Woolsey Fire

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by ManyMartinMan

Too true. Even with some controlled burning the way property is spread out, and crammed in, in different areas makes real controlled burns very hard to do. Then, when fires do occur, sundowners and Santa Annas kick up the fires and spread them faster than anything, or anyone, can control. The Painted Cave fire missed my house by about 200 yards when I was still living in Santa Barbara back in 1990. That fire was horrible taking over 400 homes and one life and doesn't remotely compare to the Camp or Woolsey fires.

Indeed, the factors are myriad and complex and cannot be simplistically diagnosed and blame assigned... Factors where not the least of which are budget cuts and a 100 year history of fire suppression , that has resulted in huge areas of fuel buildup , as well as your point, that relentless development into former brush and grassland and forested areas is very problematic . And lets not forget runaway uncontrolled "controlled burns" have also been a serious problem a few times.
In any case the important thing now is containment

[Pura Vida]

Here's an article on the smoke factor. Schools are (finally) canceled today. Looking forward to changing weather patterns to help with the fire containment and smoke.

[Jeff Scott]

Originally Posted by KevWind

Indeed, the factors are myriad and complex and cannot be simplistically diagnosed and blame assigned...

I was not simplistically diagnosing or placing blame, just commenting on something I'd watch while hiking the San Gabriels; to say anything further than that would run into things that shall not be spoken of...

[Dirk Hofman]

Originally Posted by Jeff Scott

I was not simplistically diagnosing or placing blame, just commenting on something I'd watch while hiking the San Gabriels; to say anything further than that would run into things that shall not be spoken of...

Pretty sure he was referring to some wildly uninformed comments made in public recently.

[Jeff Scott]

Originally Posted by Dirk Hofman

Pretty sure he was referring to some wildly uninformed comments made in public recently.

Okay, but that and at least one other post in the thread seemed to be directed at me.

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by Jeff Scott

I was not simplistically diagnosing or placing blame, just commenting on something I'd watch while hiking the San Gabriels; to say anything further than that would run into things that shall not be spoken of...

I was not referring to your observation of controlled burns going on in the 80's, which is why I did not quote your statement. Had it been directed at you I would have quoted you... If I am in fact referring to someone's post I will quote or name them.
There was however at least one post making a simplistic diagnosis and blame assignment involving why there was lack of controlled burns and inferring that as being the cause of wildfires , which has now been removed. Perhaps to more reflect the reality of a very complex issue. And yes as Dirk said, I was speaking also about some ridiculous public comments made about the Roosevelt Fire that we just went through in September .

Here is another observation .. I googled controlled burns in California and in two different articles I read, it was stated the last two to three years, have seen more controlled burns then there has been for decades in California.

[Dirk Hofman]

The number of dead and unaccounted for in the Camp fire is staggering. The death toll stands at 80 and the missing is at 991. At this point I don't see how the missing will be accounted for, and the tragedy of this event is just unfolding.

It is by any estimation a shocking, staggering death toll.

Early indications are that this may be yet another PG&E caused disaster, to add to Santa Rosa last year and the gas line fire in San Bruno several years back. Their stock is plunging.

[Joseph Hanna]

Originally Posted by Dirk Hofman

The number of dead and unaccounted for in the Camp fire is staggering. The death toll stands at 80 and the missing is at 991. At this point I don't see how the missing will be accounted for, and the tragedy of this event is just unfolding.

It is by any estimation a shocking, staggering death toll.

Early indications are that this may be yet another PG&E caused disaster, to add to Santa Rosa last year and the gas line fire in San Bruno several years back. Their stock is plunging.

It’s just so unfathomable. Heading to Malibu tomorrow to help some friends. For some reason I feel most of America just doesn’t get the depth of these disasters.

[bajawatt]

Originally Posted by Joseph Hanna

It’s just so unfathomable. Heading to Malibu tomorrow to help some friends. For some reason I feel most of America just doesn’t get the depth of these disasters.

I'll be nearby working on a related service project. The destruction is astounding.

[Dirk Hofman]

Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers (he's from Chico) just donated $1 million to the Camp fire relief.

https://www.kcra.com/article/aaron-r...xDWXippaJ7uBao

Nice to see.

[buzzardwhiskey]

I watch the news of the Camp and Woolsey fires. We're living in an amazing time.

[StevenL]

Originally Posted by Joseph Hanna

It’s just so unfathomable. Heading to Malibu tomorrow to help some friends. For some reason I feel most of America just doesn’t get the depth of these disasters.

Yes Joseph. I see it on TV but we've been bombarded by so many TV scenes of murder, mayhem, and disaster that it seems to numb us when the real thing comes along. In my little area of the world, I've been somewhat isolated from many of the evils that seem to be escalating across the U.S. and the world. An occasional tornado, flooding, hurricane remnant here and there, but, although I've helped provide government aid to many victims, I've never been directly affected. Just drifted relatively safely and comfortably through life. Why, I don't know.

It's hard for me to 'get' entire communities being wiped out by these fires. You're right. I can only hurt for the dead and the missing, many of whom are probably dead. A 'thanksgiving' for these people and their families and friends probably seems a long, long way off at the moment. There's really nothing any of us can say except that I'm thankful that, in spite of the evil, there are people like you who are willing to help, many of you. So even in the depths, some beauty exists.

[Cypress Knee]

A huge problem in the West is the pine beetle infestation. Over a hundred million dead conifers standing with dried needles waiting for a spark, any spark. A casual drive through the Sierras will reveal miles and miles of mountaintops covered with dead and dying trees, all waiting for the slightest provocation to flare up. Add some fifty to seventy mile an hour Santa Ana winds and a spark from somewhere (downed power line, car scraping a safety barrier, tossed cigarette, lightning strike) and you have a recipe for disaster.

Imagine your house in the middle of one of these forests during a wildfire.




CK

[buzzardwhiskey]

The pine beetle thing is huge. The entire Uintas are gonna burn away one of these summers and barely kill a tree.

[Dirk Hofman]

We had to cut down 5 huge trees on our property in the Sierras because of the beetle. It's a problem largely fueled by the ongoing, long term drought in the west.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-the...ias-wildfires/

In some good news, the missing count has been reduced by half in the Camp fire. Not sure how, but glad to hear it, it's down to about 500 from just short of 1000 a couple of days ago.

Some good news, but it still leaves 600 people dead or unaccounted for. Grim.