California is Burning (Again)

[Meadow Skipper]

Understand the need for privacy but the veil of secrecy from the USFS/NIFC is a bit disturbing. I know the area of the Frog Fire fairly well and it's difficult for me to put together a picture of a burnover scenario in that terrain and vegetation and road density. Flat terrain but with a lot of 30 ft tall lava rubble piles, lots of open Jeffrey/Pondo stands, some thick chaparral in areas but not many places you can be where there isn't fast egress. I know speculation isn't worth shit but I'd go with a snag or heart attack as opposed to entrapment.

Looks like the guy got smoked out:
http://www.krcrtv.com/fallen-firefig...ation/34537936

RIP

[Benny Profane]

The photos coming out of this are awesome. All brown and yellow and orange and, well, something.

[cat in january]

I think my word would be horrible. Prayers for all involved.

[char]

As predicted, national guard mobilizing crews to the. Rocky fire

[LightRanger]

Yeah, figured they'd get to that. Thing is huge and additional resources are pretty much tapped out.

[glademaster]

Benny is using awesome correctly, if not colloquially...

[WTF is dat]

Plenty of rain Colorado and Utah this summer. Benny, stfu and bring your hate somewhere else

[old goat]

RIP Michael Hallenbeck.

Meanwhile, the families of 14 contract pilots who have died fighting fires in California over the last 12 years are planning to sue Cal Fire for their death benefits. Apparently they were told to file with the US Forest Service, but the federal death benefit doesn't apply to contract workers who are covered by the state. The families were told repeatedly that they had to go through the feds and never were told about the state death benefit.

[bodywhomper]

^Bummer^

The pyrocumulonimbus cloud coming off the Jerusalem fire this afternoon was pretty spectacular from the north bay area. Anybody else see it?

[bodywhomper]

Another interesting connection between outdoor ganja grows and wildfire http://yubanet.com/california/Backbu...p#.Vcls1aNlDFo

[LightRanger]

Another interesting connection between outdoor ganja grows and wildfire http://yubanet.com/california/Backbu...p#.Vcls1aNlDFo

Saw that earlier. What a tool.

Wasn't looking for the cloud. Wonder if I can see it from Martinez. Saw the Wragg Fire cloud quite well on the way back from Pinecrest on 120 west of Manteca, and then again from work in Martinez. Also saw the King Fire pyrocumulus from 680 last fall. That was pretty nuts.

[DasBlunt]

Well, what can I say. Always here about the death of the old East, as the West grows quicker and quicker. It rains here. Fire is the last of our worries, but, every summer, seems to be the biggest worry out in the stupid zones.

Stupid Zones?

Lots of big, really big, family farms, ranches, in a area being sucked dry of all its ground water was well as surface water and no rain is tragic,

Watching huge swaths of the earth succumb to being made a barren desert wasteland is tragic.

[DasBlunt]

SO many backfires being lit....like they want a bigger fire?

Using prison inmates to fight fires too?

[WTF is dat]

Benny is just full of hate about everything. He considers the mountain west "stupid zones" yet he will be coming back to summit county next season to cunt up the Colorado discussion threads.

Vibes to California I hope for an epic season this year.

[highangle]

Another interesting connection between outdoor ganja grows and wildfire http://yubanet.com/california/Backbu...p#.Vcls1aNlDFo

Saw that earlier. What a tool.

Wasn't looking for the cloud. Wonder if I can see it from Martinez. Saw the Wragg Fire cloud quite well on the way back from Pinecrest on 120 west of Manteca, and then again from work in Martinez. Also saw the King Fire pyrocumulus from 680 last fall. That was pretty nuts.

[Devil's Advocate] The old boy might be on to something though. Check it out on GE. If he took advantage of the big fire's draw to burn up to the crown of the ridge between him and the advancing Jerusalem fire before the mandatory evacuation, his neighbors might be giving him a medal when the smoke clears.[/Devil's Advocate]

[Meadow Skipper]

SO many backfires being lit....like they want a bigger fire?

Sometimes it's the only way - you've heard of fighting fire with fire? I could go on in detail, but you don't want to get me started.

Using prison inmates to fight fires too?

For many years now.

[Timberridge]

Benny, what's wrong? Your index shifter missing cogs again? You shit on the EC all winter, now you shit on the West all summer.

[DJSapp]

^Bummer^

The pyrocumulonimbus cloud coming off the Jerusalem fire this afternoon was pretty spectacular from the north bay area. Anybody else see it?

Yup. Saw it coming home from Sacramento last night. Didn't know if the rocky fire had jumped containment as it was coming from the same place, or if it was a new fire. Looking at the map, it pretty much doesn't matter. 12,000 acres and 0% containment with temps going up this week.

I also saw something coming from further south while on 80 westbound, in the direction of the delta/benecia. Couldn't tell if it was fog rolling in, refinery fire, or something down that way but I can't find any info about that. Looked as big as the Jerusalem Fire from my seat.

[LightRanger]

There were some weird clouds about yesterday at commute time. Don't know of any fires in CoCo/Solano at the moment (other than Wragg Fire, contained).

[Meadow Skipper]

The national multi-agency coordinating group (NMAC) and the national interagency coordination center (NICC) set the national preparedness level at PL 5 - the highest level. Means we're pretty much out of stuff and the shit's pretty much hitting the fan.

Preparedness Level V

Geographic Areas are experiencing major incidents which have the potential to exhaust all agency fire resources. 80 percent of Type 1 and 2 IMTs and crews are committed, as well as the majority of other national resources.

Pretty big deal.

https://www.nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireinfo_prepLevels.html

[BigDaddy]

Shit, that's seriously not good. El Nino's not kicking in until October, either... stay safe.

[cat in january]

Hope everyone stays safe. Shit is going to hit the fan.

[teledad]

Drove from Tahoe to Boise and back recently. Drove there on US95 through eastern OR and southwestern ID through dry open range with cattle grazing. Drove back a week later through a scorched earth wasteland.

[east or bust]

Interesting read.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/e...-looking-dire/

[mud]