Western Fires

[idesign]

Jim, I heard that

there's a fire in SD Co. Hope you're not affected.

That thing turned into a nightmare, but I saw on the radar

that some rain has blown in. Hope you're well.

[Mtnjim]

I got through mostly with an

unplanned vacation. One of the fires (the Harris, named after the Harris Ranch) started about 18 miles West of me

and got blown 50 miles West to the populated areas. Where I was, I didn't even see smoke until Thursday when the

winds shifted to the East, then that was only from about 2:00 PM until about 6:00 PM. As soon as they indicated my

area was threatened, my phone lit up with offers from friends to stay at their place. One of the people I work with

had their parents lose their house in the fire. For me, the fires 4 years ago were worse, I was without power for 5

days.

The odd thing is, I live in a "fire prone" area with lots of brush, and Rancho Santa Fe and Fairbanks

Ranch (considered the most affluent neighborhood in the US, Bill Gates has 2 houses there) is all golf courses and

concrete, yet they burned in the Witch (creek) fire, while my neighborhood should have been the one to burn, in both

fires (the Harris and 4 years ago, the Cedar fire). Go figure.

[belgareth]

I glad to hear that you are

ok.

[idesign]

I glad

to hear that you are ok.

Ditto Jim, now clear that underbrush!

Now that I think of if what, other than

arsonists and lightning, are the main culprits in these huge fires? Have they been this bad forever? Are they

worse now than historically?

I can't imagine a fire like that, but I can imagine hurricanes. Since I've been

in NC I've been through a Cat 3 and two Cat 2s. Nasty business. Think of -sustained- winds of 125 mph, gusting

toward 150. Sitting by a window I watched the roof of my shop building (20x50) blow up into the air, fold in half,

and land 20 ft from the window I was sitting at.

I think your fires would scare me worse.

[Mtnjim]

Ditto Jim,

now clear that underbrush!

It is cleared!

Problem was that the 70 mph winds on Saturday and

Sunday took all of the dead needles out of the pines and put a 6" layer all over my yard.

[idesign]

It is

cleared!

Problem was that the 70 mph winds on Saturday and Sunday took all of the dead needles out of the

pines and put a 6" layer all over my yard.

Think of it as mulch, no more mowing!

[belgareth]

Ditto

Jim, now clear that underbrush!

Now that I think of if what, other than arsonists and lightning, are the main

culprits in these huge fires? Have they been this bad forever? Are they worse now than historically?

I think

your fires would scare me worse.

I'm from California and many of my old friends ask me about being afraid

of tornados. You can run away from them and they give you plenty of warning. Earthquakes, on the other hand, sneak

up from out of nowhere and you can't hide from them. Two major quakes in my lifetime was plenty.

While many

people are attempting to blame global warming for the fiercer forest fires, the truth is that fire suppression is

the main culprit. Fires are a naturally occuring way for nature to clear out the underbrush and all the dead stuff

that accumulates in the forest. Our preventing this naturally occuring clean up has left the forests as huge

tinderboxes full of fuel . In other words, we did it too ourselves once again.

[Mtnjim]

Think of it

as mulch, no more mowing!

I was thinking more along the lines of "tinder".

The latest numbers

say that the area burned so far in just my county is 1/2 the area of state of Rhode Island, about 1/3 of our

county.

A lot of this area was burned just 4 years ago in the "Cedar" fire.