opposition. A survey of unsafe areas would have limited the ability of the developers to build roads and homes in the mountainous areas of Santa Cruz countyLove Creek flooding and landslides took place in an area that had been stable for centuries prior to the logging and removal of the redwoods which continues to the present day. Santa Cruz county officials approved the building of roads and homes while ignoring the hazardous conditions being created with this change in the landscape. This was a man made disaster. https://www.mercurynews.com/2012/01/07/30-years-ago-22-lost-in-santa-cruz-countys-deadliest-natural-disaster/ (https://www.mercurynews.com/2012/01/07/30-years-ago-22-lost-in-santa-cruz-countys-deadliest-natural-disaster/) ADDING IN THE 1985 LEXINGTON HILLS FIRE, http://articles.latimes.com/1985-07-09/news/mn-8116_1_los-gatos (http://articles.latimes.com/1985-07-09/news/mn-8116_1_los-gatos) AND THE MASSIVE EPICENTER'D 1989 LOMA PRIETA EARTHQUAKE http://articles.latimes.com/1985-07-09/news/mn-8116_1_los-gatos (http://articles.latimes.com/1985-07-09/news/mn-8116_1_los-gatos) I THEN WISED UP AND MOVED 100 MILES NORTH TO NAPA IN 1990 ....TO GET AWAY FROM IT ALL....:O: :doh: :wah: :nope: ....:shucks: AS WITH THE PG&E CAUSED FIRE DISASTERS AND THE STATE LEGISLATURE ATTEMPT CURRENTLY TO PASS LAWS RELIEVING A MAJOR UTILITY OF CRIMININAL BLAME TO PROTECT SHAREHOLDER AND/OR COUNTY OVER DEVELPMENT REVENUES , THE WHOLE THING IS DISGUSTING.... AND IT AIN'T OVER YET. GOVERNOR 'MOONBEAM' BROWN IS COVERING HIS POLITICAL/CORPORATE ASS IN THE WORLD'S 10 LARGEST ECONOMY : Gov. Jerry Brown released a proposal Tuesday to reduce PG&E’s legal responsibility for wildfire damages after months of intense lobbying at the California Capitol.
The change could shift the financial burden for blazes onto insurance companies and lead to higher coverage premiums for homeowners.

“Now more than ever, Californians depend on reliable electrical power to heat and cool homes, run hospitals and fire stations and so much more,” Brown wrote in a letter to the Legislature. “Yet, the increasingly destructive and costly wildfires and natural disasters have the potential to undermine the system, leaving our energy sector in a state of weakness at a time when it should be making even greater investments in safety.” VS: “This proposal’s weakening of well-established liability standards is nothing more than a bailout of public utilities, shifting their financial liability onto the backs of wildfire survivors, homeowners, communities and businesses,” said a statement from Stop the Utility Bailout, a coalition of homeowners’ insurance companies.
“Protecting utilities’ shareholders over fire survivors leaves the very individuals and communities whose lives were upended on the hook to the benefit of huge utility companies.”

fireftr18

08-12-18, 06:51 PM

Glad to hear from you Acktung. I posted something in the comments thread. I hope you're holding up well. There are firefighters from across the country in California. I happen to know a few of them, one of who is keeping us up to date on Facebook.

Aktungbby

11-09-18, 10:40 AM

IT BEGINS AGAIN: https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--TBAOr3gm--/c_scale,f_auto,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/oojxi15vnsf76hdhtyrq.jpg The fast-moving Camp Fire burned up to 1,000 buildings and homes in the Paradise area Thursday and reportedly killed multiple people, then roared into Chico and forced evacuations there.
Cal Fire-Butte County Chief Darren Read said in the afternoon that hundreds of structures in Paradise have burned, perhaps as many as 1,000. Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said there are reports of multiple fatalities, and authorities are trying to verify how many. https://gizmodo.com/video-shows-the-terrifying-drive-to-escape-massive-fire-1830331814 (https://gizmodo.com/video-shows-the-terrifying-drive-to-escape-massive-fire-1830331814) How fast is this fire moving? It’s burning up the equivalent of 80 football fields per minute (https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/08/us/california-camp-fire-hospital-evacuation/index.html). If your area has been told to evacuate, don’t hesitate. Get the hell out. You may not get another chance to escape later. The fire started in the Feather River Canyon around 6:30am on Thursday morning (https://earther.gizmodo.com/explosive-northern-california-is-consuming-80-acres-of-1830318601) and it’s still completely uncontained....over 2,200 firefighters (https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/09/us/camp-fire-california/index.html) are currently battling the Camp Fire and they face a tough road ahead. The combination of dry conditions and high winds are making this a particularly difficult fire to fight. ALL THE SMOKE FROM THIS FIRE HAS DRIFTED 200 HUNDRED MILES TO MY AREA(THE NAPA VALLEY) VISIBILITY IS LIMITED TO A COUPLE OF BLOCKS AND THE SMELL OF SMOKE IS PERVASIVE. WINDOWS ARE SHUT AND THE CEILING FANS ARE ON.

Aktungbby

11-09-18, 05:38 PM

The fire has grown to nearly 110 square miles (285 square kilometers); 2000 STRUCTURES; AND FIVE BODIES IN AUTOS TRYING TO ESCAPE; 5% CONTAINMENT SO FAR....

Jimbuna

11-10-18, 06:42 AM

Safest wishes to you and all the other folk over there :yep:

Reece

11-10-18, 06:53 AM

That's terrible!!:wah: I hope they get it contained soon! :doh::oops:

Onkel Neal

11-10-18, 08:01 AM

It keeps getting worse. These fires are destroying so many homes, lives, and natural areas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G12NJhmGqmc

u crank

11-10-18, 08:27 AM

Stay safe Aktungbby. Hope you get some relief soon.

Aktungbby

11-10-18, 10:46 AM

Stay safe Aktungbby. Hope you get some relief soon. THANKS I'M WELL TO THE SOUTH 130 MILES BUT THE SMOKE IS HORRIBLE AS THE EASTERLY WIND IS ABNORMAL;https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2018/11/09/PRRS/04f525be-2951-4b6a-9b72-20adebfcba1b-image-download_1.jpeg?width=520&height=390&fit=bounds&auto=webp AND SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED DUE TO BAD AIR...https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2018/11/09/PRRS/215d464d-8b95-40e7-8e8b-fbdbcf68dd1a-44881860555_4b378dd445_o.jpg?width=520&height=390&fit=bounds&auto=webpCONTAINMENT IS 20% AS OF THE LATEST UPDATE.The Camp Fire has become California's most destructive fire in history, having leveled 6,713 structures.
The vast majority were homes: a total of 6,453, authorities said Friday night during a press conference in Chico.
The number of buildings destroyed far surpasses the destruction left behind by the Tubbs Fire in Napa and Sonoma counties. The October 2017 fire wiped out 5,636 structures and killed 22 people.
Officials also confirmed nine fatalities. Five of those victims were found trapped in burned vehicles.
The fire was estimated at 100,000 acres and remained mostly out of control Friday night,... ONCE AGAIN THE USUAL SUSPECT ...IS SUSPECTED: The Associated Press is reporting that Pacific Gas & Electric Co. says "it experienced a problem on an electrical transmission line" near the Camp Fire minutes before the deadly blaze started.https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2018/11/09/PRRS/7e21712e-edee-44d1-b5bd-8ecec2747f21-CampFire3.jpg?width=520&height=390&fit=bounds&auto=webp
The statement came after the state's largest utility said in a one-page summary filed Thursday with regulators, it had experienced an outage on the electrical transmission line about 15 minutes before the deadly fire started, according to an Associated Press article.
PG&E later observed damage to a transmission tower on the line near Paradise, the story said. Authorities still haven't determined the cause of the fire.
"Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers, employees, contractors and the communities we serve," PG&E spokeswoman Mayra Tostado said in an email to the Record Searchlight. "The cause of the Camp Fire has not yet been determined. PG&E has provided an initial electric incident report to the Safety and Enforcement Division of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). The information provided in this report is preliminary and PG&E will fully cooperate with any investigations:salute: :hmmm: ....HOW REASSURING.https://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/2b199b24e1476e4fddd1bc6d10773e86cbeb3f4b/c=60-0-901-632/local/-/media/2018/11/09/Redding/Redding/636773730249870577-Black-Bear.jpg?width=520&height=390&fit=crop

Mr Quatro

11-10-18, 10:53 AM

The smoke is starting to clear in Paradise, but the death toll is now up to ten (10). The whole town was consumed in just a matter of minutes from 40 mph winds.

The images remind me of Iraq fleeing Kuwait after Desert Storm :yep:

https://www.cbsnews.com/live-news/california-fires-camp-malibu-woolsey-golden-gate-park-latest-evacuations-2018-11-10-live-updates/

Not a single resident of Paradise, California, can be seen anywhere in town after most of them fled the Northern California community that may be lost forever. Most of the town's buildings are in ruin. Entire neighborhoods are leveled. The business district is destroyed.

In a single day, the Sierra Nevada foothill town of 27,000 was largely incinerated by flames that moved so fast there was nothing firefighters could do. Only a day after the "Camp Fire" began, the blaze had grown on Friday to nearly 140 square miles and destroyed more than 6,700 structures, almost all of them homes -- making it California's most destructive wildfire since record-keeping began.

https://media1.s-nbcnews.com/j/newscms/2018_45/2641126/181109-camp-fire-remains-ew-726_8529f4c5bb7d40ea61e36d99877c148f.fit-1240w.jpg

Catfish

11-10-18, 02:16 PM

:o i really hope it will stop soon. All the best Aktung!

mookiemookie

11-10-18, 11:46 PM

Please be safe...from someone who managed the Hurricane Harvey, Ike, et al crap......your life ain't worth your pride or possessions. When **** hits the fan, bug out like you mean it!

Aktungbby

11-11-18, 01:05 AM

/\true that! 2017's mess: It came down to cat food/kitty litter, wife's jewelry, hygiene products,wedding photos, passports and clean skivies for three days of pending evacuation if the winds shifted...all in the
best two cars parked in the driveway as the power is out to the garage door, (which killed 4 people trapped in their garages!) Long garden hoses 'X' across the roof for spritzing any wind-bourne hot ash showers. At 67 I've got too much damn crap anyhow!

Eichhörnchen

11-11-18, 03:34 AM

I missed all this yesterday... glad you're okay, Aktung

Dowly

11-11-18, 06:30 AM

:doh:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd_AqyPaUTg&

mapuc

11-11-18, 12:46 PM

Last month I saw a movie about men who was fighting fire in the forrest.

Only The Brave.

When watching this movie I was thinking about this thread and it's owner.

When reading this thread I'm thinking about this movie.

Markus

kg6eyr

11-11-18, 05:18 PM

Smoke on the horizon, bearing 000!

(Taken near Malibu.)

https://i.imgur.com/Dc4bKb4.png

From the looks of things and the El Niño chatter in the foreseeable future, we might be in for a really rough winter fire season lest we get some decent rain...

Reece

11-11-18, 06:10 PM

The situation here in Australia isn't much better, only 21mm (0.8") for September and October combined here in the lower Mid North of South Australia. Crops have all failed here and being bailed for stock feed, much the same over the rest of Australia. :doh: They reckon it is going to be a bad fire season here, hope not.
Very sad to see all the damage and deaths over there, what a horrible way to die.:wah: I hope it ends soon.

fireftr18

11-11-18, 06:51 PM

Prayers for everyone in California. I've been keeping up with the fires, it seems it's not ending the past couple years. Terrible events.
Stay safe everyone.
:Kaleun_Salute:

Mr Quatro

11-11-18, 07:24 PM

Seems that there is more than one fire going in California ... something like 25 fires. Here's the worst one in Northern California:

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/california-firefighters-make-gains-against-wildfires-as-death-toll-rises-to-25-2018-11-11?siteid=bigcharts&dist=bigcharts

This one has 23 deaths mostly from people trying to escape found in their cars.

The Camp Fire in Butte County, about 100 miles north of Sacramento, grew slightly overnight to a total of 109,000 acres, after destroying an estimated 6,500 homes and 260 businesses in the city of Paradise. At least five victims of the fire were found trapped in charred vehicles as they attempted to flee the fast-moving blaze, authorities said.

Already ranked as the most destructive wildfire in California history, the Camp Fire could surpass the deadliest on record of 29 fatalities in a 1933 inferno because law-enforcement officials say as many as 100 people remain missing from the Paradise area. Officials of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said teams have been deployed to search for the missing, some of whom they said could be alive but trapped in rubble.

kg6eyr

11-11-18, 07:48 PM

Aktungbby

11-13-18, 09:18 PM

Acres Burned - Containment: 125,000 acres - 30% contained Structures Threatened: 15,500 Structures Destroyed: 6,522 residences, 260 commercial http://calfire-forestry.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=5306cc8cf38c4252830a38d467d33728&extent=-13547810.5486%2C4824920.1673%2C-13518764.4778%2C4841526.1117%2YouC102100 (http://calfire-forestry.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=5306cc8cf38c4252830a38d467d33728&extent=-13547810.5486%2C4824920.1673%2C-13518764.4778%2C4841526.1117%2C102100) 48 DEAD (CONFIRMED) 200 MISSING OR UNACCOUNTED FOR....

Schroeder

11-14-18, 03:37 AM

Man, this is bad. :(

Aktungbby

11-14-18, 04:22 AM

The fire has destroyed 8,817 structures (https://www.sfchronicle.com/california-wildfires/article/Camp-Fire-grows-to-130-000-acres-35-percent-13389817.php) — including 7,600 homes and 260 commercial buildings. Officials said 5,615 personnel are fighting the fire; 52,000 people remain evacuated in and around Paradise; and 13,085 people remain sheltered.
When Scott realized that his lakeside home in the wooded hills of Butte County was surrounded by fire, he knew he had only one way out: the water.
He, his wife and their two young adult sons, along with two dogs and a cat, plunged into the chilly Concow Reservoir 20 miles east of Chico last Thursday as flames singed the giant tule reeds on shore behind them.
Not far from the family, at least a dozen others, some elderly, had also rushed into the mountain lake, all wearing what they’d woken up in. Among those saved was 90-year-old Bruno. Scott’s son, Michael, helped their older neighbor from his home and into the reservoir, though he wasn’t sure he could survive the dip.
As Scott and Michael’s family cat struggled to stay afloat in a tiny cage, Michael noticed a pair of small rowboats chained to a nearby log. He loosened the vessels and helped Bruno, his mother, his brother and the family pets board. Everyone but his dad.
“There wasn’t enough room for all of us,” said Scott, who insisted that the others paddle to safety while he remained submerged.
It was so cold, he said, that at several points he waded back toward the flames to warm up.
Farther north on the lake, Scott’s in-laws were among an estimated 15 people standing shoulder-deep in water.
At some point, Michael navigated his crew to an island in the middle of the reservoir. They were safe from the flames, but the frigid water left Bruno drifting in and out of consciousness and suffering severe hypothermia. Michael proceeded back into the water and then onto shore to find help.
“Somebody knocked on my door and said there was an old man on the island,” said Concow resident Peggy Moak, whose house was one of the few that survived the fire as hundreds of others around her were reduced to ash. She and others stripped Bruno of his garb and warmed him with a hot bath, tea and fresh clothes, and he appeared to liven up, Moak said. He was later driven to a hospital in Chico. His condition Tuesday was not known.
https://s.hdnux.com/photos/76/67/03/16478460/7/gallery_xlarge.jpg:Kaleun_Salute: Man, this is bad. NOT BAD ENOUGH IT SEEMS: The Butte County sheriff's office said there have been 208 suspicious incidents reported. Of those reports, 18 of them were linked to looting. Deputies arrested Monday two men linked to looting a residence within an evacuated area and were in possession of a gun. They were booked into the Butte County jail.
Earlier Tuesday, deputies arrested another two men who were found looting and booked into Butte County jail. Also, deputies found a motor home that was previously reported stolen and arrested a 22-year-old man and a 22-year-old woman linked to that crime.
The men were wearing yellow jackets similar to those used by the forest service. Investigators believe they were looking to burglarize homes that had been abandoned by their owners.
Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said any looters would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Authorities said there have been 53 reports of suspected looting in the fire zone.

Catfish

11-14-18, 05:19 AM

Looting, in that situation.. people are people :nope: :shifty:

Aktungbby

11-14-18, 12:47 PM

SODASPEKE :doh:Looting, in that situation.. people are people IN KALIFORNIA...ALLES KAPUT BBY:yep: :oops: :dead: :rock: https://www.instagram.com/p/BqIEcalHFUD/?utm_source=ig_embed

Aktungbby

11-17-18, 12:18 PM

148,000 acres - 55% contained; Structures Destroyed: 9,844 residences, 336 commercial and 2,076 other buildings
3 injuries - 71 civilian fatalities 5,632 Total Fire Engines: 620 Total Fire Crews: 101 Total Helicopters: 24 Total Dozers: 102 Total Water Tenders: 77 THE SMOKE HAS MIND OF ITS OWN AND IS RUINING THE AIR QUALITY, PARTICULARILY IN SAN FRANCISCO WHERE I HAD TO GO TWICE IN ONE DAY ON THURSDAY: 8 AM AND IN THE EVENING AT 9PM. VISIBILITY IS 200 YARDS TOPS AND EVERYONE IS WEARING A MASK....OR SHOULD BE THE AQI (AIR QUALITY INDEX) IS IN THE 200'Shttps://aqicn.org/scale (https://aqicn.org/scale)/ https://files.airnowtech.org/airnow/today/cur_aqi_sanfrancisco_ca.jpg the air is so awful is because the smoke from the fire had created an inversion layer over the Bay Area that was essentially a lid that “keeps all of the air down near ground level”. SAFETY MASKS ARE IN SHORT SUPPLY AT HARDWARE STORES>NATURALLY, TRYING TO GUARD AN OPEN ATM MACHINE & TECHNICIAN IN PUBLIC WITH EVERYBODY WEARING A MASK CAN GET ON YOUR NERVES....:doh:https://s.hdnux.com/photos/77/00/40/16517159/3/gallery_xlarge.jpg MY VIEW GOING IN THE THE BAY BRIDGE-MID MORNING>https://s.hdnux.com/photos/76/76/27/16508412/6/940x940.jpg<(NORMAL VS CURRENT SITUATION) CLOSING THE CAR'S ELECTRIC CABIN VENT WITH THE AC ON HELPS FILTER THE PARTICULATE MATTER; SAVING MY AGEING LUNGS A BIT....GOOD THING I JUST REPLACED THE FAN MOTOR AND CABIN FILTER ON THE CRUISER FOR THE 50 MILE COMMUTE ON I-80.:yeah:https://s.hdnux.com/photos/76/67/32/16479920/3/gallery_xlarge.jpg> THE NIGHT DRIVING IS MISERABLE. NORMAL WESTERLY WINDS OFF THE PACIFIC SHOULD RESUME TUESDAY AND RAIN IS EXPECTED ON WEDNESDAY. ONE THOUGHT:....IT'S LIKE THIS BEIJING ....EVERY DAY!:yep: ....AND THERE'S A 'SPARE THE AIR' IN EFFECT; SO NO BBQ!:wah:

mapuc

11-17-18, 01:23 PM

Guess most of you already have heard of this:

https://www.iflscience.com/environment/bizarre-and-dangerous-conspiracy-theories-are-being-spread-about-the-california-wildfires/

Markus

Mr Quatro

11-17-18, 02:08 PM

Guess most of you already have heard of this:

https://www.iflscience.com/environment/bizarre-and-dangerous-conspiracy-theories-are-being-spread-about-the-california-wildfires/

Markus

I read it and i totally disagree that it was aliens lasers from outer space or any secret weapon of the US Government.

PG&E is already planing bankruptcy due to one of their power line failures 15 minutes before the fire started :yep:

Never fear President Trump is on the way to meet with Governor Brown and others to see it first hand.

Trump to visit California wildfire zones after criticizing forest management

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-visit-california-wildfire-zones-after-criticizing-forest-management-n937546

Plus I think this is worse than those two east coast hurricanes this year. Trump should tell the masses of people coming up from Central America through Mexico to our border. That we have to take care of our own people first.

Hundreds of people that lost their homes are sleeping in Walmart parking lots :yep:

Catfish

11-17-18, 02:18 PM

[...]President Trump is on the way to meet with Governor Brown and others to see it first hand [...]

Oh please. The manager of crisis on the way. Seems California is getting more hot wind.

vienna

11-17-18, 03:58 PM

...or maybe he'll bring you rolls of paper towels ... which he will probably throw on the flames... :03:

<O>

Buddahaid

11-17-18, 04:25 PM

Well that's just being mean. I expect him to shout at the flames that they're an enemy of the people. :O:

As much as some of you here love to put down California, the area that has burned up is in a red state zone politically so he will be well received.

u crank

11-17-18, 04:35 PM

As much as some of you here love to put down California, ..

Canadians would never do that. Man I'm freezin'. :sunny:

fireftr18

11-17-18, 07:04 PM

Guess most of you already have heard of this:

https://www.iflscience.com/environment/bizarre-and-dangerous-conspiracy-theories-are-being-spread-about-the-california-wildfires/

Markus

I think it's drug cartels paying aliens to shoot lasers in areas that are designated for the high speed rail.
Seriously, most of these seem to be started by multiple small sources such as camp fires, rubbish fires, storm, and electric line malfunctions. Dry, hot conditions along with high winds, tend to spread the fires until they connect and form one large fire.
Last news I heard is there are over a thousand people missing.

Aktungbby

11-17-18, 07:13 PM

^ nah; the music's stopped
o come on Jack be nimble, Jack be quick
Jack Flash sat on a candlestick
'Cause fire is the devil's only friend

Oh and as I watched him on the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage
No angel born in Hell
Could break that Satan's spell

And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite
I saw Satan laughing with delight
The day the music died
He was singin'
:k_confused:

Aktungbby

11-18-18, 10:39 AM

ON MY COMPUTER THIS AM: The Camp Fire in Butte County is sending smoke into Napa County and the surrounding Bay Area. The air quality conditions have ranged in Napa County from unhealthy for sensitive groups (orange) to unhealthy (red), with southern parts of the county having very unhealthy (purple) air quality since November 8, 2018. Air quality in most of Napa County is projected to be in the unhealthy to very unhealthy range (red to purple) at least through Sunday, November 18th. Children, the elderly and those with respiratory conditions such as asthma, lung disease and heart disease are most at risk for harmful impacts and are considered sensitive groups. The most important protective action is to remain indoors. Visit www .countyofnapa.org (http://www.countyofnapa.org/) for more information. SO, IT'S OFFICIAL; I'LL NOT MOW THE LAWN TODAY!:yeah:

Mr Quatro

11-18-18, 11:02 AM

Last news I heard is there are over a thousand people missing.

A lot of people just plain took off and said, "there is nothing left to come back for" Over 8,000 homes burned to the ground X two each = 16,000 persons with only 1,600 living in shelters and a thousand or more living at a local Walmart (who has said be out by today or else), but 90% of the people living at the walmart in tents are transit people cashing in on the free food and clothes. Strange, uh? Now we have to deal with the thousands massing on the US border too :o

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/california-fires-how-authorities-search-for-the-missing/ar-BBPPsbG

Authorities are working from a list of people whose loved ones have called in "welfare checks" or reported them missing, Butte County Sheriff's Investigations Sgt. Steve Collins said. After a call, officers go out to see if the home or other structure is still standing, or if the caller has heard from the missing person since.

The process is made more difficult, Butte County Sheriff and Coroner Kory Honea said, by communications difficulties.

"There are a lot of people displaced (who) don't know we are looking for them," Honea said.

Aktungbby

11-22-18, 04:30 PM

http://www.fire.ca.gov/current_incidents/incidentdetails/Index/2277 (http://www.fire.ca.gov/current_incidents/incidentdetails/Index/2277) Acres Burned - Containment: 153,336 acres - 90% contained Structures Destroyed: 13,906 residences, 514 commercial and 4,232 other buildings3 firefighter injuries - 83 civilian fatalities Precipitation(HEAVY RAIN AND THUNDER STORMS:yeah:) has minimized fire activity and all fire lines continue to hold. Firefighters and resources continue to be deployed throughout the fire area to patrol and remove hazards. Search and Rescue crews and US&R teams continue to secure buildings and conduct a methodical search within the fire area for missing victims. Fire suppression repair has been temporarily suspended in areas that are inaccessible due to precipitation. THE THUNDERSTORM OVER MY HOUSE LAST NIGHT AT 2AM, AFTER A DAYLONG OF STEADY RAIN AND POWER FAILURES WAS SPECTACULAR AND LOUD! THE LIGHTNING WAS BLINDING AND THE THUNDER DEAFENING! UPSIDE: THE SKYS ARE CLEAR ....FINALLY BREATHING WITHOUT A MASK AND THE TURKEY IS ON THE TABLE.:ping::ping::ping:

Buddahaid

11-22-18, 04:50 PM

A welcome relief indeed. AQI right now in San Rafael is 28 and it was something like 5 when I got up. Airing out the house today. :up:

u crank

11-22-18, 05:15 PM

Glad to hear that guys. Happy Thanksgiving. :salute:

Mr Quatro

11-22-18, 08:49 PM

Acres Burned - Containment: 153,336 acres - 90% contained Structures Destroyed: 13,906 residences, 514 commercial and 4,232 other buildings3 firefighter injuries - 83 civilian fatalities

These numbers are very disturbing :yep:

Now comes the mud slides ... you know what else I heard that FEMA has 80 trailers ready to provide (for 30k people?)

Aktungbby

01-11-19, 03:02 PM

A Federal judge in San Francisco has ordered PG &E to inspect all of its entire electrical service area to trim any trees and replace any transmission equipment that could cause wildfires. This actually stems from a probation hearing of the company's involvement( violation of Federal pipeline regulations and obstruction of justice)in the awful 2010 San Bruno natural gas station pipeline explosion which destroyed an entire neighborhood and killed several residents.."to protect the public from further wrongs by the offender and reduce to zero the number of wildfires caused by PG&E in the 2019 wildfires season." The judge noted that Cal Fire has determined that PG&E caused 18 wildfires in 2017. The Camp Fire, with 86 dead, is still under investigation.:k_confused:

vienna

01-11-19, 03:13 PM

Mr Quatro

01-11-19, 05:52 PM

On a bad news note, it is being reported this morning that Trump is considering seizing all disaster relief funds already allocated to California for recovery from the latest deadly wildfires to use to build his border wall; included in the seizure also are funds allocated for hurricane relief for Puerto Rico and Texas, with the total estimated for all the proposed seizures of upwards of USD $11 Billion...

<O>

Trump probably won't do it ... don't blame him for thinking about it

One bad fire indeed that killed 86 people

https://media.abc10.com/assets/KXTV/images/7b9ec63b-fce6-4649-91ac-4bb0e5efdf16/7b9ec63b-fce6-4649-91ac-4bb0e5efdf16_1140x641.jpg

https://www.facebook.com/ParadisePost/videos/760374614315276/

vienna

01-11-19, 06:15 PM

Trump probably won't do it ... don't blame him for thinking about it

One bad fire indeed that killed 86 people

https://media.abc10.com/assets/KXTV/images/7b9ec63b-fce6-4649-91ac-4bb0e5efdf16/7b9ec63b-fce6-4649-91ac-4bb0e5efdf16_1140x641.jpg

https://www.facebook.com/ParadisePost/videos/760374614315276/

Your faith in Trump "probably" not doing something insane is amusing...

..and who else should be blamed for thinking about it who has the power to actually do it? There is mounting anger here in CA over the inept handling of disaster relief by the current administration. It seems an unnecessary burden to add to those already dealing with tragedy...

<O>

Aktungbby

01-14-19, 12:45 PM

TODAY'S WSJ ARTICLE: WITH ESTIMATED LIABILITIES TRIPLE ITS MARKET VALUE, PG& E IS CONTEMPLATIG BANKRUPTCY; Pacific Gas & Electric Co. said it plans to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as investigators continue to look into the utility's possible involvement in causing the Camp Fire, which began Nov. 9 in Butte County, Calif. PG&E said the company plans to file for voluntary reorganization on or about January 29. It issued the announcement Monday because the utility must tell employees at least 15 days before a change of control in the company. CHIEF EXECUTIVE GEISHA WILLIAMS STEPPED DOWN ON SUNDAY...."PG&E LURCHES FROM CRISIS TO CRISIS": IT NEEDED TO UPDATE 125,0000 MILES OF ELECTRICAL LINES...ENOUGH TO CIRCLE THE GLOBE FIVE TIMES. FROM 2013 THROUGH 2017, IT REPORTED MORE THAN 16,000 SECTIONS OF HIGH VOLTAGE LINES FELL. THAT IS A DOWNED LINE EVERY THREE HOURS; MOST FROM FALLING TREES BUT ALSO PLAIN EQUIPMENT FAILURE. 30 % OF THE DOWNED LINES STAYED 'ENERGISED' CREATING MAJOR FIRE RISKS... BANKRUPTCY WILL PROTECT THE ENTITY FROM LAWSUITS OF CUSTOMERS INCLUDING THE ESTATES OF THOSE KILLED IN THE FIRES; THE POSSIBILITY EXISTS THAT THE COMPANY WILL BE BROKEN INTO SMALLER REGIONAL COMPANIES BY STATE REGULATORS. BETWEEN THE THE UNPRECEDENTED DROUGHT. THE AGING EQUIPMENT, WITH POOR MAINTENANCE AND FOREST MANAGEMENT, A MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURE MELTDOWN ALL 'ROUND IMHO.

Aktungbby

01-16-19, 11:07 AM

PG &E CEO Geisha Williams is slated to receive $2.4 million in severance pay! I suspect that that would be "clawed back in pending bankruptcy proceedings" but the mere suggestion, given the utility's murderous infernal incompetence,
is outrageous!

Aktungbby

05-14-19, 01:04 AM

I JUST WATCHED THIS ON NOVA AND AFTER THE 2017 FIRE ON THREE SIDES OF MY HOUSE FOR TWO WEEKS WITHIN 8000 FEET, IT ALTERS MY CONCEPTUAL THINKING: https://www.thirteen.org/programs/nova/inside-the-megafire-uzvhug/ (https://www.thirteen.org/programs/nova/inside-the-megafire-uzvhug/) BOTTOM LINE: SMOKEY THE BEAR WAS WRONG; FIRE KEEPS THE FOREST HEALTHY; STOPPING A FIRE SIMPLY BUILDS UP THE FUEL FOR AN INEVITABLE MEGAFIRE-MADE WORSE BY GLOBAL WARMING....LET IT BURN AND DON'T LIVE IN THE REMOTE WOODS!

Buddahaid

05-14-19, 01:30 AM

Aktungbby

05-14-19, 12:58 PM

I haven't watched your link but the fires aren't limiting themselves to the remote woods. Look at Middletown and Santa Rosa. Those areas were not remote but they still burned badly by just being near the remote woods. What about the Berkeley hills some years ago? My house is next the the freeway in San Rafael but it would still be consumed if a big fire started nearby. It's worrying to say the least and we are in for a fall after a big wet winter. The problem is how do you control those natural burn offs? (WATCH THE VIDEO...ESSENTIALLY U DON'T! :timeout: Sure you don't need fishing gear? http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showpost.php?p=2270431&postcount=4 (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showpost.php?p=2270431&postcount=4) NUTHIN NEW AS FROM MY OLD APPRAISER DAYS IN THE SANTA CRUZ MTNS AND BAY AREA IN GENERAL A Cal Fire chief lives on my street in Napa and the Napa Sonoma hills-Mayacamas mountains are just two blocks over and will burn in their turn when the conditions are right- of that there is no doubt <MY OWN DAMN PREDICTION; THREE YEARS AHEAD OF THE NAPA FIRE DISASTERS)

Aktungbby

09-23-19, 02:30 AM

it begins...again: this message on my computer and my cell phone in the last hour:ping: :ping: :ping: A Red Flag Warning has been issued for Napa County beginning 9pm on Monday, September 23rd through Wednesday morning. Gusty winds and low humidity anticipated. Napa County officials are working closely with PG&E and monitoring weather situation. Information on how to prepare for power shutdowns and other preparedness information can be found at readynapacounty.org.
so cars will be prepped for semi bugout contingency and long hoses with nozzles laid out for any drifting embers... temps in the 90's do not help! Wife's in the sack so it's my watch as the winds are from the west so any fires would blow toward me unlike the previous 2017 big one, within 8000 feet, where the wind was from the north keeping the fire out of the immediate neighborhood.

Reece

09-23-19, 02:56 AM

All the best for you both mate, stay safe. :timeout:

Jimbuna

09-23-19, 06:40 AM

All the best to you and yours Aktung :salute:

Aktungbby

09-23-19, 10:56 AM

Thanks gents; this is probably much ado about nothing other than precaution; PG&E is on uber- vigilence, partly to improve its miserable corporate image, and thus monitoring its faulty power grids to instantly shut down power to aged high voltage lines if they reflect irregularity from high winds. I applaud erring on the side of caution even if it means no air-conditioning etc.(garage doors to be left open) The alert is in effect for 72 hours...9 CA counties are involved in the alert.

vienna

09-30-19, 04:37 AM

@Aktungbby:

I've been meaning to ask you if the fire authorities in NorCal have appreciably 'upped their game' in anticipation of further bad wildfires. Here in SoCal, there was a recent alert because of the infamous Santa Ana Winds starting a bit early this year. Southern California Edison, a major power supplier in SoCal, instituted blackouts in some of the more fire-prone areas down here, just as PG&E were doing up North. We've been getting a lot of news coverage down here of the Santa Ana fire risks and, among the stories, has been a rolling out of new aerial firefighting technology, including advanced systems to allow aircraft to fly more safely and 'see' through smoke, and to fly water/retardant dropping missions at night. Have you heard of likewise actions in your area? Just curious...

Stay safe...

<O>

Aktungbby

09-30-19, 09:43 AM

Half the neighbors are packed and gone but the fire-chief neighbor just got home and has stated he's 'not going anywhere' :salute:so I'll sleep on the sofa with two cars packed and cat carriers in case of a change in the fire; as winds are expected to rise. My very nervous wife is considerably calmer since the chief is staying put!:yeah: WELL WE'VE HAD BLACKOUTS IMPOSED IN NAPA WITHIN THE PAST WEEK, HOWEVER MY CAL FIRECHIEF ACROSS THE STREET WHO KEPT COMING HOME TO SLEEP IN HIS OWN BED DURING THE GREAT FIRE HE'S RETIRED RECENTLY; SO THERE GOES MY PERSONAL BUGOUT ALERT SYSTEM.:doh:

Aktungbby

10-08-19, 10:50 PM

A Red Flag Warning is now in effect until 5:00pm Thursday. At it again; the weather forcast for 5 days is heavy winds: 40 mph and centered on very dry Napa County. PGE advises power shutdowns so our electric garage is open in bugout mode. I just drove my daughter to a Jimmie Hendrix Experience event in Santa Rosa and back (100mi.) and every gas station I passed is littlebighorned with cars gassing up for any contingency in two counties causing traffic jams on streets adjoining every station. Due to power shutdowns, my daughter's museum will be closed tomorrow....due to weather conditions, no bbqs as it is also a "spare-the-air day. I anticipate morning coffee on the gas grill in the AM! Advisory: PG&E has confirmed power shutoff in Napa County beginning tonight.
Dear AKTUNGBBY,
PG&E has confirmed plans to shutoff power to up to 32,000 customers beginning late Tuesday night and in to Wednesday morning. PG&E should notify customers directly.

Napa County has established a Public Information Line for the Emergency Operations Center. The public is encouraged to call (707) 299-1501, not the non-emergency dispatch number, for information regarding the Public Safety Power Shutoff. This line is staffed with English and Spanish speaking staff.

PG&E’s website is experiencing increased traffic and experiencing delays. However, for more information on PG&E and public safety power shutoffs, including whether your address will be directly affected visit: https://www.pge.com/en_US/safety/emergency-preparedness/natural-disaster/wildfires/public-safety-power-shutoff-faq.page (https://www.pge.com/en_US/safety/emergency-preparedness/natural-disaster/wildfires/public-safety-power-shutoff-faq.page).

For PSPS information and Napa County maps, visit: https://readynapacounty.org/219/Public-Safety-Power-Shutoff (https://readynapacounty.org/219/Public-Safety-Power-Shutoff)

Napa County officials continue to monitor the situation and work with PG&E. Information will be shared via Nixle and the County’s social media platforms.

Buddahaid

10-09-19, 12:25 AM

San Rafael is apparently not part of the brown out rotation but I gassed the car earlier anyway. :Kaleun_Cheers:

Aktungbby

10-27-19, 10:12 PM

Currently one county over in Sonoma, 57,000 acres are burned with 200,000 people evacuated from their homes amid rolling power blackouts by PG&E which I've been subject to also for 15 hours today due to fierce 50-98!+ mph winds. The fire is only 5% contained after two days...so far no fatalities are reported. This isn't the horror of the 2017 fires or Paradise; but it a nasty terrain challenging bugger in its own right and the winds are a big factor in containment :Kaleun_Thumbs_Up: :Kaleun_Applaud: https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2019/10/23/kincade-fire/ (https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2019/10/23/kincade-fire/)

Mr Quatro

10-27-19, 10:32 PM

Have you thought about relocating your family when your wife retires?

It's not going to get any better ... not to mention a little earthquake could ruin your property values. :o

Aktungbby

10-27-19, 10:49 PM

/\ nope! My bride's been retired two years now. We'll stay put-two Napa quakes notwithstanding. Moreover, from my 13 year appraisal career centering in the Santa Cruz mtns where the devestating 1989 Loma Prieta quake epicentered, my files were used exclusively by FEMA to aid homeowners. No sales prices in progress or subseqent to the disaster were affected by such things. Prices stayed the same and have gone up... astronomically...that's the price you pay and accepted by CA buyers along with their quake insurance. The average home price in Silicon valley is $1,000,000...for a shack on the Hayward fault!!, "location location location" (and good school districts:yep:) is the rule still; nothing el$e matters!
!

fireftr18

10-28-19, 08:05 PM

Got some prayers for you and your neighbors Acktung. Hang in there buddy.

Aktungbby

10-29-19, 12:21 AM

Other than smokey air quality, no real danger on my side of mountain. Sonoma is up to 73225 acres burned with 15% contaiment and over 200 structures burned. Some evacuees are permitted to return. The fire is heading NE toward Middletown which was a disaster in 2015; this could be good as fuels: dry grass and trees, are already burned out there, so the fire will slow. High winds are unabated though and gusts have clocked in at 104 mph! Rolling power outages is still a issue and parts of Napa have not been restored-street lights are out on main blvds...every intersection is a four-way stop but veteran citizens are behaving magnicently.:Kaleun_Salute:

Aktungbby

10-31-19, 10:05 AM

As of today, 100,000 evacuees are permitted to return home
"at their own risk":hmmm: The burned area encompasses 77,000 acres and is 35% contained. Firefighters in Northern California made "pretty significant progress" battling the Kincade blaze, Cal Fire representative Jonathan Cox said Wednesday. The fire, which has scorched 76,825 acres, is now 45% contained.

The red flag warning for the region has ended, and the winds have subsided "quite a bit," according to a representative from the National Weather Service. Temperatures are expected to plunge to the high 20's overnight.
More than 5,000 people remain under evacuation orders. Sonoma County Sheriff Mark Essick said that 10 people had been arrested Wednesday for illegally entering evacuation zones.

Buddahaid

12-06-19, 08:20 PM

Mr Quatro

12-07-19, 10:47 AM

The state insurance commissioner imposes a moratorium on policy dropping. It seems the insurance companies don't like it when the accepted risk bites them instead of making them rich.
https://insurancenewsnet.com/oarticle/calif-department-of-insurance-wildfire-insurance-crisis-leads-commissioner-to-call-for-first-ever-statewide-non-renewal-moratorium#.Xer9NuiQGUk

This ruling only applies to people that already have fire insurance and is only for one year ... People in the State of California that want to get fire insurance are denied all the time if they live in a fire prone area.

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/editorials/story/2019-11-16/california-fair-fire-insurance-last-resort-ricardo-lara

With risks higher than ever, the companies that offer fire insurance are deciding not to renew a larger number of California policies. State statistics show 14,225 policies were not renewed in 2018

vienna

12-07-19, 02:26 PM

Actually, any Californian can get fire insurance, even if they live in a fire prone area; the State has a program called FAIR Plan Insurance and it will write a policy to any qualified state homeowner; the premiums can be more than a little pricey, but, if someone chooses to live in high fire hazard areas, they're gonna have to expect to shoulder some of the financial risk in higher premiums; its just like any other high risk policy, e.g., if you choose to live in an area prone to repeated flooding, your flood insurance premiums are gonna be expensive; you make the choice, you pay the price...

Here is a link to the FAIR Plan FAQ:

https://www.cfpnet.com/index.php/consumers/f-a-q/

<O>

Aktungbby

03-18-20, 08:18 PM

NAPA COUNTY HAS NOW ISSUED A MANDATORY SHELTER AT HOME ORDER EXCEPT FOR ''ESSENTIAL SERVICES INCL.: SHOPPING FOR FOOD, HEALTH RELATED APOINTMENTS, AND WALKING FOR EXERCISE.'' https://www.countyofnapa.org/DocumentCenter/View/16684/Shelter-at-Home-FAQ_ENGLISH (https://www.countyofnapa.org/DocumentCenter/View/16684/Shelter-at-Home-FAQ_ENGLISH) AT THE LOCAL WALMART EARLIER TODAY TO PICK UP A PRESCRIPTION I NOTED ONE OF THE EMPLOYEES LAYING DOWN 6' BLUE TAPE LINES ON THE FLOOR SO PEOPLE WAITING AT THE CASHIER LINE COULD MAINTAIN 'A PROPER 'SOCIAL' DISTANCE'! THIS IS A LEGAL ORDER ISUED UNDER CALIFORNIA LAW. YOU ARE REQUIRED TO COMPLY,AND IT IS A MISDEAMENOR NOT TO FOLLOW THE ORDER PUNISHABLE BY FINE, IMPRISONMENT, OR BOTH... SO FAR NO CASES OF COVID-19 ARE REPORTED IN NAPA... WELL, ACCORDING TO THIS, I'M OFF JURY (3/3/20) DUTY TILL MID APRIL... AS IT'S HARDLY AN 'ESSENTIAL SERVICE' IMHO:Kaleun_Party:

Buddahaid

03-18-20, 08:29 PM

Welcome to the club.

Gerald

08-15-20, 08:06 PM

https://i.imgur.com/2yXk3lF.jpg

What forecasters say is shaping up to be the worst heat wave in several years caused rolling blackouts https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-08-14/la-me-statewide-power-outages-warning and is setting up dangerous conditions across California. The power crisis was caused in part by coronavirus restrictions, which have closed movie theaters, malls and other locations where people would typically gather to beat the heat. Concerns about outbreaks have kept many inside their homes with the air conditioning on. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-08-14/california-heat-wave-records

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-08-15/worst-heat-wave-in-years-causes-rolling-blackouts-dangerous-conditions-across-california

Can we get a direct report ......:hmmm:

Buddahaid

08-15-20, 08:41 PM

My power was off for about an hour at 7:00 PM.

Aktungbby

08-15-20, 08:51 PM

Can we get a direct report ......:hmmm: check my post 3278 in "What are you doing today" thread...I'm hoping my AC holds out. It got to 103 F. today; now down to 100 F. as I post. Fortunately, it's not a mandatory no burn 'spare the air day" so I'll BBQ some burgers in the cool evening at 90 F. to avoid overloading the rickety fusebox with oven cooking. My boat captain, two doors down, has a new solar Tesla solar-electric system. He sells power back to criminal entity PG&E but his 'new' inverter went out
after less than two years, so he's screwed too. 21st century technology sucks! :Kaleun_Mad: so I'll hold off blowing $20 K on that contraption.:arrgh!:

Gerald

08-15-20, 09:02 PM

check my post 3278 in "What are you doing today" thread...I'm hoping my AC holds out. It got to 103 F. today; now down to 100 F. as I post. Fortunately, it's not a mandatory no burn 'spare the air day" so I'll BBQ some burgers in the cool evening at 90 F. to avoid overloading the rickety fusebox with oven cooking. My boat captain, two doors down, has a new solar Tesla solar-electric system. He sells power back to criminal entity PG&E but his 'new' inverter went out
after less than two years, so he's screwed too. 21st century technology sucks! :Kaleun_Mad: so I'll hold off blowing $20 K on that contraption.:arrgh!: It feels like you are having a wonderful time. I hope it returns to a more normal state for you in CA.:yep:

Aktungbby

08-15-20, 09:20 PM

Well: next to the (2)quakes and the inferno fires getting 8000 feet from my house two years back...this is the 'lesser of two weevils" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=440l8poSQiA (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=440l8poSQiA) http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/images/ranks/luckyjack15.jpg meeting: 'What a fascination modern age I live in": murderous PG&E vs failed Tesla Solar....:nope::damn: Throw in Covid and global warming....:hmmm: normal state for you in CA.:yep: CA has never been a 'normal state' :O: EDIT: we're making progress: it's now 102F. and dropping?

Gerald

08-15-20, 09:34 PM

Well: next to the (2)quakes and the inferno fires getting 8000 feet from my house two years back...this is the 'lesser of two weevils" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=440l8poSQiA (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=440l8poSQiA) http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/images/ranks/luckyjack15.jpg meeting: 'What a fascination modern age I live in": murderous PG&E vs failed Tesla Solar....:nope::damn: Throw in Covid and global warming....:hmmm: CA has never been a 'normal state' :O: That is a completely different question!!! :arrgh!: Ya see it's getting better...

Texas Red

08-15-20, 09:46 PM

Here in NW Indiana, we haven't had terribly hot heat. For the past few days it has been in the late 80s and humid, we sweat our pants off at baseball practice and take ice cold baths back home.
Only on Fridays baseball practice was there any improvement. We finally had a light breeze, the temperatures and the humidity stayed the same tho. That slight breeze felt like the world to our team.

NW Indiana is known for having brutally hot summers and terrible winters. We get a mix of everything here.

Gerald

08-15-20, 10:14 PM

Good to hear! That there is an acceptable situation.:up:

Reece

08-16-20, 12:23 AM

Nothing but cold and rain with gale force winds down here for the last few weeks!! Atleast summer is on its way.:yep:
Sweaty scorching heat and flies, hmm maybe I'll rethink that! :hmmm:

Aktungbby

08-16-20, 04:00 AM

That is a completely different question!!! :arrgh!: Ya see it's getting better... YA think!:timeout: this just came up on my Email:The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning, which is in effect from 11:00 PM this evening (Saturday 8/15) to 11:00 AM tomorrow morning (Sunday 8/16).

A moist and unstable air mass is forecast to spread across Northern California late tonight and Sunday, bringing thunderstorms and lightning. Storms are expected to be fast-moving, resulting in low precipitation totals. Dry humidity values and fuels will favor fire starts from lightning strikes.

A Red Flag Warning means that weather conditions are occurring or will occur that can contribute to extreme fire behavior. Any fires that develop have potential to spread rapidly. Please remain vigilant and alert So here I am at 0200 hours... being vigilant and alert!:Kaleun_Sleep:

Gerald

08-16-20, 04:08 AM

Take it easy my friend! Even if it is a change in weather, it does not have to mean dramatic situations, you know when we are out sailing on the sea, things can happen quickly, weather, rain, etc. Stay calm and all will be good.:yep::Kaleun_Periskop:

This one? https://twitter.com/hashtag/Calistoga?src=hashtag_click

Buddahaid

08-16-20, 09:38 AM

Aktungbby

08-16-20, 12:53 PM

, it does not have to mean dramatic situations, you know when we are out sailing on the sea, things can happen quickly, We are all...men 'asea' .:hmmm: Ship happens!:Kaleun_Wink:

Gerald

08-16-20, 01:00 PM

We are all...men 'asea' .:hmmm: Ship happens!:Kaleun_Wink::hmmm::haha: "Ship".

Gerald

08-16-20, 11:40 PM

California power grid manager urges residents to conserve energy amid intense heat wave

http://www.caiso.com/Documents/Flex-Alert-Issued-Next-Four-Days-Calling-Statewide-Conservation.pdf

It was the first time since 2001 that state electric grid operators have had to implement such a drastic step.

Forecasters warned that the heat wave, which is expected to last through at least Thursday.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-08-16/massive-wildfire-spawns-fire-tornadoes-northern-california

I hope the effects will be mild and merciful.:up:

Aktungbby

08-17-20, 12:15 AM

The extreme weather passed through San Rafael at 3:00 to 4:00 in the morning. Many flashes of lightning and some rain.

What makes it dangerous here is the high level of dry vegetation and very low occurrence of thunderstorms. It's still wet but not really raining now.

Just heard a thunderclap so I guess it's still around. Not much rain. Not enough to make puddles. It passed over you to blast over my house at 0400 and more on the way- I suspect there was sufficient moisture to dampen some of the bone-dry potential for a fire:https://s.hdnux.com/photos/01/13/46/31/19818056/3/1024x1024.jpg

https://s.hdnux.com/photos/01/13/46/20/19817525/3/1024x1024.jpg<Both Golden Gate and Bay Bridges lit up!:k_confused:

Gerald

08-17-20, 04:04 AM

The sky forces forces of nature in its proper element.Even if it does not feel that way, where you are, of course.

vienna

08-17-20, 05:07 AM

The situation in Southern California is beyond "damned hot" all the way to "Say, who is that guy over there in the red suit with the pitchfork?"...

Brush fires have been breaking out all over the place with the extreme heat, but, thankfully, the winds have remained light, giving a big assist to the firefighters; so far, damage to dwellings has been far less than it would be if the canyon winds were acting up; thank for small blessings...

We have been under red flag and power warnings for several days now; there have been short power outages of around an hour or so at various times in various places, but I haven't heard of ny major complications or complaints...

Personally, the AC in my place went out a few days ago and I just now got it back up and running again; the last two days have been brutal; heat waves are sure different when you are closer to 70 than when you were closer to 30...

<O>

Reece

08-17-20, 05:42 AM

Gerald

08-17-20, 06:19 AM

I am grateful I have a good 6.5Kw backup diesel generator here, have used it a few times. Essential for freezers etc.
You might think of getting one, they are around $1,500, not really that expensive. Then you have a car that can safely idle during the summer with AC in the worst case, to cool down.

Jimbuna

08-17-20, 06:43 AM

It passed over you to blast over my house at 0400 and more on the way- I suspect there was sufficient moisture to dampen some of the bone-dry potential for a fire:https://s.hdnux.com/photos/01/13/46/31/19818056/3/1024x1024.jpg

https://s.hdnux.com/photos/01/13/46/20/19817525/3/1024x1024.jpg<Both Golden Gate and Bay Bridges lit up!:k_confused:

Crackin shots :yeah:

Aktungbby

08-17-20, 10:09 AM

thanks! I awoke at 0600 to quite the electrical display https://www.santacruzsentinel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/STC-L-LIGHTNING-0817-01_75895114.jpg?w=881for a hour over the house...and debated wheather to venture forth for the newspapers at the foot of the drive. I had to call several old collge buddies in the midwest though. Even worse is this 'derecho' essentially an eyeless land hurricane that ripped across Iowa and Illinois causing massive destruction. I'd never heard of a derecho ...sumpin' new...let's hope 'not normal'.:hmmm: They always call me during the fires and quakes; so I'm reciprocating.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derecho (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derecho)

Gerald

08-17-20, 01:01 PM

thanks! I awoke at 0600 to quite the electrical display for a hour over the house...and debated wheather to venture forth for the newspapers at the foot of the drive. I had to call several old collge buddies in the midwest though. Even worse is this 'derecho' essentially an eyeless land hurricane that ripped across Iowa and Illinois causing massive destruction. I'd never heard of a derecho ...sumpin' new...let's hope 'not normal'.:hmmm: They always call me during the fires and quakes; so I'm reciprocating.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derecho (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derecho)Ok!:Kaleun_Salute:

Aktungbby

08-17-20, 05:03 PM

Ok!:Kaleun_Salute:a short lived ok! Two fires: both started from lightning are presently burning in remoter areas of Napa. One, the Hennessy fire, 25 acres, has occasioned mandatory evacuation of residents. The larger 375 acre Gamble fire is not a threat to homes...as yet These are small by inferno standards but if winds pick up can get out of control quickly. EDIT: the Hennessey fire is now at 2400 acres. https://patch.com/img/cdn20/users/22423906/20200817/020909/styles/patch_image/public/0b77ebad-884f-4450-8983-e580187f2de9___17140400409.jpg?width=695

Gerald

08-17-20, 08:42 PM

a short lived ok! Two fires: both started from lightning are presently burning in remoter areas of Napa. One, the Hennessy fire, 25 acres, has occasioned mandatory evacuation of residents. The larger 375 acre Gamble fire is not a threat to homes...as yet These are small by inferno standards but if winds pick up can get out of control quickly. EDIT: the Hennessey fire is now at 2400 acres. https://patch.com/img/cdn20/users/22423906/20200817/020909/styles/patch_image/public/0b77ebad-884f-4450-8983-e580187f2de9___17140400409.jpg?width=695 Are you ok now buddy?:hmmm:

I saw this 'Highest temperature on Earth' as Death Valley, US hits 54.4C' https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53788018

Aktungbby

08-18-20, 01:15 AM

Are you ok now buddy?:hmmm:

I saw this 'Highest temperature on Earth' as Death Valley, US hits 54.4C' https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53788018 That's 130 F. the alltime recorded high...and I was working on my tan....:oops:https://www.nimbacreations.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/burned-zombie-prosthetics.jpg
https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/17376/production/_113949059_c0033002-2b33-4a57-a225-2b5b6f1af6ea.jpg
As temperatures soared in California, a large "firenado" was observed on Saturday in Lassen County.

vienna

08-18-20, 02:41 AM

He's OK; Death Valley is an almost 500 mile drive from his home in Napa; CA is a huge state and has many climate zones and Napa is way up to the North of San Francisco; the area there is seeing some very unusual high temperatures in the 90s F, when the norm is around the 70s this time of year; here in the Southern CA area, we are seeing temps in the mid-90s and low 100s; I just saw a weather report saying the nearby city of Lancaster recorded a Monday high of 111 degrees, and that is not a desert area; suffice to say it has been a bit 'toasty' of late and the trend is expected to continue for several more days; the worst part here in SoCal is we have a combination of very high heat, high humidity, and bad air quality caused by smoke from various brush and wildfires in the area, the resulting inversion layer making the air a bit stifling with or without a face mask...

<O>

Jimbuna

08-18-20, 08:07 AM

That's 130 F. the alltime recorded high...

There have been numerous higher temperatures but they remain unverified to this day.

I personally remember it hitting 50C when I was working in Khorramshahr which necessitated the taking of salt tablets on an hourly basis.

Strange thing was, at night the temperature could plummet to 5C

Aktungbby

08-18-20, 09:36 AM

Are you ok now buddy?:hmmm:

He's OK;

YUP! I'm always ok ....but I used to be fabulous though:wah: It's the 'new normal!' :yep: and the general impression of late: God ain't happy...:hmmm: Temperature to be at 104 F. today! :yep:...:nope:

Mr Quatro

08-18-20, 09:56 AM

https://www.santacruzsentinel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/STC-L-LIGHTNING-0817-01_75895114.jpg?w=881

I saw a display of God's power one time ... I was high on a cliff above La Jolla, CA just sitting in my car. I could see out to sea for miles when this awesome thunder and lightning storm developed.

You could feel the power and the smell of the air was different too.

Never forget it :o

vienna

08-18-20, 01:25 PM

YUP! I'm always ok ....but I used to be fabulous though....

https://cdn.quotesgram.com/img/18/66/762753417-e3b2dfc42f58626517a6d0be59de6338.jpg

<O>

vienna

08-18-20, 01:49 PM

I saw a display of God's power one time ... I was high on a cliff above La Jolla, CA just sitting in my car. I could see out to sea for miles when this awesome thunder and lightning storm developed.

You could feel the power and the smell of the air was different too.

Never forget it :o

Back in the early 70s, the segment of Intestate 5 running through the San Joaquin Valley in CA was opened and was along, long, desolate straight line stretch of about 300 miles; there were no gas stations, towns, rest stops, or anything else other than bleak wide open spaces, something I hadn't seen since a trip through Texas; traffic was also very sparse since the stretch was brand new and the accommodations were non-existent; I was co-driving a load of furniture in a 24 foot truck and we decided to try out the new stretch of road, after first fueling up and stocking up at the beginning of the stretch; we were driving overnight from LA to San Francisco and the segment was mainly pitch black as road lighting was very far between in most of the run; about halfway through, a giant lightning storm brewed up and it was spectacular; the bursts would light up the road and its surroundings in flashes strobe light effect; at one point my co-driver and I turned to look at each other as we had the same thought; we were the highest point in a very flat stretch of land and, on top of that, we were a massive chunk of metal; we immediately stopped our sightseeing of the pretty lights and floored it to get the hell out of there as fast as possible...

<O>

Buddahaid

08-18-20, 08:49 PM

Still hot but not as bad as yesterday so maybe I'm getting used to it. It sucks when you can't wait to open up the house and let the fans cool it down overnight only to be assaulted by a skunk somewhere close at four in the morning!

Opened up now at quarter to seven and all I smell is a fire somewhere in the region.:k_confused:

Aktungbby

08-18-20, 09:00 PM

power out in northwest Napa up to St Helena since 1700 hrs, my daughter at her museum there reports extreme smokiness; no AC, no WIFI; I'm on an old ellipsis jet pack EDDO to operate my Samsung tablet. A massive mushroom cloud from the Hennessey fire now at 12,000 acres looms to the north. The neighbors are out socializing 'cause at 95 F. It's actually cooler outdoors. PG &E as yet has no cause for the outage to 13,000 customers...in the middle of a heat wave....better save batts! AK out!:Kaleun_Salute:

Buddahaid

08-18-20, 09:19 PM

My daughter is hanging out in Petaluma instead of heading home to Napa. PG&E isn't indicating the power outage is planned.

Buddahaid

08-18-20, 09:29 PM

Power is back in Napa.

Aktungbby

08-18-20, 10:35 PM

^YUP LATE SUPPER WITH LITTLE CAESAR'S PIZZA!:Kaleun_Thumbs_Up: still 92F. ! UPDATE: the five fires all burning currently in Napa are now dubbed the LNU Lighning Complex Fire and have thus far consumed 32,025 acres and three structures. The ash on my car and smoke however are from neighboring Sonoma county which also has lightning generated fires. https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/15116056/2020/08/GettyImages-1228098105.jpgGovernor Gavin Newsom today secured two Fire Management Assistance Grants  (FMAGs) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help ensure the availability of vital resources to suppress  the LNU Lightning Complex Fire burning in Napa County and the Jones Fire burning in Nevada County.The FMAGs, which are provided through the President’s Disaster Relief Fund on cost-share basis, will assist local, state and tribal agencies responding to the fires to apply for 75-percent reimbursement of their eligible fire suppression costs.
The LNU Lightning Complex is comprised of two separate fires (Hennessey Fire and Gamble Fire) under a single incident management team. Together, the fires have burned 7,700(now 32,000) acres, causing evacuations and threatening homes near Lake Hennessey and Zinfandel.
In Nevada County, the Jones Fire has burned 550 acres and is causing several evacuations and school closures in the areas west of Nevada City.
The recent sustained high winds have made an ideal environment for dangerous fire conditions throughout the region, and the National Weather Service (NWS) has issued Red Flag Warnings for the area.

Gerald

08-19-20, 12:22 AM

Has the situation improved now....?:hmmm:

Buddahaid

08-19-20, 12:50 AM

Not really. Northern CA is now entering into the fire season and the threat will remain until the rain begins toward the end of the year. When and how much rain will decide when that threat is ended. The recent weather with the lightning is not typical and has been an unwelcome cause of the current fires. Weather does play a hand, as always, but it is usually from heat and high winds instead of heat and lightning strikes.

You have to also understand that CA is a huge state with many different climates and complex weather. For myself and Aktungbby, it's the area along the north side of the San Francisco bay area for about a hundred miles and stretching from the Pacific Ocean inland for another hundred miles. Essentially the heart of the traditional California wine country although that has greatly expanded since the state is abundant in agriculture and cash crops are always in a state of flux. When I was a kid in Napa during the 1960's, prune orchards were an abundant cash crop. Those are now all gone and have been replaced with wine grapes, or housing.

Gerald

08-19-20, 12:54 AM

I am aware of the large area that exists, and I discovered this earlier when I was in the Bay Area for the first time. And in some of the surroundings.

vienna

08-19-20, 05:10 AM

Here is a good source for info on the state of current California wildfires:

California Fire Map & Tracker --

https://www.sfchronicle.com/projects/california-fire-map/

Still hot but not as bad as yesterday so maybe I'm getting used to it. It sucks when you can't wait to open up the house and let the fans cool it down overnight only to be assaulted by a skunk somewhere close at four in the morning!

Opened up now at quarter to seven and all I smell is a fire somewhere in the region.:k_confused:

So far, LA is only having a few, isolated power outages, mainly due to equipment malfunctions (blown pole transformers, etc.); the city's power system is wholly-owned by the city and we are not subject to outages as much as other areas who are under giant power companies like PG&E or SoCalEdison; the worse parts of the heat down here are the air pollution increase caused by smoke from the wildfires and very high humidity; when I finally got the portable room air conditioner (portable, my eye: it weighs about 80 pounds and, even on casters, it can be a bear to move), I was surprised to see how much condensate was produced; I have a condensate pump setup attached to the unit, and the past couple of days, it has pumped out over 1 to 1-1/2 gallons a day; the condensate pump was installed after an incident a number of years back when the AC's internal tank got overwhelmed and I came home to find a film of water all over the floor; the humidity must really be high to produce such large quantities of condensate...

<O>

Platapus

08-19-20, 08:57 AM

Thanks for posting that fire map website. It makes it easier to see how close these fires are to family in that general area.

Gerald

08-19-20, 11:11 PM

Update: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-08-19/im-dying-right-here-injured-l-a-firefighters-recount-narrow-escape-from-downtown-blast

Hard time! :ping:

Los Angeles firefighter Andrew Tom hadn’t been inside the downtown building long when he heard the boom.

Other firefighters said it was like a jet engine rocketing to life. Tom just knew it meant something terrible was about to happen.

Seconds later, as flames consumed the room and lapped at his LAFD gear, Tom thought about his fire academy training and what he’d been told about a “flash over” — the amount of time that combustible materials will take to ignite during an enclosed fire.

“They always say five seconds, or you’re gonna die. Five seconds went by. Ten seconds went by ... I was like there’s no way I’m getting out, at all,” Tom said. “That’s where my mind went into: It’s over. I’m gonna die in here.”

Aktungbby

08-20-20, 11:03 AM

bad news on all fronts: 124,00 acres from six fires are now counted with 0% containment. 105 homes and out buidings are destroyed. The city of Healdsburg is on alert to the NorthWest (50 miles) is on evacuation standby. 40 miles to the east near Travis AFB and near Vacaville State prison there are fires. MODERATOR Perhaps we should move/combine this thread to Onkel's "hang in there California" thread!:k_confused:EDIT: I-80 was closed for an hour and a Vacaville PG & E touble-finder has died while working the fires. 375 out-of-state additional engine assistance is requested by the governor.

Mr Quatro

08-20-20, 11:27 AM

bad news on all fronts: 124,00 acres from six fires are now counted with 0% containment. 105 homes and out buidings are destroyed. The city of Healdsburg is on alert to the NorthWest (50 miles) is on evacuation standby. 40 miles to the east near Travis AFB and near Vacaville State prison there are fires. MODERATOR Perhaps we should move/combine this thread to Onkel's "hang in there California" thread!:k_confused:

Naugh, this too will come to pass :D

But we will miss y'all when California falls into the ocean :o

Aktungbby

08-20-20, 12:23 PM

We have our priorities straight in Napa!:Kaleun_Thumbs_Up: https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/napavalleyregister.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/0b/30b8b46d-1fa9-5cbc-9818-3d13adde88e4/5f3d60b4dc30b.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C798and the owner of the remote Turtle Rock Café saved his businesshttps://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/napavalleyregister.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/c6/dc6888b6-84df-5b40-b704-e07e61662754/5f3daf714fd31.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C900:Kaleun_C heers: nuthin' a 2500 gallon tank, installed after the 2017fires, and a long hose and helpful neighbors with a fire 'strike crew' can't cure. I've used that portapottie on many a long patrol 'twixt Sacramento and the backroute to Napa!:Kaleun_Salute: We survived another one,” said Leung. “I don’t know how, but we did. Someone is looking out for us.”
When asked about remaining in an area that seems to be prone to wildfires, Leung didn’t hesitate. His family has lived in the area for 40 years. His home — also safe — is just minutes away.

“The cafe is my livelihood.. And if that goes then my livelihood is gone,” he said.

“I don’t think the county would let me replace that building” where it is now, he said. “If that goes, Turtle Rock is gone forever.”

His oldest son, age 11, stayed with Leung to help fight the fire.

Jimbuna

08-20-20, 12:36 PM

bad news on all fronts: 124,00 acres from six fires are now counted with 0% containment. 105 homes and out buidings are destroyed. The city of Healdsburg is on alert to the NorthWest (50 miles) is on evacuation standby. 40 miles to the east near Travis AFB and near Vacaville State prison there are fires. MODERATOR Perhaps we should move/combine this thread to Onkel's "hang in there California" thread!:k_confused:

A bit late for that now because posts will get entwined with each other.

The simpler answer would be for the thread creator to look carefully for any particularly similar themed thread before posting.

Gerald

08-20-20, 02:38 PM

A bit late for that now because posts will get entwined with each other.

The simpler answer would be for the thread creator to look carefully for any particularly similar themed thread before posting. Aye.

Mr Quatro

08-20-20, 09:10 PM

A friend sent me this image ... every year it's gets worse

https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/118214714_10159279181824893_6785779363859976001_n. jpg?_nc_cat=111&_nc_sid=8024bb&_nc_ohc=2Wm9GXxxshcAX-ThV56&_nc_ht=scontent-ort2-1.xx&oh=e00324b70f0ba8909581c4412cf6e7a3&oe=5F65C707

Aktungbby

08-20-20, 10:18 PM

Can we get a direct report ......:hmmm:

^nice map! The tally stands at 11,000 lightning strikes in 72 hours; spawning 360 California fires; 23 of which are considered major infernos: resulting in a request for 375 additional engines from out of state, as well as additional hand crews. The LNU Lightning Complex(Napa)conflagration now threatens 1900 homes across five counties. Fortunately the winds have been mild; not like the 50+ mph gales that drove the infernos two years ago. EDIT: One of the crucial factors afflicting the firestorm's overwhelming demands is the massive reduction in trained inmate-fire crews who are, in effect, the backbone of frontline handcrew fire suppression. Of the 190 certified 17 man crews, available in 2018 infernos, only 90 or so are available as this fire season starts. This due to the fire training camp shutdown's and the early release of inmates to reduce serious Covid infections in the CA prison systems.

Gerald

08-21-20, 01:34 AM

Update: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-08-20/evacuations-widen-bay-area-fires-threaten-san-jose

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-08-20/uc-santa-cruz-ordered-to-evacuate-wildfires

:hmmm:

Gerald

08-21-20, 07:14 PM

SAN FRANCISCO — First came the lightning, with cracks of thunder that woke Hope Weng from sleep. “I thought it was someone wheeling out one of the garbage bins,” the 23-year-old said. Then came the wildfires, mixing with the unbearable heat that was tough to escape in her Mountain View, Calif., apartment with no air conditioning. “I’m hot and I want to let the window open to let in cool air, but the air also smells like fire.”

America is roasting.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2020/08/21/heat-climate-change-weather/?hpid=hp_hp-more-top-stories_summerheat-555pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory-ans

I hope they can cope and deal with this is happening fast in the best way.:yep:

Buddahaid

08-21-20, 08:04 PM

I have a friend who just lost a house on Mill creek Road out of Healdsburg. Nice place but at least it wasn't the main residence but that is no consolation to the renter. And my daughter is hosting two evacuees from the Pope valley area.

Aktungbby

08-22-20, 12:44 AM

and I'll probably get a call to prevent inevitable looting during these conflagrations at some point just like 2018; it was a big gang related problem.. It begins: as per my observation in "what are you doing in real life" thread today, a gang of five looters and one heavily armed 'lone wolf' have already been arrested in the CZU fires area in Santa Cruz county where the communities of Zayante, Scotts Valley and Felton have been evacuated and remote Bonny Doon seriously burned over with major destruction. More lightning strikes are forecast for the weekend.... https://abc7news.com/looters-arrested-czu-lightning-complex-fires-santa-cruz-evacuation-updates-fire-map-update/6383133/ (https://abc7news.com/looters-arrested-czu-lightning-complex-fires-santa-cruz-evacuation-updates-fire-map-update/6383133/)

Buddahaid

08-22-20, 02:46 AM

No more lightning please. Marin has been spared over the last couple of years but I fear that is luck.

Gerald

08-22-20, 09:59 AM

https://i.imgur.com/TNIyHyQ.jpg
A series of massive fires in northern and central California forced more evacuations.

California is struggling to contain huge wildfires burning forests and homes, warned Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday as more than 12,000 fire-fighters battled blazes that have killed six people.

Help was on its way from several US states as Gov Newsom put in a plea for assistance from Australia and Canada.

"These fires are stretching our resources, our personnel," he said.

Among the 560 fires are some of the largest the state has seen.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53828150

Sad to see...:ping:

Aktungbby

08-22-20, 02:04 PM

https://i.imgur.com/TNIyHyQ.jpg

BIGGER ain't always better: The 747-400 super tanker used in the Pardise and Brazil fires is out of service https://s3.amazonaws.com/the-drive-staging/message-editor%2F1542137155481-ap_18216177749523.jpgdue to backruptcy issues....just when 'a von Claucsewitzian level 'increase of firepower' is needed to combat the wrath of god. At 20000 gallons per drop, twice the amount of a DC-10, someone needs to get to the boneyard and revamp it. The retardant drops can be fatal to firefighters on the ground though: https://apnews.com/7b72b8c13e454d46ac5489cec4cdbc3c/Firefighter%E2%80%99s-death-caused-by-retardant-drop-from-747 (https://apnews.com/7b72b8c13e454d46ac5489cec4cdbc3c/Firefighter%E2%80%99s-death-caused-by-retardant-drop-from-747)

The pilot and a supervisor flying ahead in a small guide plane led the giant modified Boeing 747 nearly into the trees on Aug. 13 because the pilots failed to recognize that there was a hill in the flight path, according to the Green Sheet report by the state’s firefighting agency. (The drops are planned for 300 feet; the hill shortened the altitude to 200'!)
Because of the near ground-level release, the retardant struck with such force it uprooted an 87-foot (27-meter) tree that fell on Matthew Burchett fatally, a 42-year-old battalion chief from Utah helping with the Mendocino Complex Fire north of San Francisco.
Another large tree was snapped by the force of nearly 20,000 gallons (75,700 liters) of liquid and three firefighters were injured, one seriously.

vienna

08-22-20, 06:09 PM

One of the types of aircraft used to fight Southern Calif. wildfire, a 737 Air Tanker:

https://fireaviation.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/IMG_4022-Coulson-T-137.jpg

This is a link to photos of some other aircraft in the SoCal wildfire fighting arsenal:

Photos of firefighting aircraft on the Elizabeth Fire in southern California --

https://fireaviation.com/2020/06/17/photos-of-firefighting-aircraft-on-the-elizabeth-fire-in-southern-california/

Other craft are sometimes obtained by local county, state, or, even Federal authorities, either borrowed or leased, from outside sources, as needed and if available; in a situation as we're in now, with fires spread over so much of the state and of such severity, the opportunities for added air support are diminished...

In regards to the size vs. effectiveness issue, payload can often be a secondary consideration; depending on terrain and extent of a blaze, size of craft can be a liability; larger craft mean greater speeds in flight at the loss of some maneuverability; in mountainous terrain, much larger craft cannot easily maneuver in close enough for pinpoint drops and, dropping retardant from a necessarily higher altitude cause the drops to often miss their mark; smaller aircraft are also better capable of dealing with surprise currents and drafts caused by changing micro-climates caused by the fires and respond with greater ease and safety; additionally, smaller aircraft are more versatile in accessing water sources: a helicopter can hover over nearby lakes, etc., to draw into their tanks and some other small fixed-wing craft can skim over the surfaces of larger lakes to scoop up water for their tanks, while the very large craft often have to land, be filled, and then take off, costing time in firefighting efforts...

Regardless, of the type or size of craft, the efforts of those who fly and maintain the craft is to be greatly appreciated...

<O>

Aktungbby

08-22-20, 07:21 PM

BIGGER ain't always better: The 747-400 super tanker used in the Pardise and Brazil fires is out of service due to backruptcy issues....just when 'a von Claucsewitzian level 'increase of firepower' is needed to combat the wrath of god. At 20000 gallons per drop, twice the amount of a DC-10, someone needs to get to the boneyard and revamp it. The retardant drops can be fatal to firefighters on the ground though:

This is a link to photos of some other aircraft in the SoCal wildfire fighting arsenal:

Photos of firefighting aircraft on the Elizabeth Fire in southern California --

In regards to the size vs. effectiveness issue, payload can often be a secondary consideration; depending on terrain and extent of a blaze, size of craft can be a liability; larger craft mean greater speeds in flight at the loss of some maneuverability; in mountainous terrain, much larger craft cannot easily maneuver in close enough for pinpoint drops and, dropping retardant from a necessarily higher altitude cause the drops to often miss their mark; smaller aircraft are also better capable of dealing with surprise currents and drafts caused by changing micro-climates caused by the fires and respond with greater ease and safety; additionally, smaller aircraft are more versatile in accessing water sources: a helicopter can hover over nearby lakes, etc., to draw into their tanks and some other small fixed-wing craft can skim over the surfaces of larger lakes to scoop up water for their tanks, while the very large craft often have to land, be filled, and then take off, costing time in firefighting efforts...

Regardless, of the type or size of craft, the efforts of those who fly and maintain the craft is to be greatly appreciated...

<O> Argument duly noted, and well considered as usual but it's dangerous work as a fire-helicoptor pilot has already died this week.This is a matter of increase of firepower especially when the volume of fires exceeds last years' already. All fireplanes miss the mark like any bomber but this bad boy is seriously missing from the fight and I saw it first hand in 2017: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjCHXNHE6QE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjCHXNHE6QE) "von Claucsewitzian" Rule 2: ie always increase firepower if possible; and doing the work of six conventional aircraft - is essentially military 'economy of forces' : literally ten fewer pilots and crews. The 747 is a two plane affair with a spotter aircraft leading the way and releasing smoke at the drop point. Even the DC-10 uses a Cessna Citation spotter The jet you hear zoom overhead in front of the DC-10 is a Cessna Citation, which is used as a spotting aircraft (http://fireaviation.com/tag/cessna-citation/) for the tankers making drop runs. The Citations use smoke to mark the drop spot, or they literally fly the run in front of the tanker in a game of follow the leader. And even the DC-10 with half the payload of the 747, gets a little too close to ridge terrain for comfort: video #1: https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/4551/watch-this-epic-retardant-drop-run-by-a-firefighting-dc-10 (https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/4551/watch-this-epic-retardant-drop-run-by-a-firefighting-dc-10) Note spotter in video #2; complete with puff of smoke!!:yeah:

Aktungbby

08-22-20, 09:52 PM

We have our priorities straight in Napa! https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/napavalleyregister.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/0b/30b8b46d-1fa9-5cbc-9818-3d13adde88e4/5f3d60b4dc30b.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C798and

The tally stands at 11,000 lightning strikes in 72 hours; spawning 360 California fires; 23 of which are considered major infernos: resulting in a request for 375 additional engines from out of state, as well as additional hand crews. The LNU Lightning Complex(Napa)conflagration now threatens 1900 homes across five counties. Fortunately the winds have been mild; not like the 50+ mph gales that drove the infernos two years ago. EDIT: One of the crucial factors afflicting the firestorm's overwhelming demands is the massive reduction in trained inmate-fire crews who are, in effect, the backbone of frontline handcrew fire suppression. Of the 190 certified 17 man crews, available in 2018 infernos, only 90 or so are available as this fire season starts. This due to the fire training camp shutdown's and the early release of inmates to reduce serious Covid infections in the CA prison systems.
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/08/exponential-threat-pandemic-wildfires/615574/ (https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/08/exponential-threat-pandemic-wildfires/615574/) Jacob Stern https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/pJHLWGEh-qOaY8AAicP8hZhG7Yk=/52x103:2527x2578/200x200/media/None/HS_Jacob_Stern/original.jpg: Two Disasters Are Exponentially Worse Than One https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/0_K_ZaBX55dEjq357eZ05UhEUfI=/11x437:4208x2799/720x405/media/img/mt/2020/08/AP_20232111894684/original.jpg

Californians face an impossible choice between virus safety and fire safety.
Eleven thousand lightning strikes, 370 wildfires, a pandemic, a heat wave, and rolling blackouts—California has endured a lot (https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-08-19/northern-california-lightning-fires-explode-size-vacaville) this week. Hundreds of thousands of acres have burned, and tens of thousands of people have had to evacuate. The largest of the blazes—the LNU Lightning Complex fires, which alone span Napa, Sonoma, Solano, and Lake Counties—is only 7 percent contained.
One disaster is bad. Two are worse, but the damage doesn’t just double. This confluence of circumstances can seem like a series of independent misfortunes, when in fact it is a tangle of loose contingencies. A single high-pressure system (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-heatwave-california/californias-heat-wave-and-lightning-storms-rooted-in-same-weather-pattern-idUSKCN25F05P#:~:text=LOS%20ANGELES%20(Reuters)%20 %2D%20The,fire%20officials%20said%20on%20Tuesday.) rolling in from the Southwest initiated the heat wave and the thunderstorms, which together created the conditions for the fires, which will likely both exacerbate and be exacerbated by the pandemic, which has diminished firefighting resources (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jul/10/california-wildfire-coronavirus-prison-incarcerated-firefighters) and, along with the heat wave, contributed to the blackouts by keeping people at home with their air-conditioning on full blast.
These overlapping disasters compound. “It’s more than plus one,” says Susan Cutter, a disaster researcher at the University of South Carolina. To her knowledge, no one has quantified this synergy exactly, but “it certainly affects the response, probably in exponential ways.
California is witnessing this exponential relationship firsthand. Smoke now blankets much of the state—on Wednesday, air quality in the Bay Area (https://www.sfchronicle.com/california-wildfires/article/Bay-Area-awakens-to-smoky-skies-as-wildfires-rage-15495018.php) was the worst in the world—but N95 masks, essential for going outside in such conditions, have proved almost impossible to acquire since COVID-19 emerged. That shortage could in turn worsen the pandemic, since studies have found (https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/covid-pm) that breathing polluted air leaves the lungs more vulnerable to the coronavirus. Firefighting forces, which in California rely heavily on inmate labor (https://earther.gizmodo.com/california-s-prison-covid-19-outbreak-isn-t-behind-its-1844792699), have been depleted by both COVID-19 outbreaks in prisons and the early-release policies instituted to prevent them.

“You only have a certain amount of emergency-management capacity in the way of people and equipment and supplies,” says Mark Abkowitz, a civil- and environmental-engineering professor at Vanderbilt University. “If you think of that as a kind of reservoir, and you’re having to draw on it for multiple purposes at the same time, it leads to situations much more difficult in terms of getting the right amount of resources to the locations where they’re needed.”

These dynamics also play out at an individual, psychological level. Mental-health researchers have repeatedly found that a victim’s risk of post-disaster psychological trauma depends in large part on their history of mental-health problems. With each successive trauma, the risk heightens and the burden accumulates. “You can think of coping resources in part as a fixed entity, like a muscle,” says Joe Ruzek, a longtime PTSD researcher at Stanford University and Palo Alto University. “You have a certain amount of energy to deploy,” and at some point the amount required exceeds the amount available. That, at least in theory, is when resilience reaches its limit. For many people—especially health-care workers, COVID-19 patients, and those who have lost loved ones—the past six months have steadily depleted (https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/07/mental-health-aftermath-california-wildfires/608656/) those energy stores. As a result, people may have more trouble than usual coping with the wildfires, which leave deep psychological scars (https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/07/mental-health-aftermath-california-wildfires/608656/) even in ordinary years.
“You’ve got this background level of anxiety due to COVID-19, and then you add wildfires on top of that—that’s going to boost people’s level of distress,” says Steven Taylor, a psychiatry professor at the University of British Columbia, who last year published a book (http://www.cambridgescholars.com/the-psychology-of-pandemics) on the psychology of pandemics.

Read: What happens if a “big one” strikes during the pandemic? (https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/05/hurricane-earthquake-wildfire-tornado-disaster-pandemic/611455/)
What makes the wildfire-pandemic combination uniquely devastating at both a societal and a personal level is that the two disasters demand opposite responses. A pandemic, as Americans have learned, requires people to stay home and practice social distancing. A wildfire, by contrast, requires them to evacuate and congregate. The director of California’s Office of Emergency Services has acknowledged (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/19/us/ca-fires.html) the need for an evacuation plan tailored to the pandemic, and the state’s new rules provide for prepackaged meals, health screenings, and the conversion of hotels, campgrounds, and college dorms into shelters. Still, for most people, following one safety protocol will mean compromising on others. Hence the Californian’s dilemma: Those who flee risk infection; those who stay risk incineration. Something has to give.
Taylor worries about what this will mean for those torn between staying and fleeing. Persuading people to leave behind their home and possessions can be tricky even in ordinary times, he told me. Now imagine someone who has spent the pandemic adhering religiously to social-distancing guidelines. Imagine that she’s immunocompromised. Maybe a loved one has died of COVID-19. It is nighttime when the evacuation order arrives. The wind is blowing, and the fire is advancing, and there is nowhere to go but a shelter.
“That could paralyze some people behaviorally, not knowing what to do,” Taylor said. “It could be very bad for some people.” Jacob Stern has absolutely committed Plagiarism ie: Plagiarism is the representation of another author (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Author)'s language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions as one's own original work (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Original_work) OH well... someone reads my :subsim: posts and expands on the concept I 'spose...:hmmm: but it's still a rip off! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plagiarism (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plagiarism)

Jimbuna

08-23-20, 04:39 AM

Possibly old news right now but it is being reported that the POTUS has declared the situation as a major disaster and is about to release federal aid.

Why has it taken so long?

Catfish

08-23-20, 05:22 AM

I guess they had to ask Australia for help first :doh:

vienna

08-23-20, 07:35 AM

Argument duly noted, and well considered as usual but it's dangerous work as a fire-helicoptor pilot has already died this week.This is a matter of increase of firepower especially when the volume of fires exceeds last years' already. All fireplanes miss the mark like any bomber but this bad boy is seriously missing from the fight and I saw it first hand in 2017: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjCHXNHE6QE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjCHXNHE6QE) "von Claucsewitzian" Rule 2: ie always increase firepower if possible; and doing the work of six conventional aircraft - is essentially military 'economy of forces' : literally ten fewer pilots and crews. The 747 is a two plane affair with a spotter aircraft leading the way and releasing smoke at the drop point. Even the DC-10 uses a Cessna Citation spotter And even the DC-10 with half the payload of the 747, gets a little too close to ridge terrain for comfort: video #1: https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/4551/watch-this-epic-retardant-drop-run-by-a-firefighting-dc-10 (https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/4551/watch-this-epic-retardant-drop-run-by-a-firefighting-dc-10) Note spotter in video #2; complete with puff of smoke!!:yeah:

That aircraft made an appearance here in SoCal a few years ago, were tested , including some use in actual fire fighting, and the local fire authorities mulled over whether or not to lease/buy one, but the initial runs in the mountainous terrain with deep valley and their updrafts/downdrafts/air-bursts raised concerns about the long-term safety of the craft in use in SoCal; concerns were actually raised about the possibility of such a craft running into trouble, crashing in the woods, and either spreading an already bad fire even more, or if it landed in an area father away, creating a new fire front; I never heard or saw any actual resolution, so my guess the idea was just allowed to peter out...

The lead plane system is also in effect down here and there have been reports of drop runs being aborted when the smaller lead planes ran into strong turbulence caused by the fires and caution called for a wave off of the larger planes; I agree it is usually best to have the most available volume, but it looks like local conditions tend to dictate the prudence of avoiding unacceptable risk...

Possibly old news right now but it is being reported that the POTUS has declared the situation as a major disaster and is about to release federal aid.

Why has it taken so long?

California is on Trump's naughty list' since we are essentially a heavily Democratic controlled state; it is the home of his nemesis, the Federal 9th Circuit Court of Appeals (who have thwarted a lot of his shenanigans); it is the home state of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (another nemesis); the state has refused to give obeisance to King Donald at all levels; the GOP took a very sound thrashing in 2016 and 2018 in CA (where a county solidly held by the GOP not only voted overwhelmingly for Clinton in 2016, it also voted out all the remaining GOP incumbents/candidates in 2018 in favor of DEMs, the first time had happened since 1936); etc., etc.; it is a long list and DT holds very big grudges; he has tried in the past to withhold or remove Federal funds and/or assistance unless CA gives in to his demands, always losing, either due to court rulings, or the realization by the GOP and his advisors, his actions could have very serious PR implications; just the day before yesterday, CA' Governor, Gavin Newsom, was questioned about the lack of a Federal State of Emergency Declaration from the White House and assured the public communications were open between the State and White House and he had been re assured by persons in the Trump Administration a Declaration was forthcoming and, it has indeed been issued; Gov. Newsom also noted that the very public threats and blustering by Trump quite often are belied by actual actions taken:

Amid raging fires and pandemic, Newsom calls relationship with Trump ‘very effective’ --

https://calmatters.org/politics/2020/08/newsom-trump-relationship-california-fires/

I think Newsom has taken a page fom the Putin/Kim playbooks and sussed out that if you pat Trump on the head, give him a cookie, and tell him he's a good boy, he'll happily give you what you need...

Its a pity such games have to be played to get urgently needed aid; hopefully next January will see a marked decrease in such pettiness...

<O>

Aktungbby

08-23-20, 10:57 AM

The Sunday Tally:
194 fire engines; 35 water tenders; 11 helocopters; 13 handcrews(in short supply); 36 bulldozers; total personnell: 1,349... on the LNU fire. Four are known dead; 560 structures destroyed with another 30,500 endangered. The fire is now the second biggest,only surpassed by the Mendocino fire of 2019. Statewide there are 585 over week, most generated by lightning strikes ie: 1,000,000,000 acres or 1562 square miles burned. The Napa fire(s) is currently at 15% containment. The Walbridge fire in neighboring Sonoma county is at 50,000 acres with 0% containment. The ash and smoke from that blaze are hitting my house on the prevailing westerly winds. Cal Fire has designated the NorthBay fires, incl. Santa Cruz, as top priority of the hundreds burning across California. Winds are temperate but more lightning is still expected; standby evacuation orders remain in place.

Jimbuna

08-23-20, 12:23 PM

The Sunday Tally:

You just make sure you and yours keep out of harms way.

Aktungbby

08-23-20, 12:48 PM

You just make sure you and yours keep out of harms way.Life in Napa: Wear mask for Covid & smoke; drink $2 Buck Chuck chardonnay; :Dremain in 'bugout mode'... 2 cars loaded: insurance docs, catfood, water, clean laundry, cookies for three days, cash... with garage rollupdoor open 24/7 in case of power failure: that boo-boo alone killed four in 2018's Santa Rosa downtown firestorm! It's: 'the new normal' meets 'what a fascinating modern age I live in!':k_confused:

Buddahaid

08-24-20, 12:12 AM

Weather has cooled and is sprinkling a bit. I can smell the rain and am opening up the house for an air exchange tonight. I can't smell any smoke but the air is likely still not healthy, then again, it feels good and smells good at last.

Aktungbby

08-30-20, 10:46 AM

The Sunday Tally::Kaleun_Thumbs_Up: cooler weather has enabled fire crews to to build more containment lines. Containment is at 41% up from 35g on Friday night. 373,324 acres are burned; 52 structures destroyed; with 340 others damaged. 2800 firefighters are on on the lines after 12 days. The weather is forecast for very warm for the upcoming week: "the climatological peak of fire season!" :hmmm: Skies are overcast and smoke reeks through the house as I post. Dove, wild turkey and deer hunting season is cancelled for remainder of year. Damn!

Aktungbby

09-03-20, 11:03 AM

The Hennesy portion of the LNU fire which has expanded into five counties has destroyed 297 homes and is 74% contained with no expansion. Between the 2018 infernos and this one, the homes destroyed count is right at 1,000-a serious hit to the county a$$e$$or's revenues. Officially, fully 33% of Napa county is charred. The weather, which has been merciful with temperate heat and mild wind, is forecast for the Labor Day weekend at 100-105 F.; bad enough, but no lightning strikes are forecast.

Aktungbby

09-07-20, 12:26 PM

tmccarthy

09-07-20, 04:11 PM

THIS JUST IN: the El Dorado fire, now around 8000 acres in southern California, was started at a 'gender reveal':hmmm: party by a smoke generating pyrotechnic machine...:k_confused:two days ago! Given the nature of Californian zaniness, a legal "spare the air day" in effect, and any excuse to party- the wrath of God is completely comprehensible in this case.

I just saw that, these kinds of people are going to be the end of us...

Nice view when I went out to the store yesterday, Japatul Fire.
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/6100/EMQo0v.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ojJgmPCc2Q&ab_channel=FoxNews

OV-10 and Aerial Tankers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ett3q87ADTU&t=1s&ab_channel=911VIDEONEWS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1bMnUggEfM&t=2s&ab_channel=911VIDEONEWS

tmccarthy

09-08-20, 12:29 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Vy2CdUqYa8&ab_channel=StoryfulRightsManagement

Aktungbby

09-08-20, 11:04 AM

The El Dorado Fire now up to 20,000 evacuated and 10,000 acres. The reveal partyers tried desperately to put out the flames with water bottles from the car...No Can Do!:wah: They showed authorities pics of their futile 'A for effort' but face a tremendous bill for damages and felony criminal charges. And I still don't know: boy or girl!:hmmm:

Mr Quatro

09-08-20, 01:13 PM

This is the Creek Fire near Huntington Lake in California ...
Looks like Hiroshima, uh?

https://wildfiretoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Creek-Fire-September-5-2020.jpg

Tearing through the parched Sierra National Forest in Central California, the Creek Fire exploded into a fierce inferno over the weekend, devouring forest land and trapping hundreds of people

Aktungbby

09-08-20, 03:47 PM

This is the Creek Fire near Huntington Lake in California ...
Looks like Hiroshima, uh?

https://wildfiretoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Creek-Fire-September-5-2020.jpg...otherwise known as a 'flammagenitas' or 'pyrocumulous' cloud! Best keep with the technical jargon...after all it's the new normal!:O:

Buddahaid

09-09-20, 09:30 PM

SF this evening. It has looked like a martian sky all day long and everything is getting a coating of ash. At least it doesn't smell bad even if it is unhealthy.
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/800x600q90/922/OgvJbY.jpg

Aktungbby

09-09-20, 09:52 PM

Napa's completely socked in due to smoke; 0930 AM looks like 8PM, an orange-grey 'twilight of the gods' effect. I presume the sun is shining-last night a baleful red eye was at least visible; this morning....not even that much. Old movies and AC are the agenda...'till PG &E, CA's criminal utility, cuts off the power in a proactive blackout as they did over in Santa Rosa/SONOMA County all night long where my daughter resides. Additionally, 5,000 customers in north Napa county are w/o power...thus far, due to windy conditions affecting old power-lines. Fortunately the temps will be around 85F. down from 109-104 F. yesterday...hey!: "We be chillin' in the hood bro!" :D and I don't have to mow the ash-laden lawn!:yeah: EDIT: The dystopian effect of the orange sky looks like the set of Blade Runner II and is expected to last 'till Sunday. Economy of forces: I now wear the mask for smoke... and Covid virus!:timeout:
SF this evening. It has looked the a martian sky all day long and everything is getting a coating of ash. At least it doesn't smell bad even if it is unhealthy.
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/800x600q90/922/OgvJbY.jpg
Thanks for that SF skyline pic! "ONE pic is worth a thousand words":doh: This is disgustingly amazing. I tried to take picture but I-phone camera tech can't grasp it. Scene from Blade Runner 2049; https://www.dw.com/image/40726767_401.jpg:k_confused:

Buddahaid

09-09-20, 09:58 PM

That looks like a Prius...

Aktungbby

09-10-20, 12:41 AM

That looks like a Prius...Never mind the Prius BBY! it's your sig quote that intrigues: However vast the darkness, we must provide our own light."
Stanley Kubrick ....https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/pwNBYC2V5cRjqp0bWI5sLrlVM6w=/0x0:3000x2000/920x613/filters:focal(1213x611:1693x1091)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/63229308/clockwork_orange_getty_ringer.0.jpgKubrick's movie:< A Clockwork Orange vs: we're providing our own light very poorly these days!!??:k_confused: & We could sure stand to be ''Singin' in the Rain!'' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2a73Z-cTMo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2a73Z-cTMo)

Aktungbby

09-10-20, 11:42 AM

In today's Napa Register sports section on the Safeway Open: a true 'Clockwork Orange:Kaleun_Thumbs_Up: https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/napavalleyregister.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/ab/7ab892d5-59c9-5310-8acf-4723186a40a8/5f5956f33b2c1.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C800:03: and front dead center in todays Wall Street Journal: http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-09/10/139358442_15997252686141n.jpg....following 8 hours behind Buddahaid:D:Kaleun_Salute: Taken at noon!! On the other hand, the 'Golden Gate' is really golden!! https://images.wsj.net/im-230337?width=620&size=1.5& no place to be up top-my normal commute:http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-09/10/139358442_15997252686241n.jpg

mapuc

09-10-20, 01:24 PM

I can't imagine what would happen if one of these fire get in touch with one of the big cities in California, Oregon and Washington.

Markus

Aktungbby

09-10-20, 01:37 PM

I can't imagine what would happen if one of these fire get in touch with one of the big cities in California, Oregon and Washington.

Markuspost 50 of this thread leaves nuthin' to imagination; Santa Rosa is big enough to qualify! The wildfire 'broke the rules' and wiped out an entire subdivision of a good sized city one county over. 5 small towns in Oregan: Santium Valley, Blue River, Vida, Phoenix, and Talent are gone as of today with unknown casualties.

Jimbuna

09-10-20, 01:46 PM

post 50 of this thread leaves nuthin' to imagination; Santa Rosa is big enough to qualify! The wildfire 'broke the rules' and wiped out an entire subdivision of a good sized city one county over. 5 small towns in Oregan: Santium Valley, Blue River, Vida, Phoenix, and Talent are gone as of today with unknown casualties.

Absolutely tragic! :nope:

mapuc

09-10-20, 02:15 PM

Oh man this is beyond tragic

Markus

Aktungbby

09-10-20, 02:15 PM

5 small towns in Oregan: Santium Valley, Blue River, Vida, Phoenix, and Talent are gone as of today with unknown casualties.

Absolutely tragic! :nope:Inasmuch as the town of Paradise, with 86 dead, 95% destroyed and 18,800 destroyed buildings in 2018, is under reconstruction with people moving back, businesses reopening; I have every expectation that Phoenix, at least, will live up to billing and..."rise from the ashes"!:yep::ping::yeah:

Gerald

09-11-20, 04:29 AM

https://i.imgur.com/2QL9qjq.jpg
More than 10% of Oregon's population are fleeing, according to the Oregon Office of Emergency Management

More than half a million people in the US state of Oregon are fleeing deadly wildfires that are raging across the Pacific Northwest, authorities say.

Fanned by unusually hot, dry winds, dozens of fires are sweeping the state, and at least one is being treated as suspected arson.

Governor Kate Brown said the exact number of fatalities was not yet known, though at least four were confirmed.

More than 100 wildfires are currently scorching 12 western US states.

The worst affected are Oregon, California and Washington, where entire towns have been destroyed.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54113416

Sad to see and read about.:nope:

Aktungbby

09-28-20, 12:08 AM

Back at it again, A 1500 acre grass fire (the Glass fire)being fought largely by air tankers since 0400AM, NE of me, has jumped west into nearby Sonoma county. Temperatures at 100F. and steady rare easterly winds are creating difficulties. Additionally, this has precipitated a hill fire to the NW of me and a large evac order in what is dubbed the Shadey Fire. Temps tomorrow are still predicted above 100F. Neighbors on my street are taking in their north county relatives even as I post, that have been evacuated from the Glass fire. More as the situation developes...

Catfish

09-28-20, 01:43 AM

Phew, i wish you all the best! Did not look good in the News :hmmm:

Aktungbby

09-28-20, 02:35 AM

Phew, i wish you all the best! Did not look good in the News :hmmm:Thanks. This one going from east to west and has jumped the main highway thru the Napa valley; which is indicative that no one's got a handle on the situation at all. There is now a third small 50 acre fire as well. All three current blazes are on steep rough terrain. The Glass fire is now 2500 acres.

Jimbuna

09-28-20, 05:43 AM

Keep yersels safe :salute:

Aktungbby

09-28-20, 11:27 AM

Thanks. All three fires are now at 12,000 acres; the NE shifty winds aren't helping, but are 5-15 mph with occasional 60mph gusts off the mtns; and the temperature will be in the 100's today. At least we now have 1,000+ ground fire crew to hand. Large mandatory evacuations are ordered. The fire at St Helena, 20 miles north of me is 1/4 mile from my daughter's museum. She's returning from a camp trip to Monterey as I post and will have to use the western Hwy 101 approach as the main Hwy 12 twixt Sonoma and her Santa Rosa home(40 miles) is completely shut down...with evacuations ordered on the Sonoma side of the Mayacamas mtn range just west of my abode, which burned terribly in 2018. It's very smokey but nuthin' my Covid mask can't handle!:shucks: EDIT: my daughter's residence is barely outside the Sonoma evac warning area. She and her young man are within 10 minutes of their abode to collect his car and pack up to come to my house. What way to end a camptrip... with more camping at our place. Fortunately they're young and poor so not so much stuff! I do hope they salvage their Scotch whiskey collection!:up:Two years ago we'd moved all our art, documents, cats and valuables to their downtown Napa apartment when the fires approached 8,000 ft....serious bugout mode 101...quid pro quo fuego! BBY

Aktungbby

09-28-20, 06:20 PM

This is getting close to home: my neighbors inlaw refugees across the street have lost their home around St Helena. My daughter's museum board chairman is sure her's is gone just north of St Helena. Fortunately the kids, who are fed and camped in our guest room have renters insurance...and brought most of the whisky collection! passports, car titles...and toothbrushes,
:up:In a crisis, one must prioritise and we're certainly getting soooo good at it!:haha::timeout::oops::wah: I think I'm up one fire to Neal's hurricane tally....:hmmm:Currently the tally is 36,000 acres up from 11,000 this morning!! and 80,000 evacuated... containment is 0% on all three fires. The smoke while not heavy by previous standards, is pervasive and keeps the DC-10 tanker from operating.:down::damn: EDIT: world famous Meadowood Resort, where President Bush and Obama have stayed...is gone! My refugee daughter just showed me the totally-engulfed pic on her cell phone.

Aktungbby

09-28-20, 11:07 PM

As night falls: 36,236 acres are ash; with 0% containment. Over 1,000 firefighters, 133 engines 22 water tenders,5 copters, 26 hand crews, and 35 dozers currently committed to a two county blaze. All persons on standby are advised to have 'bugout bags' good-to-go and head South to Napa City. The entire City of Calistoga, 20 minutes north, is under mandatory evacuation. So if headed to safety,...have face mask, practice good hygiene and social distancing....:yeah:

Catfish

09-29-20, 01:14 AM

man i hope all goes well and the fire does not spread further.. one should think there isn't much left to burn left.

Jimbuna

09-29-20, 04:13 AM

Sounds extremely bad, I'm grateful we don't experience these sort of conditions in the UK.

Aktungbby

09-29-20, 01:42 PM

man i hope all goes well and the fire does not spread further.. one should think there isn't much left to burn left.

Sounds extremely bad, I'm grateful we don't experience these sort of conditions in the UK.thanks all:salute: the acreage is now at 46,250ish predominantly in a new swath not previously consumed in 2018 or or this year's LNU massive affair all fitting to the south of the even earlier Cobb Mtn inferno in the early posts of this thread. The city of Angwin, where the fire started, in addition to Calistoga, is just been ordered evacuated. Containment is still 0% with 50 homes destroyed so far. There are no known dead! :yeah: The entire western slope of the Mayacamas range along the 20+ mile hwy. 12 axis to within two blocks of my daughter's downtown Santa Rosa abode is evacuated. The easterly winds are blowing it toward Buddahaid's location and the ocean. Spare-the-air is in effect...no burgers on the grill for me and my refugee guests.:wah: Fortunately, humidity/night fog is increasing and the NE winds aren't ferocious. My prospective son-in-law beer maker actually went to work 40 miles NW in Sonoma County...but it's the long way 'round with hwy 12 closed. :hmmm: JEEZE! Talk 'bout Roman around! He brews a 'smokey' Pliny the Elder craft beer named for the admiral/naturalist who died in 79 AD in the sulphurous vapors of Vesuvius, rescueing refugees at Pompeii...pick yer disaster preference BBY!:Kaleun_Party::()1::dead:

Aktungbby

09-30-20, 08:36 AM

As of thos AM: 73 square miles burned; 97 structures destroyed; containment is 2%:yeah:...:timeout: The evac order is lifted in daughter's case but it's still pretty smokey; so no rush to get back home....especially as the temperature will be 100F. today and good ol' mommy and daddy have AC which her apartment does not!:oops: Winds are aberrant but under 20 mph. Fire crews from Mexico(100 from Guadalahara) and 165 Texicans (thanks Neal!:salute:) have arrived to help. As fires go, this isn't a real big one, but it's sure exactly in the wrong place$ and going the wrong way...east to west! Winds are still from NNE. A fog bank off the Pacific coast is contributing 30% humidity which is greatly appreciated.

Aktungbby

10-01-20, 04:58 PM

Skys are solid smoke preventing airtankers from adding 'firepower' to the massive effort. A Red Flag Warning is in effect as the winds are expected to be worse. Acreage burned 58,885; containment is at 5%...no doubt do to more troops arriving on the ground. We've been fortunate though, 220 homes destroyed; no fatalities as in the Zogg fire to the north. Of the 8,100!! fires so far in CA this season, most of those still burning are 25-100% contained, actually a technical term: 100%: "still burning but cannot spread". The Glass/Shady/Boysen is the least contained and real progress generally is nil until 35% containment is achieved. With the Red Flag Alert, the winds are shifting back to WNW from the ocean; but also improving humidity at 20% which is an asset. Also the large DC-10 and airplane tankers are back at italong with the 'copters; even as ground-crew #s are increasing...currently 2500.:Kaleun_Thumbs_Up:

Aktungbby

10-04-20, 05:25 PM

63,450 acres burned...2,000 just last night. 173 homes , 264 commercial properties destroyed...25 homes just last night. In Sonoma's side, 120 homes destroyed 57 damaged. 36,472 people still evacuated. CONTAINMENT IS AT 15%! Only 20% more to attain a more favorably operational 35%. Today at least the skys are blue, the sun is shining, and today I only wear a mask for Covid...not smoke!:Kaleun_Wink: Most of my front room is currently a repository for my daughter's museum artifacts attained in a 2 Subaru convoy for safekeeping. What daddy does for baby!:O:The two towns closest to the museum are still totally evacuated with damage. Additionally, the musum boardmember's threatend home, presumed destroyed, was saved in part by adroit firemen heros seriously 'put to it' using the swimpool's water and transferrering bugout readied valuables into one of the Jeeps. Some outbuildings and a garage were burned. These days: that's called "gettin' lucky"!:Kaleun_Salute: Thus far, the burned CA lands would cover the entire state of Connecticut!:o

ET2SN

10-05-20, 04:19 AM

the skys are blue, the sun is shining, and today I only wear a mask for Covid...not smoke!:Kaleun_Wink:

I realize its Cali, but you should also be wearing pants. Imagine if you sat on a hot ember. :o

:O:

Semi serious question: With all the devastation on the west coast, where are all the Sasquatch? :hmmm:

You would think they would all be hitching on PCH to get to Hollywood. :timeout:

Keep yer head down and yer powder dry. At least the locust haven't shown up yet. :salute::yeah:

Catfish

10-05-20, 04:39 AM

Heard some vineyards and vineries were burnt down, with the loss of some hundreds thousands of bottles.. i know it's only material damage but..
And only 2-5 percent of the fires under control ? :o

Jimbuna

10-05-20, 05:09 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9bDxFSXijE

Aktungbby

10-05-20, 11:10 AM

Semi serious question: With all the devastation on the west coast, where are all the Sasquatch? :hmmm:
Keep yer head down and yer powder dry. At least the locust haven't shown up yet. :salute::yeah: ]My wife insists I'm a Yeti in my own right:O:...as for powder, thats somthing of an issue as my 3 lbs reenacting black powder and one tube of modern for reloading 45-70 Sharps & trapdoor Springfield are in a metal trunk with my bullet lead and molds in the mancave armory,,,if the shack goes up...it really goes up!:oops:

Heard some vineyards and vineries were burnt down, with the loss of some hundreds thousands of bottles.. i know it's only material damage but..
And only 2-5 percent of the fires under control ? :o 15% contained. One of the museum's other board members is at Schramsburg next to the damaged Castile di Amoroso winery. They had seriously cut back the dense undergrowth and barely saved the old founder's 1850's mansion. Fortunately, most of the bottled stuff is fermenting in deep caves I love to visit but the Cabernet Sauvignon still on the vines is pretty toasted or too smokey to be used. The tourist tax for the county, a major municipal income source, already impacted by Covid(25% hotel occupancy) and residential property taxes are going to be seriously afflicted. But at least the evacuees have places to stay. So far, this season, I've not been summond for anti-looting work...always a problem in these affairs. At my age, it's tough to tell "the bad guys" (locusts! indeed!)anyway if everyone's wearing a mask!!?.:timeout: EDIT: No sooner do I post this, than I note my local paper's headline: "Hotels welcome evacuees"...:haha:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9bDxFSXijEgreat video...the "new normal":hmmm: a calm moonlit night with mild winds helps. The fire season,still far from over: 8,200 fires; 4,000,000!! (6,250 sq. miles)acres burned; 31 dead; 8400 buildings. By comparison, the 2018 season only burned 1.67 million acres! I 'spect I'm a "closet Catholic"ie: after time in purgatory surely I shall attain paradise...:oops: even Paradise CA [82 dead 95% destroyed)didn't survive! :timeout: