SoCal in flames

[piqaboo]

let the convicted arsonist be the front-line guy permanently assigned to fire duty in every single wildfire, until one of the fires gets him.

Too easy for a firebug to cause other deaths and destruction in that job.

But life imprisonment no possibility of parole works for me.

Generally, causing a death during the commission of another crime/felony gets classified as murder, doesnt it? Which definitely covers death by arson.

BTW, they got someone they think is the guy.

[jamiebk]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15526610/

Story with pictures of the guy...looks like he is eligible for the death penalty...too bad "burning at the stake" went out of fashion.

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

Welcome to Fire Season. Looks like Ellay is starting the festivities this year. Griffith Park is all hills and canyons, with brush. Dry brush. We've had warm and windy dry air for the last couple of days. Dreck. I hope the observatory and all the inhabitants stay safe.

Sandy Eggo has a few Areas of Concern. There's a fire on Pendleton, which the Marines will probably be able to keep away from any developed areas, and some other rough brushy areas. OT and Piq should be OK - the much maligned iceplant refuses to burn. Honest. Can't set fire to it with a blowtorch.

My sister in Colorado says they're going to have a big one(s) sooner or later. Half a century of fire suppression has let the pine beetles and their associated fungi get ahead of the forestry guys, and there are now huge stands of beetle killed pines. Tinder. Sooner or later, there'll be a lightning strike into dead trees and it'll get going. It'll be like Yellowstone.

Sad thing is, the beetles are suppressed by fire. If smaller fires had been allowed to run through the forest periodically, the present tinder supply would have never developed.

I'm thinking controlled burns might be the way to go. Meanwhile, everyone near wild ground should clear the brush back from the house. 100 yards would be OK, 150 better.

[Shapley]

I'm thinking controlled burns might be the way to go.

And release all that carbon into the atmosphere? I think there is something to be said in favour of logging...

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

Yup, everyone's in favor of logging. The fungus leaves an interesting pattern in the (now dead) wood of the (former) tree. It's valuable and it's being extracted as quickly as possible. There are still huge stretches of inaccessible dead trees. The mountains have lightning with the summer monsoon storms. Even if every single human in the mountains behaves in a perfectly fire-safe manner, there will eventually be a lightning strike on a dead tree.

The controlled-burn strategem would be for the future, to clear beetle infestations when they start killing trees in an area, before the kill zone stretches for acres and acres and acres...

Native American prairie and forest vegetation is adapted to the occasional wildfire. Simple suppression of the wild fires in undeveloped areas just gives you a tinder supply and an eventual catastrophe.

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

And away we go again...

We've got a Santa Ana wind again - warm dry air with plenty of stiff breezes. And fires moving around from here to there. I think everyone on the board will be OK, the PiqOToid household is well in town, I'm not near any current fire paths, GC is pretty much downtown. The I-15 is closed through Rancho Bernardo, though, with plenty of brushy hills in a number of directions. We'll have to wait and see. There will be a number of folks missing from work, due to freeway closures and evacuations and such.

Ah, the joys of living in Paradise.
<--evacuating natives.

[Shapley]

You are in our prayers. God be with you!

[piqaboo]

GC's family (brother and his wife) live in one of the areas evacuated earliest. Fingers crossed for them.
Also a large number of our friends live in the evac areas and I'm worried for them too. Many are not in good health. They are evacuating Pomerado Hospital, which is very close to two of Altoid's sitters and our good friends the sitters parents. One of these parents is the Poway Fire Chief.
Altoid's god parents live in the evac area but are out of the country.

We've been asked not to go to work, to keep roads clear for evacuations. Also not to use cell phones, to save them for emergencies. Of course, I didnt hear that til I was nearly to work. So here I am!

Work is dismal. No one is here. 80% of my dept lives in the evacuation warning area. At least 5 coworkers and families have already evacuated. Several more are home due to school closures etc.
I'm trying to work, but my mind just keeps developing an evacuation plan instead.

As far as I know there are 8 separate fires. They range from the southern border of the US to the northern edges of San Diego County. They are burning west. Selma is probably the closest to imminent danger, and should be ok for now, as most of the fires are already west of her, as well as north. I've been on line trying to find a map of the fires, but I'm not succeeding. Anyone else found one?

[Shapley]

Here is a link to a map of the witch fire, courtesy of Fox 6

[piqaboo]

Thanks.

[OperaTenor]

Does it strike anyone else as tragically ironic this thread is still active?

[jamiebk]

I was thinking exactly the same thing OT. Deja vu all over again. How tragic. I hope the damage is not too widespread and that they can get this thing under control soon! Thoughts and prayers are sent to our SoCal neighbioors....

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

Does it strike anyone else as tragically ironic this thread is still active?

Not really, no. Kansas gets tornados, Florida gets hurricanes, Montana gets blizzards, California gets fires. Earthquakes are a kind of bonus, as it were...

Seriously. SoCal's been having fires in the fall forever. They're more "expensive" now, because there are more houses in brushy country now, but the fires are a predictable hazard of living in our kind of country. I'm heavily in favor of tile roofs, steel frames, reflective windows with steel storm shutters, concrete aprons, and lots and lots of iceplant. You won't catch me planting eucalyptus trees, either. Those things explode!

[barfle]

It's one of southern California's four seasons: fires, mudslides, earthquakes, and summer.

While it can be tragic, it really damages a small portion of the residents of the area. I remember Silverado, and I remember embers setting my neighbor's junipers on fire.

[treebeau]

On a light note I think that "The Exploding Eucalyptus Trees" would be an excellent name for a rock band (not to mention "Pine Tree Beetle Fungus"). Tip of the hat to Dave Barry.

But on topic, hope everything is ok for all of our SoCal amigos.

Take care and
Regards,
Tim B.

[BigJon@Work]

How about a battery back-up well pump attached to an external sprinkler system to keep the outside of the house wet?

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

How about a battery back-up well pump attached to an external sprinkler system to keep the outside of the house wet?

What's a well?

Oh, that's right. Some parts of the country have a water table. That wouldn't be us.

[Shapley]

Oh, that's right. Some parts of the country have a water table. That wouldn't be us.

Yeah. Some of us don't live in the desert because....well, because it's a desert.

V/R
Shapley

[piqaboo]

For the obsessive, this site has links to maps showing areas of active fire, evacuation areas, etc.
In some places, folks have been evacuated all the way to the coast. In most places, Interstate 5 is apparently considered sufficient barrier for the time being.
SD County emergency website

Selma's still closest - her offspring are in evacuation areas, so I expect they arent there anymore. Sensible runs in the family.
One of Altoid's best buddies evacuated and is staying with us. She's running the poor guy ragged and he's not even 30 yet.
Of my 4 project-team coworkers, 3 are evacuated - two of them twice. We've been asked to stay off the main roads as much as possible, so my boss and I are staying home for the day.

[OperaTenor]

Seriously. SoCal's been having fires in the fall forever. They're more "expensive" now, because there are more houses in brushy country now, but the fires are a predictable hazard of living in our kind of country.

True dat, but, I think we've definitely seen a ratcheting up of the intensity and scope of the fires in recent years. Can be due to several factors, probably mainly increased population density, and yes, global warming.

I put the FRS on a couple of days ago, so I'm ready for the maelstrom.....