Wildfire 2023

[Meadow Skipper]

Yeah, 60 mph+ winds and plenty of flashy fuels. A fire hurricane.

The real bitch is just how far Hawaii is down the supply chain and how far down the chain from there Maui is.

Also, Hawaii hasn’t had much, if any experience with these kinds of fires. I don’t think they were anticipating this sort of thing. Climate change and invasion of exotic flammable plant species… https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/10/c...smid=url-share

[Meadow Skipper]

Here’s an interesting article about the current Maui Disaster Administrator and his qualifications. https://www.civilbeat.org/2023/08/wa...over-his-head/

From that article:

But in that role, he told Civil Beat Tuesday, he assisted during emergency operations. And he said he participated in online FEMA trainings and workshops throughout the years.

That thing about FEMA reminded me of this time I was assigned to hurricane Rita in 2005. I got to the FEMA command post in Austin TX and the FEMA guys were terrified, in large part because of how badly FEMA had fucked up at Katrina. They’d been to all the trainings, but had no on-the-line experience - none. They had no idea how to organize or operate when the shit hit the fan. I spent the next 3 days instructing and coaching them on how to put their organization together and get it going, until (thank Ullr) a Coast Guard contingent showed up and took over.

Anyway, that Maui Ops Chief doesn’t seem to know what he doesn’t know. Head gonna roll I bet.

FWIW, the Coast Guard guys are totally on top of ICS/NIMS and can get shit done and done well.

[XXX-er]

Don’t forget those winds blowing embers and firebrands way out beyond the flame front, and then holding those things against buildings and/or up into eaves and overhangs and stuff til they catch.

Sounds like NWT is fuct, and BC is in trouble.

the thing is its a really big province so I think we are ok out west

Due to the changes in Fire activity there have been rumblings of a year round wildland firefighting force, they had fires in nova scotia which never happens

[Meadow Skipper]

the thing is it’s a really big province so I think we are ok out west.

I should have said southern BC. But Smithers is so far narth it’s more like Yukon Territory.

[XXX-er]

As some TGR wanker always like to point out hy 16 is really only half way but there is nothing much else so we call it the narth

Its > 1200 miles from worshington to the yukon which is a long fucking drive on mostly all 2 lane hy

[bodywhomper]

The maui emergency chief is gone. The whole saga is disturbing and fucking sucks. I wonder how much hazard mitigation and prevention (beyond lack of use of the sirens) never occurred because of leadership inadequacy: https://apple.news/AVH5XPNjfTVKOhRGwSw9d8Q

[TBS]

Here’s an interesting article about the current Maui Disaster Administrator and his qualifications. https://www.civilbeat.org/2023/08/wa...over-his-head/

Yep, he sure looks like a political patronage hire. But he beat out 40 other candidates so I would posit that the county’s leaders have some culpability with shitty hiring criteria.

Regardless of his qualifications, I wonder what a superhuman EM manager could have done under the circumstances. Guess I’d like to see the guy’s performance with “typical HI disasters” like hurricanes and tsunamis before I throw him into a volcano.

Also, Hawaii hasn’t had much, if any experience with these kinds of fires. I don’t think they were anticipating this sort of thing. Climate change and invasion of exotic flammable plant species… https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/10/c...smid=url-share

Agreed. With hurricanes and tsunamis you generally have a fair amount of warning time. With the Lahaina fire, there was next to none.

Compounding the drought conditions and the wind, Lahaina is densely packed and construction standards are lax. Especially for fire.

Sounds to me like the big fuckup occurred when the original brush fire in Lahaina was declared 100% contained in the AM. Then it flared mid-afternoon and the town was incinerated by dinner.

Whatever, it’s a sad situation

[bennymac]

I should have said southern BC. But Smithers is so far narth it’s more like Yukon Territory.

As some TGR wanker always like to point out hy 16 is really only half way but there is nothing much else so we call it the narth

Its > 1200 miles from worshington to the yukon which is a long fucking drive on mostly all 2 lane hy

Someone said my name?

[el hefe]

Holy shit. West Kelowna is burning. Seems the fire just jumped OK lake to just north of Kelowna on the East of lake.

[el hefe]

I live on the eastside of the lake and received a warning that it jumped the lake.

Link to fire : https://www.castanet.net/news/West-K...all-Rim#442161

[bodywhomper]

Fkna

[bennymac]

Shit dude - stay safe

[yeahman]

Good luck el hefe, hope it misses you. [emoji3525]

[AK47bp]

Sorry to hear el Hefe, hope that thing changes direction. Scary shit.

[el hefe]

It is spreading quick and now 3 fires on East side. My dad lives about 5 km north of the latest one.

The lake is massive there. Wild that it can jump over.

https://www.castanet.net/news/Kelown...an-Lake#442354

80 Homes. My Dad says he can see Ok Lake Resort burning: https://www.kelownanow.com/watercool...ost/#fs_128469

[hawkgt]

SHIT, vibes hefe. get family and pets out.

[skaredshtles]

It is spreading quick and now 3 fires on East side. My dad lives about 5 km north of the latest one.

The lake is massive there. Wild that it can jump over.

This was the most surprising thing illustrated by the East Troublesome fire down here in Colorado a couple years back - wind-driven fire skipped right over the treeless tundra of the Continental Divide (1+ mile) to start fires on the east side of the Divide.

++vibes, man.

[LHutz Esq]

Good luck Hefe, be safe

[oldnew_guy]

Heh. Memories of ‘87.

I think it was '08 or '09 for me. To much time in Orleans, Happy Camp, Hoopa, Gausqet. At one point I IA'd a fire down one of those old firelines off that road between Orleans and Gasquet that was never finished (the name escapes me).

Months later I was flying the same fire, now massive, and was like "holy shit, they are burning out off the line we put in in June!".

Sort of nicely summarized the futility of remote IA for me and began my departure glide path from WLF.

[oldnew_guy]

It is spreading quick and now 3 fires on East side. My dad lives about 5 km north of the latest one.

The lake is massive there. Wild that it can jump over.

https://www.castanet.net/news/Kelown...an-Lake#442354

80 Homes. My Dad says he can see Ok Lake Resort burning: https://www.kelownanow.com/watercool...ost/#fs_128469

Good luck.

Pack early, leave early.

If you bail and think the fire will impact your home it's worth looking at the firewise guidance and doing what you can.

Lots of houses burn down hours and hours later because of smoldering material in flower beds or from attached decks and fences.

[el hefe]

Thanks all. So far it is in the central okanagan, right now we are ok but this thing is moving fast. I am about 30km north but its moving in our direction.

[The AD]

That's insane a fire can jump across a Lake as big as Okanagan. Stay safe, el hefe!

[XXX-er]

A really disjointed press confrence/ update on the CBC, emergency declared the airport is closed, a really rough night for the fire crews they are talking about signifciant structure loss and its not over but no fatalities

[el hefe]

https://www.cbc.ca/lite/radio/live-r...lumbia/kelowna

Lake Okanagan Resort is gone. This place was pretty awesome when I was a kid. It had gotten run down lately but lots of memories: https://www.castanet.net/news/West-K...ek-fire#442388

[LongShortLong]

I don't think most people who have never been close to a blow up or fire storm can comprehend the utter destruction. Looks like Hiroshima the week after and yes, 6B is way low. I also wonder how well the insurance companies will handle this and how many lacked insurance in the first place.

Nagasaki. The Hiroshima anniversary was three days prior.