2020 Wildfire Season

[splat]

Oh, don't be silly, it's just a fire tornado.

[TBS]

^^^ is some scary shit

[splat]

And our sun has gone.....what's that color again?

[SKIP IN7RO]

^synthwave pink

[splat]

lulzly.

[~mikey b]

splat and Turx

y’all are my emergency go to safe spots if something blows up on the west side and I need to run east over Hwy 4

[ill-advised strategy]

Here’s to good luck and being mobile if luck fails you mang.
Vibes in your direction.

[ill-advised strategy]

less info and more CYA. The Public Information and Recreation folk in the USFS I've asked about this have said that they are explicitly not allowed to do anything with their statements and information except for pass it up the chain of command. No, you can't post on your Ranger District's twitter that the bridge over the creek on that dirt road 30 miles out is being replaced. No making your own webpage to broadcast all of the little tidbits the public could use every day. Just hope the SO or RO sees fit to announce it to their audience (in *their* home town 75 miles away) with enough time that the people that need the information can find it third-hand.

Fire---same? Shit.. even "dump all your briefing documents and perimeter/IR/Division maps into a google drive twice a day" would be a huge improvement.


I kinda wonder if we could solve the problem by hiring a bunch of teenagers to handle the entire PI gig.

When google earth was new, I used it to dispatch fire faster and more accurately than using The Big Wall Map. I was harshly reprimanded for playing around with nongov software.
I kept doing it and kept showing dispatchers and firefighters how it worked until it became irrefutable.

That’s what you have to do, sadly...you have to do the right thing and keep doing the right thing until the fucking dinosaurs can process that it’s right. You have to put them in a position where you’re being insubordinate by doing a good job, so when they process having to shitcan you for it they’re forced to reckon with how it would look, in the news, to not just fire someone who was doing a good job, but fire them FOR doing a good job against your orders to do a shitty job.

Yeah, you don’t make friends with the shitbags when you play it that way, but I never wanted shitbag friends, and in my career some of my proudest moments were pushing through the horseshit to make something important happen....and the regrets that haunt me the most, today...literally choke me up today, this morning, had to do with trying to go with the flow and acquiescing to the walls of lazy bullshit bureaucratic fuckery when action needed to be taken.

[Rideski]

https://twitter.com/nwsboulder/statu...129018369?s=21

[SkiBall]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weath...fires-largest/

CO isn’t good, but damn CA is pretty effed. Vibes.

Sorry if paywall. I can copy if wanted.

[KQ]

Meacham Complex, Rattlesnake Fire update

PENDLETON – One complex of fires in Umatilla County and another fire near Pomeroy, Washington continue to burn. The Meacham Complex is seven percent contained at 265 acres and the Rattlesnake Fire was at 50 acres at last report, with no containment reported.

There are 142 people fighting the Meacham Complex overseen by a Type 2 Incident Command Team. The largest blaze in the complex is the Hager Ridge Fire which is put at 100 acres. A reconnaissance flight Thursday showed that in addition to that blaze, the Horse Fire, the Heron Fire, and the 896 Fire are of high priority.

Firefighters are focusing on establishing access points to the fires and securing anchor points where they can build containment lines. No structures are threatened at present, but significant cultural and natural resources are threatened. Fire managers are working with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation to protect those resources.

The Rattlesnake Fire is 20 miles south of Pomeroy burning entirely within the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness. The blaze is within the 2006 Columbia Complex fire scar. Firefighters have not been able to access the fire due to steep and rugged terrain with flood damage on the roads within the Tucannon watershed. One firefighter is serving as a lookout to monitor fire behavior and management. The area has been patrolled to identify potential roads or ridge lines that could be used for suppression.

Due to the large number of fires across the region, there is only limited aircraft availability to assist in the suppression effort. Umatilla National Forest officials are considering options that will grant firefighters access, including opening Forest Service Road 47, which was damaged in the flood.

Some regulated closures are in effect in the areas of the Meacham Complex and Rattlesnake Fire. For more information regarding restrictions call the Umatilla National Forest hotline at 877-958-9663.

[wolfy]

KQ-
a few posts ago you mentioned something being sponsored by True North fire gear. If you have any connection to them- kudos on a really nice product. I carried one of their line packs for the last 5 years of my career, probably over 300 shifts and never a complaint to be had. Still use my last one on my dirt bike.

This event in Cali is a lot like the September bust in '87, a record setter at the time. Even without covid, by the end of the first 14 day assignments, the insanity will be off the charts.
Stay safe out there. Supervisors- Keep 'em safe. Wish I could say see ya skiing.

[KQ]

Fire in the Blues as seen from my place. Not sure which one this is but that ain't no small plume.

[Ottime]

splat and Turx

y’all are my emergency go to safe spots if something blows up on the west side and I need to run east over Hwy 4

1) I though you were in SF doing tracking

and

2) is there something on the west slope near 108?

[~mikey b]

not anymore and no

it’s called thinking ahead

[Kevo]

It's 90+ degrees in Aspen and Steamboat and mid to high 90s in the Front Range.

Front Range of CO is the driest I've ever seen it. If we get a sizable fire in the front range there are basically no resources available to fight it.

[PowderHorse]

Looking towards the Flatirons yesterday afternoon. If one of the canyons sparks again like 2012, it's going to be really bad. So fucking hot this summer.

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk

[Ottime]

That fire is shitty. Well, they all are, but my kid is in Santa Cruz (and mag Ott) so this one sucks worse for me. He'll be fine, but its getting super close to a big population.

Yo @Ottime I hope you and family stay safe with this one.

Thanks man. We are 1/3 mile behind the evacuation line, so are good for now. I don't think we will be threatened by fire. CalFire has built a line north of town from route 1 to Route 9. If that holds, town and campus will be okay. Loads are people are losing their homes. Friends of ours have lost their home, alone with a bunch of colleagues. It is pretty crazy to see first hand. For my family, currently the biggest issue has been falling ash and air quality. Small issue compared to those losing homes, but it has been hard watching the fire burn through our figurative backyard and the trails and spaces we utilize regularly and know so well.

We spent Sunday on Waddell Beach to beat the heat. It was over 100F at my house that day. The start of the fire was clearly visible, with a smile plume on the northern ridge of Big Basin at the coast. We watched as aircraft dropped retardant. It felt light and fun, and as if this was a small blaze that would soon be out, and we enjoyed the show while the kids played in the small surf. I went back Wednesday morning for a dawn patrol surf. I saw a road closure sign after Davenport, but after a few miles figured it had been left out. As I rounded the corner near Greyhound Rock I saw it. First speckles of light up on the mountain side that at first I thought we engine lights. As I drove, they blended together into flickers and then flames. I could see the entire ridge lines both north and south of Rancho del Oso alight. And the road block was just 100 yards ahead. I returned to the pull out by Greyhound and watched for 20 minutes, and then went home. It was clear then that this was no small fire. By noon we had thick ash falling in our yard.

This morning things feel hopeful. They have now two solid lines in just to our north, as well as an established line on the north side of the complex and Davenport has been boxed out. The big concern is another lightning storm headed up the coast to arrive this evening. Strong winds and lighting strikes are possible. Moderate west and SW winds are forecast this afternoon, along with lower humidity and there is a lot of concern about the communities in San Lorenzo Valley.

This has all given me a new appreciation for wildfires, our first responders and Cal Fire. They are all doing an amazing job.

Oh, and fuck the fucking looters. One asshole even broke into a CalFire engine to steal shit. Who the fuck does that? I say toss them into the blaze.

[Ottime]

not anymore and no

it’s called thinking ahead

Well, I'm glad there is nothing there. That is our route out of the smoke tomorrow.

The second part of your comment just makes me chuckle tho.

[KQ]

[m2711c]

this is what happens when you strangle the government with tax cuts.... but at least in return you get all of the freedoms.

[jackstraw]

Wish we could send this West...

[Kevo]

Wish we could send this West...

There hasn't been measurable precipitation at my house since early to mid June. We could use some rain.

[jackstraw]

And technically we're dry, but the west is a different level dry.

My front yard is "California gold". We don't water because I think it's wasteful when water is of short supply, but my lawn has never looked like this.

[Ottime]

Wind change and even a little water falling was good. Hope for lack of strong winds and lightning tonight, but would love to squeeze a little water out of it. Other side of the wave looks good for suppression, and even better for town. Light south westerly flow and marine layer. SLV OTOH is still fighting the fight for at least the next few days and that wind direction goes right up the valley. Not good. Just happy we could open the windows this evening for a little air exchange. Next 36 hours will likely determine a lot with this fire. Fingers crossed.