Just wanted to ask how are you guys on the west coast doing?

[SonnyE]

Shoot, we pretty much just ignore them here.
Even when they get close, they seem to knock down the threat. Water dropping helicopters seem to be the best where they can get one in to save somebodies place.
If it's your time to replace everything, it's your time.
One of my Son's is evacuated from the Mendocino fire in Northern California. He and his girlfriend evacuated to a friends place in their RV to wait it out. But the word is good so far.
One of my Sisters outside of Grants Pass, Ore. is struggling with smoke, and had to have a breathing treatment for her lungs. But Oregone seems to have a lot of wildfires.

Two of my cousins were wiped out in Mississippi when Katrina hit. They lost everything, including the slab's their homes were built on. But all we heard of was New Orleans.
Mississippi got far more devastation, but no coverage by the Fake News.

 

[johnmeyer]

You are absolutely correct about Mississippi. One of my good friends has equipment for setting up ad-hoc communications so first responders can still talk to each other (they rely on repeaters). In 2005, he was not sent to New Orleans, which was badly flooded but otherwise intact, because they didn't get hit by high winds. Instead he went to Bay St. Louis, Mississippi which got completely leveled by the storm, with some of the floating casinos pushed a mile inland, and railroad tracks completely washed away.

I remember watching the breathless coverage in New Orleans, which was bad enough, to be sure, but wondering why we didn't see one single image from these other places? New Orleans had to do a lot of rebuilding, but most of the flooded homes had plenty of stuff that could be recovered, especially if water didn't go to the top floor. In Bay St. Louis, it was exactly as you said: nothing left but a patch of mud where your house used to be, if you could even find or recognized that patch.

I have to disagree that we ignore the fires out here in CA. I have not been taking any vacations during the summer months the past ten years. When you see smoke pouring over the adjacent hills, and CalFire stations a big engine and crew of four at the bottom of your driveway for a week in order to save your house in case the sparks jump the fire lines and start a fire in your neighborhood (they can travel through the air several miles, and completely bypass the fire lines), it makes it pretty difficult to be cavalier about the threat. Take a look at that time lapse I showed in my previous post: it is as scary as seeing a tornado funnel moving in your direction.

 

[JOHN RENDA]

one of the problems fire fighting these fires is they can't see where to drop the water and retardants. I feel sorry for all the people in these type of emergencies. you cannot ignore a wild fire not good sense.

 

[RiversideSm0ker]

Well a new fire popped up yesterday. I'm still not in the path thank God, but it sent up a plum of smoke that basically blotted the sun yesterday about 4:30pm. The smoke wasn't nearly as bad this morning but apparently it was about 4000 acres already. This thing is about 45-50 miles from me. Man I just hate fires. The only good fire is in my firebox or grill. Keeping all the firefighters in my prayers today.

George

 

[bbqbrett]

I sat down at my computer and saw the orange light streaming in the windows. Took a pic. This is a typical smoky sunrise here these days.

I'm not on the coast but in Idaho. Had a lot of days like that around here too. Aside from a lot of fires we have burning in our own mountains we are getting tons of smoke from Oregon and Cali. Pretty much every summer it happens.

 

[normonster]

I'm late to the party here.

I'm in Sonoma and until today we were having great luck with the Bay winds keeping the smoke out. What we have here is still nothing compared to what they are dealing with a few miles up 101. In Sonoma we got our dose last year in a really big way...we lost over 4,000 homes. The devastation was unreal. Sounds like the same thing happened in Reading with neighborhoods burning down, only they've lost a few thousand less.

I am pretty sure every year is going to be this same story. Between the constant fires and the fact that housing is so expensive Oregon is looking pretty dang good!! Heard the fishing is great up there too!!! haha.

 

[JOHN RENDA]

thank God for the firefighters and their courage

 

[noboundaries]

When my wife drove home from work Monday, she passed two grass fires in big fields just 3-5 miles from the house, both off the same road. That's no coincidence, and it pisses me off.

 

[johnmeyer]

When my wife drove home from work Monday, she passed two grass fires in big fields just 3-5 miles from the house, both off the same road. That's no coincidence, and it pisses me off.

Yeah, you get lots of noise in the press when the fire is started by PG&E electrical equipment, but you have to wait months before they admit that some firebug was the cause. The huge Soberanes fire in Big Sur two years ago was caused by an illegal campfire, and we didn't find that out for a long time.

They had to rescue, by helicopter, several "campers" near the fire who later turned out to be tending a giant illegal marijuana grow. The authorities couldn't prosecute, even though they admitted to what they were doing, because the evidence went up in smoke. They never admitted to having a campfire, and of course that too was impossible to locate, so nothing could be proven.

 

[JOHN RENDA]

arson was the latest cause,someone was arrested.

 

[johnmeyer]

arson was the latest cause,someone was arrested.

Which fire? We've got close to a dozen going on.

We're finally getting smoke down here in Carmel. The yellowish color reminds me very much of October back in Chicago when I was growing up when everyone would burn their leaves.

 

[RiversideSm0ker]

They arrested somebody for the Holy fire which is the one closest to me. That's the one that is near Corona. They should just toss the dirtbag in the fire. Man I just can't stand arsonists.

George

 

[JOHN RENDA]

the Holly fire was arson and he was caught now lock him up!

 

[gmc2003]

Forrest Clark was arrested. He sent out emails telling people that this place will burn. Being held on 1 million dollars bail.
He's also saying that he was being threatened by the gang MS-13.

Stay safe over there.

Chris