Wildfire(s) Out West

tbergs

How sad. To have lived so long to both die in this wildfire. Terrible. 

100-year-old husband, 98-year-old wife killed in fire

From CNN’s Laura Díaz-Zúñiga

Charles and Sara Rippey were killed when the Atlas fire “immediately engulfed” their home in flames in the Silverado Country Club area, said Napa County spokesperson Kristi Jourdan.

Charles was 100 years old and Sara was 98.

brianlux

Annafalk said:

This is so horrible. Could there be done more prevention work, I don’t know. Climate changes says to be one of the reasons.

Undoubtedly. 

Another factor is 100 years of suppressing natural small fires the keep down underbrush thus reducing the "fire ladder" (a problem all over the west).

PJPOWER

brianlux said:

Annafalk said:

This is so horrible. Could there be done more prevention work, I don’t know. Climate changes says to be one of the reasons.

Undoubtedly. 

Another factor is 100 years of suppressing natural small fires the keep down underbrush thus reducing the "fire ladder" (a problem all over the west).

I once read that when the US was first settled, a fire would burn from OK all the way to Canada every couple of years.  Unfathomable... 

Lizard

This is incredibly horrible....i cannot believe the devastation in Nor Cal going on.  And the one burning here in So California is incredibly destructive as well but thankfully no lives lost.

brianlux

PJPOWER said:

brianlux said:

Annafalk said:

This is so horrible. Could there be done more prevention work, I don’t know. Climate changes says to be one of the reasons.

Undoubtedly. 

Another factor is 100 years of suppressing natural small fires the keep down underbrush thus reducing the "fire ladder" (a problem all over the west).

I once read that when the US was first settled, a fire would burn from OK all the way to Canada every couple of years.  Unfathomable... 

Wow!  I don't know much about mid-west grass land fires.  I know some native tribes used fire to heard buffalo.  Here in the west back before aggressive wild-land fire suppression started to occur, natural lightning-strike fires would regularly clear away low lying brush and thin out weaker trees and saplings.  Fire was a good and natural p[art of the ecological cycles.  In fact, redwoods and mazanita need fire to propagate.  Humans have yet again created a dire situation with our foolish intervention in Mother Natures wise design.

Lizard said:

This is incredibly horrible....i cannot believe the devastation in Nor Cal going on.  And the one burning here in So California is incredibly destructive as well but thankfully no lives lost.

Yeah, I heard things are bad in places down your way.  Be safe!

The fire we viewed yesterday in it's early stages is the Table Fire.  A CalFire dude I know said our resources and manpower are spread so thin right now that only a fraction of the force that would be sent to fight it could be gathered.  El Dorado National Forest is huge and tinder dry so I'm a bit nervous about this one (but not for my own safety). 

Our neighborhood is semi rural and quite dry so we keep a close watch.  I will be SO GLAD when the rains come. 

brianlux

Tensions are pretty obvious even a few hours away as we are from the worst fires (though there are a couple smaller ones about 30 minutes from here). 

The next 24 hours are super critical.  These are the major fires in northern/central California right now:



Here's a closer view of the "wine country" fires late this morning (all are bigger now):


The Atlas Fire (the one closest to the left of Sacramento) is now within 8 miles of the north side of Interstate 80 with winds blowing from north to south expected to be steady 18 to 20 MPH with gusts up to 35 for the next 24 hours and then calming but continued after that. 

I can't remember a worse fire season.

brianlux

I woke up early to really bad smoke in the air.  Left a window open a little- bad idea.  It looks like dense fog out but it's all smoke.  Gonna be a rough day.

brianlux

The bigger story here, of course, is the cluster of fire raging through a the counties north of San Francisco.  21 dead, hundreds missing, at least 1500 homes and businesses lost, with more than 50,000 acres burning and little containment so far.   

But also, one of the many tragedies includes the burning of  the Luther Burbank Center in Santa Rosa.  It was heavily damaged (look more like all but destroyed to me) by one of the several fires. 

The LBC is one of the finest venues for music I've even been in.  The acoustics were great, sound systems first class, two very comfortable and attractive theaters.   Some of the best shows I've seen have taken place in this venue including seeing John Lee Hooker with Carlos Santana, Leo Kottke, and Johnny Cash and June Cater Cash.

And almost forgot to mention-- this is the theater where George Carlin gave his final HBO televised performance.

Before:





After (east end):

cp3iverson

Stay safe man 

Lizard

So sad...and so many reported missing... I heard a count of 500 but not sure if accurate.

Has POTUS made ANY Comment about this tragedy and devastation?  I have not see that he has but i could have missed it...

and yes, stay safe Brian

brianlux

I received a detailed email today from a good friend/former wife who lives in Sonoma County.  Her descriptions were sobering.  The devastation is huge and the air is very bad.  She described it as "really toxic".  With all those chemicals that make up so may homes, businesses and vehicles burned it's no wonder.  And of course the loss of human and animal life and natural surroundings.  Really sad. 

On a positive note, I heard from someone close that people are working very hard and supportive to help all those who lost everything, to find missing loved one and pets.  Not out of the woods yet by any means but people are working together- a lot of support going out.

Lizard said:

So sad...and so many reported missing... I heard a count of 500 but not sure if accurate.

Has POTUS made ANY Comment about this tragedy and devastation?  I have not see that he has but i could have missed it...

and yes, stay safe Brian

Thanks, Lizard.  So far, all's well here.  The fires in the El Dorado National Forest have grown but not quickly as of now and are still at a safe distance. 

curmudgeoness

I've been looking around but haven't seen good suggestions of ways to help. I tried checking some of the Bay Area papers but seem to be coming up empty. Any suggestions for where to send donations?

brianlux

curmudgeoness said:

I've been looking around but haven't seen good suggestions of ways to help. I tried checking some of the Bay Area papers but seem to be coming up empty. Any suggestions for where to send donations?

Great question!  Charity Navigator lists several but none are rated.  My sister lives close to the fire area (safe so far) and has really been on top of things there so I'll ask her advice.

https://www.charitynavigator.org/?bay=search.results&keyword_list=napa sonoma fires

brianlux

Here's a fire map that gives excellent detail on current fire conditions in the Napa/Sonoma area:

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/multimedia/7516058-181/pd-default-story-headline-xy

If I'm interpreting this map correctly, it looks like all of beautiful Sugarloaf Ridge State Park is burned or burning-- a huge loss.  We already contribute to CA state parks but this prompts me to renew my membership to CNPS (California Native Plant Society) as well.

http://www.cnps.org/cnps/about/

bootlegger10

So very sad.  I was in California several weeks ago and just loved it out there.  Can't wait to go back. 

brianlux

Here's what my sister said about giving aid to Napa/Sonoma:

The donation and volunteer
response with the fires here has been overwhelming. We have resources.  Evacuation
centers have said that they have more "stuff" than they need. They send it off in
huge containers where it languishes for years, i.e., Napa after the 2015 earthquake.
I am told that we don’t need more volunteers. Let those of us that are close to the
affected area do our part—we will be good neighbors. 

Americans in desperate need are in Puerto Rico and they have been left stranded. 
Our evil, sick government has said, "Help can’t stay there too long."  Too long?) 

I am donating goods and time where it will do good close by. But my money goes to
places that are hurting much worse. Much worse.

curmudgeoness

Thanks for following up, Brian. [I never send "stuff" -- I know that just creates work.] If it looks like people will be covered by insurance, etc., I am happy to continue to send money to the Caribbean instead.

brianlux

curmudgeoness said:

Thanks for following up, Brian. [I never send "stuff" -- I know that just creates work.] If it looks like people will be covered by insurance, etc., I am happy to continue to send money to the Caribbean instead.

Wonderful!

They seem to be getting a handle on most of the fires.  Some great stories of survival have been coming out, winds have calmed down and rain is expected for Thursday night!  Finally some good news!

tbergs

Well, Breitbart found a way to make this story:

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-sonoma-arson-20171017-story.html

Into this story:

http://www.breitbart.com/california/2017/10/19/wine-country-ice-director-illegal-alien-charged-with-felony-sonoma-fire-twice-returned-to-mexico-sanctuary-state/

Ridiculous.

brianlux

tbergs said:

Well, Breitbart found a way to make this story:

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-sonoma-arson-20171017-story.html

Into this story:

http://www.breitbart.com/california/2017/10/19/wine-country-ice-director-illegal-alien-charged-with-felony-sonoma-fire-twice-returned-to-mexico-sanctuary-state/

Ridiculous.

Typical Breibart bullshit.  It's been known for days that incident of arson was not the cause of these fires. Goddamn right-wing bullshit!

brianlux

Regarding the current Southern California fires: 

I can't believe I'm writing about fires in California in December- at least not like the ones going on in Southern California (Hedo, I hope you're safe!)  In my 66 years here, I've never seen or heard of fires like this in this state in December.  Neither has my wife and she used to be married to a long-time CalFire fire fighter. 

If you have FaceBook, check out the fire video posted by Barstool Sports- I don't know how to link it but the images are scary. 

I read elsewhere that Mikael Jorgensen, keyboardist for Wilco, had to evacuate and has posted photos on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mikaeljorgensen/?hl=en

We had some decent rain a while back but nothing but cold and DRY for a while now.  It's very hard to predict weather on the west coast but I sure to wish winter rains will come before too long!
 

Thoughts_Arrive

Strange seeing wildfires in winter.
Or is Cali never cold?

tempo_n_groove

I've lived in California in 83-86 and again in 93-97 and as far back as I can remember they were talking about "super Soaker" planes that could drop thousands of gallons of water at a time.  California was going to buy a fleet of them.

Why has this never happened?  Seriously @brianlux

hedonist

brianlux said:

Regarding the current Southern California fires: 

I can't believe I'm writing about fires in California in December- at least not like the ones going on in Southern California (Hedo, I hope you're safe!)  In my 66 years here, I've never seen or heard of fires like this in this state in December.  Neither has my wife and she used to be married to a long-time CalFire fire fighter. 

If you have FaceBook, check out the fire video posted by Barstool Sports- I don't know how to link it but the images are scary. 

I read elsewhere that Mikael Jorgensen, keyboardist for Wilco, had to evacuate and has posted photos on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mikaeljorgensen/?hl=en

We had some decent rain a while back but nothing but cold and DRY for a while now.  It's very hard to predict weather on the west coast but I sure to wish winter rains will come before too long!
 

B, thanks - we're safe but the fires are close enough to where smoke engulfed us for a while.  This morning appears calmer; hopefully Mother Nature grants us a bit of mercy.

My heart so goes out to the many who have lost their homes, their animals.  Thankfully, no human lives lost thus far.

brianlux

tempo_n_groove said:

I've lived in California in 83-86 and again in 93-97 and as far back as I can remember they were talking about "super Soaker" planes that could drop thousands of gallons of water at a time.  California was going to buy a fleet of them.

Why has this never happened?  Seriously @brianlux

This is a start but I'm sure money is a factor. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3AWMGQ5ot0

brianlux

hedonist said:

brianlux said:

Regarding the current Southern California fires: 

I can't believe I'm writing about fires in California in December- at least not like the ones going on in Southern California (Hedo, I hope you're safe!)  In my 66 years here, I've never seen or heard of fires like this in this state in December.  Neither has my wife and she used to be married to a long-time CalFire fire fighter. 

If you have FaceBook, check out the fire video posted by Barstool Sports- I don't know how to link it but the images are scary. 

I read elsewhere that Mikael Jorgensen, keyboardist for Wilco, had to evacuate and has posted photos on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mikaeljorgensen/?hl=en

We had some decent rain a while back but nothing but cold and DRY for a while now.  It's very hard to predict weather on the west coast but I sure to wish winter rains will come before too long!
 

B, thanks - we're safe but the fires are close enough to where smoke engulfed us for a while.  This morning appears calmer; hopefully Mother Nature grants us a bit of mercy.

My heart so goes out to the many who have lost their homes, their animals.  Thankfully, no human lives lost thus far.

Good to know you're safe and good to hear no human lives lost.  Sad to see so much wildlife affected though.

Asterisk on the Street

The Thomas Fire in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties is still growing. So far it has burned over 269,000 acres with only 40% containment. One Firefighter has died fighting the fire. Over 900 structures have been destroyed with many more threatened. My son and his girlfriend were in the mandatory evacuation area, and they had to get out for a week. Their apartment is still standing and his workplace was spared, but her workplace burned down. 




http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-thomas-fire-ledeall-20171217-story.html

Halifax2TheMax

Has Team Trump Treason held a presser to explain what his administration and cabinet secretaries are doing to help mitigate the effects of this continuing disaster? Has Team Trump Treason shown any leadership on this in the slightest? If so, what exactly is Team Trump Treason doing?

brianlux

Asterisk on the Street said:

The Thomas Fire in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties is still growing. So far it has burned over 269,000 acres with only 40% containment. One Firefighter has died fighting the fire. Over 900 structures have been destroyed with many more threatened. My son and his girlfriend were in the mandatory evacuation area, and they had to get out for a week. Their apartment is still standing and his workplace was spared, but her workplace burned down. 




http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-thomas-fire-ledeall-20171217-story.html

I was reading about the Thomas fire today and just simply find this so hard to believe yet it is true.  Here we are in mid December and a fire closing in on (and will likely surpass) 300,000 acres.  The latest CalFire figures show 1026 structures lost with 18,000 threatens.  In mid December!

Here in Northern California it has been nothing but dry for weeks.   This does not bode well for our near future.  Scary times her out west.

Halifax2TheMax said:

Has Team Trump Treason held a presser to explain what his administration and cabinet secretaries are doing to help mitigate the effects of this continuing disaster? Has Team Trump Treason shown any leadership on this in the slightest? If so, what exactly is Team Trump Treason doing?

Team Trump remains dead silent in CA.

Meltdown99

Judge: Teen must repay $37 million for starting wildfire along Columbia River Gorge

http://q13fox.com/2018/05/21/judge-teen-must-repay-37-million-for-starting-wildfire-along-columbia-river-gorge/

The headlines a little misleading ...

From the article.."The boy can set up a payment plan, though payments can be halted after 10 years as long as he complies, completes probation and doesn't commit other crimes."

I