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FIRE!
Sept 19, 2014 10:00:23 GMT -8
Post by nikeajax on Sept 19, 2014 10:00:23 GMT -8
Terry, Robert and Jerry I hope these fires are away from you guys, and that you're safe! yubanet.com/nevada/King.phpThis footage is beautiful, truly, but scary: awesome in the truest sense of the word: vimeo.com/106467993My brother lives close to these fires: he said he was watching the treeline, and saw a tree literally explode: it scared the (expletive deleted) out of him! Yeah: earthquakes and fires! Jaybird
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FIRE!
Sept 19, 2014 17:49:12 GMT -8
Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2014 17:49:12 GMT -8
Smokin!
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Post by duckbill on Sept 19, 2014 19:04:03 GMT -8
Well away from us. Thanks for thinking of us, Jay. The sunlight today was a strange yellowish-orange tint. Kind of pretty and easy on the eyes. The smoke was high enough up that we couldn't smell it. Hopefully the smoke won't drop to the valley floor during the cool of the night. Sad for the residents. Thousands of acres are burning down. Clear cut fire lanes and underbrush removal like in the "old days" could have reduced most of the destruction, but this is today's California. I hope your brother comes through unscathed.
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FIRE!
Sept 20, 2014 6:18:58 GMT -8
Post by SeaRat on Sept 20, 2014 6:18:58 GMT -8
I have been monitoring this site while on vacation, but seeing that fire is having effects on friends is troubling. As a former smokejumper, I hear what Duckbill is saying. I cannot comment on California, but past practices do have effects on today's fires. I remember having to down a large, very old pine tree which was lightning struck and smoldering, but which did not present a real fire hazard as we were in front of a major rain storm. But down it came, and we put it out. People forget that Native Americans managed forests with fire to keep underbrush in check so they could more easily hunt, and this was happening for several thousand years.
John
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FIRE!
Sept 20, 2014 8:41:09 GMT -8
Post by nikeajax on Sept 20, 2014 8:41:09 GMT -8
"People forget that Native Americans managed forests with fire to keep underbrush in check so they could more easily hunt, and this was happening for several thousand years."
John, what most people don't know is that the ecosystem in California, and parts of Southern Oregon absolutely need fire to be healthy: a lot of the plants here can't grow without it, which is why the invasive species are doing so well! As scary as the fire is to us, it's a natural and very necessary part of the health of this incredibly bio-diverse area. We have come to believe that fire is evil, and should be stopped at all cost: without the little healthy-fires, litter builds up under the trees and then the fires get too hot sterilizing the ground so that nothing can grow for periods longer than normal, which is what's happening now.
Jaybird
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FIRE!
Sept 20, 2014 19:52:53 GMT -8
Post by SeaRat on Sept 20, 2014 19:52:53 GMT -8
Jaybird, you are completely correct. In the Everglades, the small pine tree cones won't open unless subjected to fire. Chris and I just visited Bryce National Park, and saw the results of the Park Service's controlled burns; yes some trees die, but we saw two deer, and two antalope today too. If you look at the photo you posted, it appears that only one tree is in danger, in the upper right corner of the photo.
How does this tie into diving? Well, if fires are too hot, they burn roots which hold soil, jeopardizing our streams and rivers--and leading to slides.
John
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Post by sitkadiver on Sept 20, 2014 21:25:45 GMT -8
My cousin works on the Fire Behavior Assessment Team and she transits around the state mapping the path of the fires advance and size and correlation to wind patterns. She has some pretty spectacular photos on her Facebook page.
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Post by nikeajax on Sept 21, 2014 9:26:48 GMT -8
I know this has nothing to do with diving; but it does have something to do with people, and besides, it's been rather dead around here. My brother sent me this this morning. I thought it was kinda nice to hear something so simple could help someone, that is listening and not distancing yourself to strangers, which people are doing more and more these days...
"I was out at Boa Vista again late this afternoon. Went to see how the fire was progressing. Got some fruit & started watching the air tankers & Helos drop. There was a family with teens that I stared talking to parked next to me, they were very upset. The fire is close to their house in the Mosquito area, the fire is only a couple of ridges away. They were crying a bit. I told of an ap to monitor the fire fighters on the scanner, where to look on Yubanet.com for news, let them use my binoculars, and phone charger, explained the air operations & what the various type aircraft do, what the weather is and just talked with them about all kinds of stuff. I let them now that a lot of people care even if we are not in eminent threat ourselves. I just kinda hung out with 'em and listened to each of them. It made them relax a whole lot. I also talked to a bunch of other people as well & chatted with a few folks I've met before. Later the dad of the family came over to me as they were leaving for the community fire info meeting in Camino & thanked me. Sometimes being kinda of a chatterbox & having a bit of esoteric knowledge regarding otherwise obscure things helps other people. And that made me really glad I went out there."
I'm very much like my brother in that respect; I always try to talk to people, look them straight in the eyes and ask, "How are you, how is your day..." I give them a chance to respond, and I listen to what they have to say: we learned this from our Mother: it's very humanizing!
Jaybird
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FIRE!
Sept 24, 2014 13:59:35 GMT -8
Post by SeaRat on Sept 24, 2014 13:59:35 GMT -8
My hope is that this weather front which came through last evening put the dampers on several fires in Northern California and Southern Oregon. We got a pretty good amount of rain--a dumping. Fall is here, and with it hopefully the end of a long fire season as upon us.
Jaybird, I appreciate your sharing your brother's text. That is what community is all about.
John
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FIRE!
Oct 5, 2014 19:03:21 GMT -8
Post by nikeajax on Oct 5, 2014 19:03:21 GMT -8
HOLY SHEEP CA-CA, it's still going as of 10/5/14! More from my brother: "We still see fire crews everywhere you go around here, some have gotten to go home or battle other blazes elsewhere. Thank you banners & posters, signs all over the place. There's still over 2000 people working on it @ 98% contained and well over 97,000 acres burned. The fairgrounds & half of Raley's parking lot is still full of USFS & other fire vehicles, tents, sleeping trailers & other facilities. A "weed wash" facility, a car wash of sorts to help prevent the spread of unwanted seeds & disease into the burn area is set up next to the movie theaters. The report this morning was:"Extreme, steep terrain continues to challenge containment in the Rubicon River Valley area on the southwest flank of the fire. The anticipated containment date of the fire has been adjusted to October 8 due to extreme terrain slowing containment."A lot of the images in this story are creepy: www.verticalmag.com/news/article/1600YardstoFreedomThe operator of dozer 1642 bailed off the machine minutes before it was overtaken by fire and its fuel tank burst into flames. SIGH!Jaybird
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FIRE!
Oct 5, 2014 22:23:43 GMT -8
Post by SeaRat on Oct 5, 2014 22:23:43 GMT -8
Jaybird, we set a 20+ year record high at 81 degrees in the Portland, Oregon area today. You still have the King fire. This photo you show above is an example of total destruction of the forest by fire, with the trees, roots, etc. gone...very bad. Tell me it is not somehow connected to Global Warming.
John
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