One currently sweeping through Malibu (the Woolsey Fire), and another one that has already razed an entire town in Northern California (the Camp Fire).
I used to own some land in Paradise (near Chico). Most of Paradise was burned literally overnight. Very surreal to see structures and businesses that I used to go to destroyed.
Originally posted by tatortodd: I lived in Orange County 2002-2005. Didn't realize fires were going on right now as it's late in the season.
Heard on the radio today that 7 of the 10 most destructive fires in CA history occurred in November. In much of the state it’s at its driest now with summer in the books but we are still pre rainy season, if there is going to be a rainy season. Plus, winds start to pick up in the fall and people don’t have fire safety on their mind much when it’s chilly (CA chilly,that is) at night.
Posts: 6382 | Location: Modesto, CA | Registered: January 27, 2005
A guy I went to school with moved to Paradise a few years ago. My brother still keeps in touch with him, and I'm trying to find out if he was affected. Sad to say it looks like he probably was, as most, if not all, of Paradise was burned.
Posts: 1474 | Location: Washington | Registered: August 30, 2007
Looks like the entire town of Paradise is gone. A buddy of mine has/had a auto repair shop there and it is a total loss. A very tragic situation for all of Paradise
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"Saving one dog will not change the world, but surely for that one dog, the world will change forever." - Karen Davison
"Man can measure the values of his own soul in the look of the eyes of an animal he's helped" - Author Unkown
Posts: 1524 | Location: NorCal | Registered: April 07, 2005
We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution. Abraham Lincoln
I’m in the east bay. The smoke and haze and air quality in general is terrible. I know several people with friends and family who have had total losses. Including one family with 4 adult kids all in paradise. All 4 and parents lost their homes ( 5 houses)
It pretty much hasn’t rained in months up there the fuel is dry as a bone. Wind is forecasted to pick up tomorrow so will get worse before it gets better.
Actor James Woods, conservative Trump supporting superhero, went out of his way to help those in Malibu, even making an extra effort to help extreme leftist Alyssa Milano in her time of need. Class act, a truly decent human being.
"I’m not going to read Time Magazine, I’m not going to read Newsweek, I’m not going to read any of these magazines; I mean, because they have too much to lose by printing the truth"- Bob Dylan, 1965
Posts: 16725 | Location: Texas | Registered: May 13, 2003
I've been heavily involved in firefighting for a lot of years, including a lot in California; the last few years I've done mostly northern california, nevada, washington, and oregon for the last half of the fire season.
Over the last 30 years I've watched the seasons get longer and more intense; the last few years have been more intense, and longer than ever.
For a lot of years, Region 5 (California) has been burning, with people letting brush grow up under their redwood decks and no defensible space...and the results have been predictable. Urban interface , people building into the forest, has always been a problem where fires are concerned. Lately this isn't the case; we're seeing fires that push through suburban areas well outside interface areas; wildfires are burning where there isn't wildland to burn, and they're moving fast, and taking a lot of structures and property with them. This isn't a mismanagement issue, but a drastic shift in the nature of fire behavior itself.
California burns. It seems to burn more now than it used to, but it always has. Why don't they have building codes that make the houses either uncombustable, have exterior fire suppression systems, or both?
I was in Rancho Cucamonga Friday afternoon. Those Santa Ana winds were insane. They were coming down El Cajon pass like a hurricane, except it was a hot/dry blast. It's no wonder that these fires go nuts with that kind of weather.
Demand not that events should happen as you wish; but wish them to happen as they do happen, and you will go on well. -Epictetus
Posts: 8222 | Location: Utah | Registered: December 18, 2008
Fire is a natural and necessary component of the California ecosystem. The problem is that human intervention tends toward putting out fires; problem worsens as populations encroach further and further into woody biomes. Every year without a burn, the underbrush builds until you've got an inevitable tinderbox. Then nature unleashes her fury.
