I came through Spokane yesterday early morning. Fire broke out later in the day. Hundreds of homes burned. Horrible conditions. Its very bad. Prayers for all involved and impacted.
Stlhead, I hope you and other members are safe. Another reason to hate this time of year.
"Practice like you want to play in the game"
August 02, 2026, 05:31 PM
Orive 8
Had not heard about this, I have a friend who lives about an hour north of Spokane, tried to call him just now, went to voice mail.
Praying that he and everyone else in the area will be o.k.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tomorrow's battle is won during today's practice.
August 02, 2026, 05:41 PM
sigfreund
Nothing like being personally affected even very slightly to focus one’s attention on such things.
As I’ve posted elsewhere, we were close to the pre-evac notice zone for a “human caused” fire that’s been pretty well suppressed after a month of effort except for hot spots that could flare up. It was only 7000+ acres in mostly wilderness, but the reported cost was >$20M. The highly-publicized stage 2 fire restrictions due to the tinder dry conditions have been in effect for the entire time. And so what was reported a couple of days ago? Of course: an unattended camp fire.
I can only dimly imagine what it would be like to lose one’s home, not to mention worse, to such deliberate indifference, and my earlier suggestion that the fine should be 100× the current $250 for the first offense? Nope. Wood chipper time.
► 6.0/94.0
“The fundamental cause of trouble in the world today is that the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.” — Bertrand Russell
August 02, 2026, 05:54 PM
Gustofer
quote:
The smoke isn't too bad yet, but we're getting there.
Spoke too soon.
Yeesh! It's getting thick out there.This message has been edited. Last edited by: Gustofer,
________________________________________________________ It is long past time for a Convention of States. The Founding Fathers gave us this tool to fix an out of control government and we need to use it.
August 02, 2026, 06:38 PM
Flashlightboy
I saw something on the news that apparently 4M acres of the US are burning and 2M of those are in eastern WA, OR and ID.
I have the Watch Duty app and the entire eastern side is on fire.
_____________________________________________ Proverbs 3:31 "Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways."
August 02, 2026, 10:11 PM
tatortodd
The fire situation is even worse when you factor in Can-eh-duh:
Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity
DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.
August 03, 2026, 09:04 AM
Biker_dude
Call me paranoid but with the looney left's love affair with the 3rd world's terrorists, I'm saying these fires are being accompanied by a shout: "Aloha Snackbar!"
August 03, 2026, 09:51 AM
Gustofer
I hate August. If it ain't the heat (thankfully we usually have a < 10% humidity around these parts), it is the got dang fires!
40 years ago when I was marching up mountain ridges carrying a Pulaski, NONE of these fires got beyond a few acres (depending on the wind).
Money. It is all about money. Guys digging line, guys in dozers, guys driving water tenders, guys flying sky cranes, All of them are making thousands of dollars a day. Me? Five-ish bucks an hour, which was much better than minimum wage flipping burgers or pumping gas at the time.
One the one hand, good for them, but on the other hand? What an incredible waste of money and resources. Go back to the old way. Lookouts spotting smokes and a few squads of patrolling guys knocking these things down before they get this way.
I'm sick of it. Every year now we deal with this. When I was growing up here I don't ever remember dealing with the valley being socked in with smoke. Ever. Good forest management and good fire suppression efforts made all the difference.
Thank you Bill Clinton for fucking up the west.
________________________________________________________ It is long past time for a Convention of States. The Founding Fathers gave us this tool to fix an out of control government and we need to use it.
August 03, 2026, 11:43 AM
sigfreund
quote:
Originally posted by Gustofer: Lookouts spotting smokes ....
That’s something I’ve often thought about since the day back in the 1970s when I hiked to the top of a local Arizona peak and found that the lookout was a young, attractive woman a long way from anyone else. It was only in retrospect that it occurred to me that my hanging around for a short friendly chat may have made her nervous. Would anyone like that do that today?
Oh, yeah. When I mentioned lightning storms, she said she was advised to put glass electrical line insulators under the four feet of a wooden chair and sit in the middle of the hut with her legs drawn up from the floor.
As far as smoke spotters, could AI-supported sensors do the same now?
► 6.0/94.0
“The fundamental cause of trouble in the world today is that the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.” — Bertrand Russell
August 03, 2026, 02:41 PM
Gustofer
quote:
Originally posted by sigfreund: Would anyone like that do that today?
You'd be surprised.
quote:
Oh, yeah. When I mentioned lightning storms, she said she was advised to put glass electrical line insulators under the four feet of a wooden chair and sit in the middle of the hut with her legs drawn up from the floor.
I had a wooden chair on the floor with each leg sitting in a shot glass. 80 feet off the the ground. My tower took a direct hit one night. Blew the windows out, turned the shutters into splinters, and made me have to change my skivvies. I'll not forget watching that storm come through and looking at the hair on my arms standing straight up. That was a fun night.
18 and bulletproof? Not so much when Mother Nature has a say.
________________________________________________________ It is long past time for a Convention of States. The Founding Fathers gave us this tool to fix an out of control government and we need to use it.
August 03, 2026, 03:09 PM
sigfreund
quote:
Originally posted by Gustofer: You'd be surprised.
Evidently.
► 6.0/94.0
“The fundamental cause of trouble in the world today is that the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.” — Bertrand Russell
August 03, 2026, 05:49 PM
lizardman_u
The fire in Spokane is three hours east of me and a little north.
But the fires to the west of me, Southwest of me, and in Central Oregon are smoking me out.
I usually can see the Columbia River and Horse Heaven Hills from my back door... not so much today. Earlier I could barely make out the Horse Heaven Hills, but later on more smoke rolled in making visibility about two miles at best.
My inhaler and decongestants are getting a workout.
Originally posted by Biker_dude: Call me paranoid but with the looney left's love affair with the 3rd world's terrorists, I'm saying these fires are being accompanied by a shout: "Aloha Snackbar!"
Occam’s razor says that the explanation requiring the fewest assumptions is usually the correct one.
Option 1: The region is facing historic, record-setting drought, low snowpack, and heatwaves that has turned grass and forests into a tinderbox. The fires were caused by one of the two historical top causes of wildfires:
Human unintentional accidents like unextinguished campfires, trailer chains dragging on asphalt and throwing sparks, lawnmowers striking rocks, or poorly managed debris burning.
Dry lightning strikes in remote wilderness areas.
Option 2: Islamic terrorist infiltrated the US starting the fires. However, so far they have failed to kill anyone, didn't target any sworn enemies (e.g. setting a synagogue on fire and it turning into a wildfire), didn't instill national fear and panic, and didn't take credit on social media or Al Jazeera.
Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity
DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.
Officials say a man was taken into custody for allegedly starting the Old Trails Fire. According to a press conference at the Spokane County Public Safety Building on Monday evening, officials say they have arrested 37-year-old Aaron F. Farinacci in connection with starting the Old Trails Fire.
During the press conference, a judge signed the warrant for Farinacci's arrest for 1st Degree Arson around 3 p.m. on Monday, and he was taken into custody around 5 p.m. with no incidents. He currently has a $1,000,000 bond.
Officials at the press conference say the investigation into Farinacci's arrest began on Aug. 1, near the intersection of N. Old Trails Road and W. Euclid Road, just north of the City of Airway Heights, after concerned citizens notified authorities that they noticed a man who was bending down in the grass in the area around 12 p.m. Witnesses told officials that Farinacci looked nervous, and later on saw smoke coming from the area where he was standing. Officials say the witness gave Airway Heights police a description of what Farinacci looked like.
Officials say that during evacuations, police were trying to find Farinacci and located him four miles from where the fire started. Police say they let Farinacci go due to a lack of evidence.
During the press conference, officials say that DNR, Crime Check and detectives developed probable cause to arrest him for arson. Officials say they found Farinacci in possession of waterproof matches and a butane lighter. He was arrested at his residence in the 2800 block of W. Elliot Drive without incident.
"As it happens in so many critical cases, it was citizens who were paying attention to their surroundings, being aware and willing to step up and say something that led to the relatively quick apprehension of Mr. Farinacci," Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels said. Fire officials say the Old Trails Fire was started by a set of matches or a lighter.
Prior court records show that Farinacci is a convicted felon in Arizona for manslaughter and aggravated assault after killing his own father in 2010 following an argument between the two over cleaning the dishes.
Court documents show Farinacci was sentenced to 12 years, 732 days of credit for time served and was released from prison in December 2020 before being discharged from probation in December 2024.
He has no previous history of arson. Farinacci was also a resident in Spokane. This is an ongoing investigation at this time.
Farinacci's first appearance is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 4.
"We will also be looking into other charges that may come about as the facts and circumstances of the Old Trail Fire come to light and come to be known,"Nowels said. "Just know that this charge is what we have probable cause for right now. It is a serious charge. It is significant, but these charges may change as the investigation goes on. And again, other facts and circumstances come to be known."
August 04, 2026, 11:56 AM
HRK
Hang him High from the trees of the area he destroyed.
