Calif. Widfires '09

[Tbars4]

...It seems like we are going to have another big Wildfire season this year...I hope that all our members out here, their homes and their property's stay safe...

...A special thanks goes out ahead of time to our Firefighters ...

...I woke up this morning and on the news it looks like we are having our first major Wildfire of the season...The "Jesusita" fire in Santa Barbara...
http://cbs2.com/local/brush.fire.wildfire.2.1002397.html

 

[cybergasm]

Ya Bubbas BBQ got out of hand again :

aww well i guess we won't be seeing Boomer12 any time soon.

 

[Boomer12]

I'm still around, at least for now...and I agree it's looking like the start to another bad season.

I missed going to this fire by only 1 hr., but by the time I got the message the Engine was already on the way out there.

Perfect time to remind everyone out in the rural areas to double check that you have the state required 100 ft of defensible space around your home/property. It might just save your house!

 

[Ritsui]

Hearts out to those in SB .

I don't want to undermine the importance of defensible space, but please also be prepared to evacuate no matter where you live. We were evacuated from Arrowhead in both the old fire and grass valley fires and then we watched foothill and valley communities burn while our home survived. 50+ mph winds blowing walls of fire horizontal to the ground can happen anywhere there is fuel and they cannot always be stopped by our bravest firefighters or best intentions. Be prepared with portable water, food and clothing (which you can grab with less than 5 minutes to think about it), but even more importantly... have a plan before you need one.

 

[Tbars4]

...As of this morning it has gotten worse...

...13,000 evacuated and zero containment...

500 acres burned
20 houses lost
900 Ca. Firefighters on hand
3 Firefighter's injured

..This is the 3rd major fire in this area in the last 18 months...

 

[Stic-o]

Perfect time to remind everyone out in the rural areas to double check that you have the state required 100 ft of defensible space around your home/property. It might just save your house!

I think LAFD made us do 200 ft. But then our mayor "Tony V" says we can't water anything to keep it green to start with.

You think we'll waste more water trying to put all burning hoses out?

 

[Tbars4]

...Naw, the Governator is going to save more money by ...
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/04/BAB017EFO9.DTL&tsp=1

"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger plans to seek the elimination of more than 1,700 state firefighting positions and closure of scores of fire stations if voters reject key ballot measures in the May 19 special election, according to documents obtained by The Chronicle on Monday."

...They were commenting/joking, on the news this a.m., that you could see flames in the background as the the Governator was pitching his idea...

 

[Tbars4]

....This mornings update...

...19,000 evacuated with 12,000 more notified to be ready to evacuate and 10% containment...

2750 acres burned
75 houses lost
2400 Ca. Firefighters on hand
11 Firefighter's injured including the 3 reported yesterday

...This morning's news has been currently showing several houses going up..

 

[Tbars4]

...Todays update...
http://cbs2.com/local/brush.fire.wildfire.2.1004379.html

...Over 30,500 evacuated, 23,000 more warned to be ready to evacuate (pop. 90,000)

10% containment
3,600 acres burned
85 homes destroyed

...No more Firefighters have been injured (11 previously injured)

 

[Tbars4]

...This evening has just brought some better news...Some people are being allowed to return to their homes due to the favorable weather last night and this morning....The fire is now 30% contained...

 

[Tbars4]

...The good news this evening...55% containment...:biggthump

...The bad news...
http://cbs2.com/local/brush.fire.wildfire.2.1004379.html
"The wildfire that has scorched 13 square miles and destroyed dozens of homes in the hills above this scenic coastal city was apparently sparked by a power tool being used to clear brush, investigators said Sunday.

Fire officials said someone, or possibly a group of people, was clearing vegetation on what appeared to be private land near the trail around the time the fire erupted Tuesday."

 

[Boomer12]

It's up to 65% contained, and they're planning to let alot of the resources Demob on Tues. if the fire holds through Mondays planned wind event.

For anybody that follows the fires, http://www.inciweb.org/state/5/ is a good site that is updated fairly regularly by the incident command team running the fire, and it tends to be a little more acurate then the local news....

 

[Tbars4]

...Thank You so much for that link...

...I was finding that every day the news would edit their facts, even going backwards on the info....It will be nice to use the real info...

...Thanks again and stay safe...:biggthump

 

[Boomer12]

No problem, and I've got plenty more where that one came from...

On a side note, we just brought on all of our seasonal Firefighters today which was 2 weeks earlier then planned. It's an admin. nightmare, but we just went from 1-2 available Engines per day on the district to 5-6. Hopefully it'll help us catch any early season starts on our Forest.

 

[Tbars4]

...Maybe you could get some wheeling time in this Summer???..

 

[Boomer12]

Maybe, but I'm not counting on it...

I've already got 5 days of mandatory OT coming up in the next month, and thats not including fires or extension...and oh yeah, we're first up on the strike team rotation. Not a whole lot of free time in my future, but it'll be $ for the off season.

 

[Tbars4]

...As of tonight, I am pleased to announce that the Jesusita fire is 80% contained...:biggthump

 

[Boomer12]

I just got home from the Lost Horse fire in Joshua Tree National Park and thought I'd share this link since some of us visit it every once and a while.

http://cbs2.com/firewatch/Joshua.Tree.National.2.1018912.html

 

[Tbars4]

...Thanks for the link...:biggthump

...It sounds like it was a quick knockdown...:scratch:..It's a little early for the lightning strikes out there...

...We had some bonehead in south county this week trying to start fires...Thankfully, he was spotted and caught..
http://cbs2.com/local/Grass.Fire.San.2.1016312.html

...I went camping last week out at Chino Hills State park...Their fire a few months back had burned 95% of the park...The 5% that didn't burn is where the firefighters took a stand and also laid down foam to save the structures...It is amazing what is left after seeing what all is gone...

...The grass grew back in thankfully for this winter's rain...It has been so dry that it now looks like August grass...

 

[Tbars4]

...The current Santa Cruz fire which is over 1200 acres and spreading rapidly has taken 250 structures...
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/state&id=6962877

...With live feed...
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/livenow?id=6962954

...Also, there is the Santa Maria Fire going on which has burnt over 46 square miles...
http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-sm-wildfire,0,1489058.story