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Whelp, some wildland fires have been going on quietly for a little while, but with this heat wave we've got lightning storms going through the cascades and yesterday it seems to have begun-fuck.
12+ houses/structures burned yesterday. About 30 minutes from where I live and I just had to stop work due to lightning near here (Leavenworth) and its only getting closer.
Yeehaw!
this is going to be a long summer up there. I hope people who have exposure are doing the work it takes to be ready.
http://www.firewise.org/wildfire-pre...ape.aspx?sso=0
24 houses and I think a business or two burned last night, 18 miles from here.
Yeah, I live "in town" and if it gets close to my house then the whole city is screwed -- which is possible I suppose.
It's my first time living out here in the summer, and damn I'm a little nervous.
Not sure what I can do
I'm sure you will survive.
Uh, Leavenworth has "survived" many worse fires than the grass fire in Wenatchee. 24 homes were burned because they were built along and at the top of a draw in close proximity(only a few yards)to very dense and dry fuels, 5-6' sagebrush, bitterbrush, rabbitbrush, serviceberry and wheat grass, all very combustible. That coupled with the fact the the draw is almost always subject to outlet winds from the Wenatchee river drainage, created the fire storm. That whole area adjacent to the Broadview subdivision burned in August 2013 except for the draw at the edge of the subdivision which was protected by a dozer line on the other side of the gully. There were very light winds during that fire.Quote:
Originally Posted by mufasa5446
Elsewhere in Wenatchee homes that were entirely surrounded by flames went unscathed. What you can do is chill out and then make sure you clean the needles off your roof and out of the gutters and rake the debris away from your house. You'll be fine.
Picture from Don Seabrook of Wenatchee World:
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/e...s5bmkznws.jpeg
You see that draw in front of that first row of houses at the bottom of that pic? Until Sunday afternoon it was choked with heavy fuel and it leads right down to the Wenatchee river. When CC District 1 fire chief arrived that whole line of houses was engulfed in flames which spread to the homes across the street and up the hill. It really is amazing this didn't happen sooner.Quote:
Originally Posted by plugboots
who owns that adjacent property (in the draw)?
According to the Chelan Co. GIS parcel map, the property owners own the land to the bottom of the draw and some across and up the other side. This annexation of the Broadview subdivision into the city of Wenatchee was contentious because of fire concerns, it was only a matter of time before this happened. That draw should have been cleared of fuels years ago.Quote:
Originally Posted by bodywhomper
My parents used to live up on Eagle Rock. It was in the covenants that lawns be maintained and watered. One of the reasons they moved from there was dad got too old to maintain the lawn on a fairly steep slope and they didn't want to pay a gardener to do it. I always thought that was wasteful and silly. Not any more...
Doesn't the fact that the houses across the street burned partially undermine your argument that it's easy to create defensible space?
I see your point, but think about the fuel supply the fire got when it hit those homes. Instead of a couple feet of grass and shrubs, it hit a 30' tall kiln dried wood and petroleum product pile. Add some wind and I don't think its hard to imagine the flames going 50' across the road and igniting another home. Where there is lawn though you can see that the flames did not get very far.Quote:
Originally Posted by RootSkier
Also consider that in a strong wind, embers from the fuel in that draw would get blown up and carried quite a ways.
The fire was moving fast through that area but it was mostly grass until it hit that draw. If the houses on the bench above the draw hadn't caught fire the ones across the street probably wouldn't have caught fire either. Also almost every house that burned had a cedar shake roof, if you can believe that. I doubt that many houses would have been lost if the brush below them had been cleared and they had more fire resistant roofing.
NW of Spokane, just west of me. Crap.
Attachment 168048
We were out boating on long lake near Tum Tum when this started. Looked like it took off in a hurry. Hoping it's just a brush fire...Quote:
Originally Posted by Flyoverland Captive
Aaron, some of the houses that burned seriously had cedar shake roofs? Do you have an idea of how old those houses were?
KHQ is reporting 100 acres; smoke has gone down, so it appears contained. I'm straight east, near Clayton, so I'm not too concerned. But some ashes have fallen in my yard, so I'll sleep with one eye open.Quote:
Originally Posted by bourbonisgood
Update: 3-400 acres now, two houses gone, 20 homes evacuated.
I can answer that: Yes, they had cedar shake roofs and they were not very old. That's a fairly recent development. I don't know the exact dates those places were built but it was within the last 20 years, possibly even more recent. I was shocked when I read about the shake roofs. What an incredibly dumb idea for half million $+ houses in that area. Should have been tile or slate.Quote:
Originally Posted by John_B
When my parents moved to Wenatchee about 22 years ago there were a lot more orchards and a lot fewer houses. People from the West side soon learned, as my parents did, that Wenatchee was a pretty nice place to retire with reasonable property values and not much traffic. My parents first house was on the top of a hill in an area called Eagle Rock. Everything below them was orchards when they moved there. It's all housing developments now.
Attachment 168049
Fireworks?! Shocked I am.
Yard is hazy with smoke; smell getting stronger. Tomorrow is going to be interesting.
"Fire crews expect to be at the fire through the night. As of 11:00 p.m. there is very little containment on the fire. Crews said they will bring out the planes and helicopters with water as soon as the sun comes up on Saturday."
That development was started in '96 I believe. The HOA required a wood shake or tile roof. I guess some folks/builders were too cheap/stupid to opt for tile.Quote:
Originally Posted by John_B
Any of the experts in here have any info on AK fires? That seems like it could be a major tinder box if the dry weather continues. Seems like a fire could start in the interior and burn half way across Canada in the right conditions.
Heh. Don't worry. Canada is already employing an aggressive uncontrolled burn program in our northern boreal to address just such an occurrence. 😉Quote:
Originally Posted by neufox47
Drought stressed black spruce = kerosine on a stick. Actioning those northern fires is largely around removing those personnel and assets in their path, maybe if conditions are favourable a backburn can be attempted. Otherwise it is usually up to the weather/season to halt their advance.
Just read that there are over 60 fires currently burning in BC (50 of them started last weekend)Quote:
Originally Posted by BCMountainHound