West Coast Fires

[cyrano]

It seems the deplorable state of infrastructure is one often overlooked reason for fires. Even something as simple as a hook becomes dangerous after almost a cebtury, especially when the owner doesn't seem to care one bit:

https://twitter.com/TubeTimeUS/status/1306359385656946688

 

[crazydoc]

Making a mitigation effort:

https://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/f/d/fd63b39b-60fc-453e-a12e-422bd759f82a/E0A0C54736146493E69DFB2E99788F84.final-text-emergency-wildfire-and-public-safety-act.pdf

 

[L´Andratté]

Scientists: climate change behind wildfires

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-54278988

 

[scott2000]

I just returned from a road trip across the US from SF.... Driving down from San Francisco to Palm Springs was very eye opening to see the landscape. Shocking how dry much of the area is. It's like a thick layer of thatch or hay over a majority of the ground. Similar to here in FL during winter when all the smaller grass dies out. Looked pretty similar everywhere I drove....Curious how long the landscape in CA has been like this..
There are pictures from 30 years ago that look similar but who knows....
Driving through AZ,TX and New Mexico it's interesting to see the lack of trees along the I10....
Those Palm Springs windmills are creepy as heck...EEsh.... How many homes do all those things power a year?
Miles of them....

Here's the Farmer's almanac for CA...

https://www.almanac.com/weather/history/CA/Palm%20Springs/1985-07-13

 

[JohnRoberts]

I saw an article within the last week in WSJ talking about how some areas in the NW were trying to actively manage forests to reduce fuel and wildfire threats. In one section of northern California that suffered a huge fire in 2018 had millions allocated to clear dead trees but were held up waiting for state government paper work approvals, covid was also offered an an excuse for delays.

Academic now, the forest they were going to manage is now charcoal. Apparently it is also very easy to delay such forest management efforts for obscure environmental concerns.

There is a cost associated with bureaucratic delays. Apparently at least the people who were living inside burned out areas understand the cause and effect.

JR

 

[scott2000]

It was pretty crazy all the smoke across the parts of the state I drove through.... here's a random fire in Palm Springs just before the windmill farms... Guess some are generally  harmless as there isn't much aside from the ground cover to provide fuel.... I could see some pretty big fires up in the mountains here and there but really couldn't tell what the landscape actually looks like where they were burning..... But it's easy to see where the houses could be affected in some areas....
Still shocked to see the amount of "hay" across such a large area of a state.....fascinating....

 

[Recording Engineer]

Yes, much of CA is hot, brown, and dry half the year no matter what, and has been compounded and exasperated by drought.

 

[scott2000]

Yes, much of CA is hot, brown, and dry half the year no matter what, and has been compounded and exasperated by drought.

Yeah..it's crazy..... Reading a bit I see that water management has always been a thing there too. Too bad we can't figure out how to get excess water to people when they need it.... but we have disparities even within our state. Just 50 miles away, my parents' water situation is much different as are the bills which are 3 times what they are here.... weird...

 

[JohnRoberts]

Yeah..it's crazy..... Reading a bit I see that water management has always been a thing there too. Too bad we can't figure out how to get excess water to people when they need it.... but we have disparities even within our state. Just 50 miles away, my parents' water situation is much different as are the bills which are 3 times what they are here.... weird...

sadly the next problem is mud slides when the rains come and the earth is unstable.

This isn't rocket science, but it requires thoughtful attention.

JR

 

[iturnknobs]

Forest management...

Trump denies "forest management" funding and relief. Enjoy Trump's "Divided(and misinformed) States of America." SHAME ON the USa.

https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2020/10/september-2020-was-warmest-september-on-record-noaa-reports

https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/15/politics/trump-california-fire-disaster-assistance/index.html

 

[JohnRoberts]

Forest management...

Trump denies "forest management" funding and relief. Enjoy Trump's "Divided(and misinformed) States of America." SHAME ON the USa.

https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2020/10/september-2020-was-warmest-september-on-record-noaa-reports

https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/15/politics/trump-california-fire-disaster-assistance/index.html

https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/wildfire/california-to-receive-federal-disaster-assistance-amid-wildfires/103-8b7dcc17-55f1-4c59-b34b-616a0406ce5d

JR

 

[crazydoc]

https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/wildfire/california-to-receive-federal-disaster-assistance-amid-wildfires/103-8b7dcc17-55f1-4c59-b34b-616a0406ce5d

JR

That's from last August and not pertinent to this latest request from CA. However, it does look like the dexamethasone hypomania might finally be wearing off and he (or somebody) decided to approve it.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/trump-administration-refuses-california-wildfire-disaster-aid-n1243723

 

[iturnknobs]

Forest Management...

July 2020:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.vicew.com/amp/en/article/xg85m7/the-worlds-largest-tropical-wetland-is-on-fire

Today:
https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/13/americas/pantanal-fires-climate-change-intl/index.html

Humans are the worst.

 

[iturnknobs]

That's from last August and not pertinent to this latest request from CA. However, it does look like the dexamethasone hypomania might finally be wearing off and he (or somebody) decided to approve it.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/trump-administration-refuses-california-wildfire-disaster-aid-n1243723

Not only was that a "different story", but here's what the federal funding was actually appropriated for:

"...the President made additional disaster assistance available to California by authorizing an increase in the level of Federal funding to 100% for debris removal and emergency protective measures undertaken as a result of the wildfires, beginning August 14, 2020, and continuing,"

Once again, Forest Management coming to you by DJT. "J" is for genius.

 

[crazydoc]

It's that time of year again. Beckworth Complex, 90k acres now, largest in CA, about 30 miles away, closed US 395 yesterday, burned homes in Doyle (where I used to work) and they had a destructive fire there last year too. It burned the feed lines of my power company - no electricity yesterday and day before during the hottest (106 degrees) part of the day. I bought 2 generators when I first moved here, due to frequent power outages - one for the house and one for the well, so didn't fare too badly.
And of course, the drought. Honey Lake has dried up. I called a local well drilling company a couple of years ago to ask about the water table. They said it was down a little. I asked were there any warning signs I was going to run out of water, and they said, yeah, when no more water comes out.

Here's a pic from my house, across the valley, from a couple of days ago of the pyrocumulus above the fire. The brown area in front of the hills is what used to be the lake.

 

[JohnRoberts]

The record breaking NW heatwave has killed 200 people so far.

Be safe, stay hydrated and use a fan if your don't have air conditioning.
===
The heat is certainly not helpful for managing fires.

JR

 

[iturnknobs]

2 days ago, the skies I view(40 miles west of Chicago) were grey and hazy with a blood red sun. The temperature dropped 15 degrees as the smoke cover came in. Forest management is a joke(116F in Portland)and climate change due to humans is undeniable to all except capitalists who put profit over people. Vote against those who do not endorse green energy infrastructure, your children's future depends on it. I am trying to make my next vehicle purchase be a fully electric car, but my work round trip is 125 miles. Still trying to make it work...I don't believe in any organized religion, but it really feels like I'm watching the book of Revelations on the nightly news.

 

[crazydoc]

Now it's the Dixie fire, 30 mi west, 91k acres. Smoke most of the days and nights, can't open the windows in the cool of the night, power outages again from burned feed lines through the Feather River canyon. I'm grateful it's not a danger to me, and temps are only in the 90's this week.

The Beckwourth Complex is now 95% contained at 106k acres, and they're letting homeowners (but not renters) back in.

Update 7/25/21: now about 200k acres, 21% contained, 5000 personnel, smoke at my place for days,, visibility today about 500 feet, still 100 degree temp. Hope the wind shifts soon.

 

[scott2000]

Forest management is a joke

Well a least it feels better when my neighbors tell me it's just another controlled burn after I call them to say there's smoke coming from my area.

 

[pucho812]

I just returned from a road trip across the US from SF.... Driving down from San Francisco to Palm Springs was very eye opening to see the landscape. Shocking how dry much of the area is. It's like a thick layer of thatch or hay over a majority of the ground. Similar to here in FL during winter when all the smaller grass dies out. Looked pretty similar everywhere I drove....Curious how long the landscape in CA has been like this..
There are pictures from 30 years ago that look similar but who knows....
Driving through AZ,TX and New Mexico it's interesting to see the lack of trees along the I10....
Those Palm Springs windmills are creepy as heck...EEsh.... How many homes do all those things power a year?
Miles of them....

Here's the Farmer's almanac for CA...

https://www.almanac.com/weather/history/CA/Palm Springs/1985-07-13

The dead, brown, grass is very typical of california's landscape. We are a desert climate in the southern part of the state. There are many fires yearly, so much so we have a fire season, it's not official but we do say fire season. there are many causes, some man made such as a camp fire left unchecked, poorly maintained electrical grid, and others. Sometimes they are not man made. Most of the largest fires we have had in the last few years were man made. When I first moved here decades ago, we had a fire break out due to a guy pulling a piece of metal with truck. The metal was dragged across the ground and was sparking while pulled. esh. Near my area We have a army corp of engineers built flood basin that has caught fire about 4X in the last 2 years. All times it was the same cause, homeless encampment where they left a fire going after going to bed. There is not one singular cause of the fires.