The Weather Has Really Cooled Off Here

[MrPeabody]

But not for the right reasons.

There's a 15,000 acre fire about ten miles from here and the sun is just a red blurry spot in the sky from the smoke.

The fire started a few days ago and it's mostly burned an uninhabited area. Four homes have been lost and numerous outbuildings. Many have been evacuated. It started as a structure fire and arson is suspected. My wife went out to water the garden and had to come in and hit on the asthma inhaler, which she seldom needs to use.

We're safe where we live since there's a huge lake between us and the fire. They only have 5% containment and this is going to get worse before it gets better. They have every piece of firefighting aircraft from helicopters to DC-10s in the air fighting this one. I'm sure it will go on for days to come. It started two days ago.

http://www.lakeconews.com/index.php?...est&Itemid=197

[polarbear]

Best wishes- saw that.

[MrPeabody]

Originally Posted by polarbear

Best wishes- saw that.

One thing that's really good in a rural county is they immediately set up an evacuation center for animals. Not just house pets, but horses and livestock. I imagine there may be quite a few of them in the area of the fire.

In the late 90s we had a fire that was over 200,000 acres. The National Guard was camped here for weeks to assist in fighting the fire. My mom sprang into action and was baking cookies, cakes and pies and taking them to their camp every day while they were here.

Ashes are falling like snowflakes here. Not many, but a few every now and then.

[polarbear]

I have three 50 gal garbage cans filled with water on the other side of my fence. 8 acre field behind us, and it's dry as the sahara.

[mrvette]

Originally Posted by MrPeabody

One thing that's really good in a rural county is they immediately set up an evacuation center for animals. Not just house pets, but horses and livestock. I imagine there may be quite a few of them in the area of the fire.

In the late 90s we had a fire that was over 200,000 acres. The National Guard was camped here for weeks to assist in fighting the fire. My mom sprang into action and was baking cookies, cakes and pies and taking them to their camp every day while they were here.

Ashes are falling like snowflakes here. Not many, but a few every now and then.

Are you near Nevada City/Grass Valley?? that's where my Son's family is....

[MrPeabody]

Originally Posted by mrvette

Are you near Nevada City/Grass Valley?? that's where my Son's family is....

That's about two hours east of us. They could be getting a little smoke if the wind is blowing in their direction.

It's going to make an interesting full moon tonight.

[OddBall]

Hope that thing doesn't make it around the lake towards you.

[MrPeabody]

Originally Posted by OddBall

Hope that thing doesn't make it around the lake towards you.

No way that could happen. It's moving in the opposite direction. My area is more like the suburbs. Not a lot of brush or timber, and a golf course weaving it's way through the area makes a great fire break. The ninth hole is behind my house and the first hole is behind the houses across the street.

[Bucwheat]

Good luck,hope it turns away.

[MrPeabody]

I just spoke to a friend who works for the school district. They have set up an evacuation center in the high school gym. He said it looks like a marijuana grower's convention there.

Seriously, conservative estimates are that hundreds of acres of pot plantations have burned.

Wind has shifted, and it's not nearly as smoky at my house today. Still no injuries or deaths from the fire, around a dozen homes burned. I talked to a lady at the coffee shop this morning who has been evacuated and is staying with her daughter. She has been told her house is still standing but says she will believe it when she sees it.

[StaticCling]

Stay safe man.

Here where I live in the flatlands of the San Fernando Valley, I have no fire risk at all.

Now that I have a cabin in the Mountains, I have skin in the game and it's a really frightening thing.

Had a fire up in there last month, didn't get anywhere close to our little Hideout though...

I hate covering Brush Fires at work. My least favorite thing about my job. Hate 'em.

[StaticCling]

Sandy's house is sort of in a fire risk zone though, up in Porter Ranch.

[Kerrmudgeon]

Meanwhile, downwind from the burning pot plantations.....

[NEED-A-VETTE]

Originally Posted by chinaski

Sandy's house is sort of in a fire risk zone though, up in Porter Ranch.

Indeed, it is.

We went thru the Sesnon Fire in 2008. Came right up to homes. Firefighters did an incredible job.


This was a few hours after the evacuation, as the fire approaches the neighborhood. Taken by a news agency, I think. They were staging on Sesnon Blvd. You can hear the wind that the fire creates and (at about the 2:00 mark) see how the fire could easily jump with the blowing embers.



I took these all from our neighborhood:



















































And, of course, the fires create their own weather...especially wind. Very strong winds. Any minute little crack one has in windows or doors, let's in ash...



Video from the neighborhood, taken by one of the neighbors:

[Jeff '79]

Damn... It don't get any closer than that.
Some of those pics look like Armageddon.

[StaticCling]

Originally Posted by Jeff '79

Damn... It don't get any closer than that.
Some of those pics look like Armageddon.

When it burns up there, it burns good. That area is prone to EXTREME winds, Sandy will tell you, it gets FUBAR windy up there. And that fuels those fires.

Just like my Cabin, they have clocked 100mph+ winds up there on the mountain. I was up there for one wind event, and it was effing crazy.

Sandy lives about 5 or so miles from me, and even though I'm line of site of the Newhall Pass, and it gets damn windy at my house here in the flats of the valley, that area where she lives is a different world.

Hey Sandy, you ever seen snow up there?

[NEED-A-VETTE]

Originally Posted by chinaski

When it burns up there, it burns good. That area is prone to EXTREME winds, Sandy will tell you, it gets FUBAR windy up there. And that fuels those fires.

Just like my Cabin, they have clocked 100mph+ winds up there on the mountain. I was up there for one wind event, and it was effing crazy.

Sandy lives about 5 or so miles from me, and even though I'm line of site of the Newhall Pass, and it gets damn windy at my house here in the flats of the valley, that area where she lives is a different world.

Yeah. When the Santa Ana winds roll thru, we get them exponentially.

Some days, when it's windy up here, it's calm as can be down by the 118. That's, what, a mile and a half down the road?

Originally Posted by chinaski

Hey Sandy, you ever seen snow up there?

I've only seen snow here one time. It was about 5-6 years ago. It only lasted (on the ground) for about 30 minutes.

The peaks that I can see from the house (part of the Santa Susana Mountain range, for those that are not familiar) get a dusting a few times a year. Only when the snow level drops really low, however. I'm sure it snows up there quite often, but the tallest peaks aren't visible from the house. They're too far north and west.

Frame of reference, for those that have no idea WTF Scott and I are talking about...

Just taken a little while ago. From the front yard of the house, which is located in the foothills of the Santa Susana Mountains:





From across the San Fernando Valley, looking north towards the house and the Santa Susana range (not my pic, obviously). The house is at about 1,600 feet, whereas the valley floor (south of us) is at about 700-800 ft. Some sort of weather phenomenon takes place that funnels wind up (or down) to the area. Porter Ranch is in the distance in the far north and west, up in the foothills:



Incidentally, the Sesnon Fire was actually started in the mountains north of us, due to a power line that was knocked down by the...wind!!!!

[NEED-A-VETTE]

Scott, speaking of the Santa Susana Mountains...

Have you been on the old stagecoach trail? It picks up somewhere in Chatsworth and goes into Simi Valley. I've only seen pictures online, but always thought it'd be interesting to hike.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_...ana_Stage_Road

[MrPeabody]

The Rocky fire in Lake County:

Doubled in size overnight, now 48,000 acres, although largely still burning in unpopulated area. Two dozen homes lost, no injuries or deaths reported. It's moving to the northeast away from the towns it threatened in the last few days. The National Guard should be here today if they aren't already.

Hwy 20, one of three roads into the county is now closed. The fire jumped it last night. The fire is now burning into two neighboring counties, Yolo and Colusa. Biggest impact on the economy will probably be the loss of revenue from marijuana crops being destroyed. There's more pot money in this county than people think. We used to see it frequently at the car lot. I also sold my gym to a grower. He spent a bunch of money on equipment, doubled the size of the place and it sits empty most of the time. He doesn't care. I think he "invents" imaginary members and launders money through there.

No smoke at all now where I live now that wind directions have returned to their normal pattern of blowing to the east.

[NEED-A-VETTE]

Originally Posted by MrPeabody

The Rocky fire in Lake County:

Doubled in size overnight, now 48,000 acres, although largely still burning in unpopulated area. Two dozen homes lost, no injuries or deaths reported. It's moving to the northeast away from the towns it threatened in the last few days. The National Guard should be here today if they aren't already.

Hwy 20, one of three roads into the county is now closed. The fire jumped it last night. The fire is now burning into two neighboring counties, Yolo and Colusa. Biggest impact on the economy will probably be the loss of revenue from marijuana crops being destroyed. There's more pot money in this county than people think. We used to see it frequently at the car lot. I also sold my gym to a grower. He spent a bunch of money on equipment, doubled the size of the place and it sits empty most of the time. He doesn't care. I think he "invents" imaginary members and launders money through there.

No smoke at all now where I live now that wind directions have returned to their normal pattern of blowing to the east.

The wind can carry those embers for miles.