This topic contains 15 replies, has 6 voices, and was last updated by 
Crow Bar 1 year, 7 months ago.
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Anyone from that area?
California wildfire spreads to 8,000 acres; thousands evacuated
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That’s horrible. I used to live fairly close to there. Those fires move so incredibly fast that getting trapped is not something that just happens to “stupid” people. It can be perfectly fine, not so much as a whiff of smoke in the air, and the next thing you know, an inferno is coming over the hill straight for you.
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Yeah, I read about how the fire was 30 miles away from some people, and then at 2am there is a firefighter pounding on their door telling them they have 2minutes to get out.
That one retired couple, who jumped into their pool to try to escape the fire, but the wife died of smoke inhalation, in her husbands arms.
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So saddened to read that at least five people were found dead in their burned-out cars. It’s astonishing to think a wildfire can move to engulf a speeding car (if the victims weren’t stuck in a traffic jam). Best wishes to all in the area to remain safe.
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Wildfires are truly horrifying.
A couple of tips for wildfire evacuation. You should have a small kit in your vehicle at all times. Most of us are not professional firefighters so we have to substitute in inexpensive items.
1) Swimming goggles. These can protect your eyes from smoke if you are driving through an area where it’s thick. You can easily be blinded by smoke and drive off the road. It’s very disorienting when it gets in your eyes.
2) A bandana or N95 mask. Something to filter the smoke out can help prevent coughing fits that can make it difficult to drive.
3) Welding gloves. These gloves are designed to withstand ultra high heat, which is very important if, say, you have to open a metal gate or move debris, to get through the fire area.
When I lived in California, I had these items in my vehicle 100% of the time. Sadly, fire season is now a constant there.
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The welding gloves are a great idea I hadn’t thought of but I don’t live in a fire prone area. We have a lot of forest but not dry like CA. So sad for the people and animals.
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Those are excellent recommendations, Daisy! I have sent your list to a friend who lives in a wildfire-prone area.
Here’s an eye-opening retrospective of what we may be facing in the future. (Please, no arguments about climate change — just read for important information that may affect you or someone you know in a fire.)
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Wow. What an article. I am no longer going to even think of staying to defend my home should something like that be coming.
Feet don’t fail me now.
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Wildfires were a natural occurrence, burning collected debris, while seeding new forests. Forest “conservation” and the expansion of domestic dwelling into the fire interface zones have amplified the danger destructive wild fires throughout California and much of the west. The urban dwellers who can afford it push out into the wild land areas in search of… what, exactly? Certainly not solitude since most have a neighbor right next to them. Like their east coast brethren to insist on building in hurricane or flood zones, they rely on insurance to cover any loss. So, what does that do for the rest of us? Certainly higher insurance rates for those of us who were more reasonable in the locations of our dwellings.
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James, BINGO about the conservation efforts causing this. When responsible logging was stopped, the underbrush got thicker and the forests are impassible, making it nearly impossible to fight fires.
Another issue is that PG&E, the electric company, has been accused of not been maintaining their lines as they should have (I’m sure in part due to the rugged terrain that makes fighting the firest difficult.)
Although these fires seem to be hitting more populated areas, the ones that we had firsthand experience with were truly in the wilderness when they began – mostly national forest areas but when the fires spread, they hit more populated areas and agricultural areas. But in recent years, it seems that nowhere in that state is safe anymore. We had a lot of dear friends there but I’m very glad we’re out.
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http://SoCal Fire Sends Thousands Fleeing; 101 Closed; Zero Containment
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According to the JPL, CA historically is actually arid, and historically goes through periods of prolonged, mega-droughts.
When CA was first settled, en mass by Europeans, and the 1900s it was an unusual wet period comparatively to historical norms.
Some of the JPL guys think the wet period is over, irregardless of CC/AGW. Although there are those who think CC/AGW will exacerbate the issue.
Regardless, I would not want to live there. No water, no life.
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