You’re reading my mind Don . The entire side of the mountain has burned. Yesterday I said to my wife flash floods and mud slides this year
Half Way To Hell Here In SoCal
- Thread starter Steve williams
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I hope they jump on mitigation ASAP. It usually starts even before the fire is out, but first a team will have to check for hot spots and all that jazz. A fire often turns the soil into a glassy'ish hard surface that no longer absorbs water so it can be a lot of work (and time) to restore.
We have trails still closed 10+ years after fires due to flood dangers and need to stay off them while the forest rebuilds.
Just read that we here in Colorado are to expect smoke from the CA fires soon. Aside from the usual issues anyone has with smoky skies, the EPA has cracked down heavily for violating air quality standards, but a bunch of studies have shown that the vast majority is from wildfires (and sometimes smog) to the west of us blowing in. So we get penalized and the state is passing all sorts of new laws tightening down emissions and such, trying to eliminate gas-powered anything, all for a tiny fraction of a percent reduction in a small portion of the cause of the pollution. /rant
This does remind me I'll need to check the furnace filter again. I have thought about adding some sort of filter to the HVAC air inlets as well, since that lets the smoke into the mechanical (furnace) room where it can permeate the house. Gas heat is way cheaper but requires fresh air so there's no way to seal off the entire house from outside air (which is probably not a great idea anyway).
Babbling aside, I eagerly await your next update, hopefully a good one! A friend on another forum is barely out of the Mt. Baldy fire evac zone, with one family member in the zone (moving out to live with him) and another in pre-evac (getting ready). They have a cabin in the woods the entire family uses, been in the family for at least a couple of generations, so he rented a trailer and drove up to take a load of heirlooms out. They wouldn't let him in since it is not his primary residence of record, even though a line of other folk were heading in (and out). Understandable, I guess, but still sucks.
This does remind me I'll need to check the furnace filter again. I have thought about adding some sort of filter to the HVAC air inlets as well, since that lets the smoke into the mechanical (furnace) room where it can permeate the house. Gas heat is way cheaper but requires fresh air so there's no way to seal off the entire house from outside air (which is probably not a great idea anyway).
Babbling aside, I eagerly await your next update, hopefully a good one! A friend on another forum is barely out of the Mt. Baldy fire evac zone, with one family member in the zone (moving out to live with him) and another in pre-evac (getting ready). They have a cabin in the woods the entire family uses, been in the family for at least a couple of generations, so he rented a trailer and drove up to take a load of heirlooms out. They wouldn't let him in since it is not his primary residence of record, even though a line of other folk were heading in (and out). Understandable, I guess, but still sucks.
Thankfully we are fine. The fire however is now over the other side of the mountain where a lot of houses were destroyed in Lake Elsinore
Hi Steve
Glad you're in the clear. We could see the Airport fire from our way yesterday. Thankful it's not progressing our way.
Glad you're in the clear. We could see the Airport fire from our way yesterday. Thankful it's not progressing our way.
It's been quite a week as this fire rages on. WE were sitting just now having our breakfast and were hit by a 5.1 earthquake. Epicenter in Malibu but felt all the way south to us.
Mother Nature has not been happy lately
Mother Nature has not been happy lately
When it rains... I do NOT miss earthquakes! Or the midwestern tornadoes I dealt with growing up. At least blizzards we can ride out pretty well. The wind here can be a pain; we get 80+ mph gusts a few times a year, and I've had to cut up several big downed trees the past year or two. Fires a big thing here too, but (knock on wood) this year has not been horrible, especially compared to what CA is dealing with. Management is finally getting more hands-on as they realize letting things go and putting out spot fires so undergrowth builds is not realistic. Either let the little ones go to clear the floor, or actively clear the forest floor with crews to prevent (or at least reduce) large fires. We had a forest service fire rep speak at our HOA and it was very interesting.
California managed forests like this for decades to reduce the severity of wildfires. Apparently it is a tried and true method.
Compared to focus and spending on traditional forest management in the 1990s and before, in recent state administrations the spending focus has been on other environmental pursuits. Now California has bigger fires.
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Yeah. The FS rep touched on CA, as well as other western states (and of course CO), but was clearly trying to stay out of politics. He did say political headwinds from both sides and "ballot-box biology" hampered their ability to manage.
He also said increasing population density and incursion into wildlife and forest boundary areas made letting small fires burn out impractical in many cases. Too close to homes, too much risk of spreading into populated areas, and even managed (controlled) burns ran into complaints due to smoke and the "aesthetics of forestry" due to the burn scars remaining. That is one reason, perhaps the main reason, current management near population zones involves crews clearing underbrush rather than controlled burns. The problem with that is the manpower required, natch, to clear a large area.
I got to witness that first-hand when they cleared an area of the local forest that bordered several residential areas. It is much more open, much more defensible, and much safer for the houses nearby. But there was a huge public outcry, mostly from folk outside the area, about the loss of underbrush "ruining" the trail.
No good answers, I tend to think like one of my mentors told me many years ago, "the best compromise is one that annoys everyone equally".
Edit: Note this was a talk given in CO, and I have no idea how it is handled elsewhere.
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This embodies great wisdom applicable to a variety of subjects, including legislative compromise and contract negotiation.
We took a drive outside our gate to the Lake Rancho Santa Margarita which is 5 minutes from us but at the foot of Saddleback Mountain. There is still smoke coming off the mointain
Smoke can last for weeks if not months but big plumes should die down fairly quickly. In the short term, unburned pockets within the fire's boundary can flare up so you might see flames as well, hopefully well back from the perimeter.
Are those people allowed back into their homes now?
Are those people allowed back into their homes now?
I wonder what this actually means? If a homeowner does not want to leave his/her house can the police in California drag you out of your own home and hurl you into your car?
I don't know what it means in CA, but technically here IIRC you could be arrested for ignoring a mandatory evacuation order. Never heard of that happening, probably because by that point they have better things to do than drag idiots out of their houses. If you stay, it means no emergency response (no ambulance, fire, or police), gas and electricity (also water if lines are impacted) is likely to be cut off, and you are expected to be able to fend for yourself for at least 3 days with no power and no outside help. The official order says three days, but the reality could be much longer, of course.
If I’m understanding correctly it is a misdemeanor is CA to disobey an evacuation order. But the news can go in and take videos of your house burning so you can watch it on TV. Crazy law …
CA Code
