The Smoke Is Getting Thick...

[gratus fermentatio]

As many of you know, this is fire season here in the western USA. So far, we've had it relatively easy here in MT, but over in ID it's a lot worse. CA burns every year too & anyone who watches the news will have heard about the 19 firefighters who died fighting the Yarnell Hill fire in AZ.

There are 3 wildfires south of here & they blew up today due to gusty winds. The smoke is so thick it's turned the sunlight orange. My truck was covered with ash this morning & when the wind settles down, you can see the ash falling from the sky.

I'm in no danger, those fires are miles away from my house & I have plenty of defensible space. My old stompin grounds over near Ketchum, ID are under threat though, they're having a tough time of it over there; whole towns are in danger of going up in flames. Sometimes the smoke is so thick it will blot out the sun; for days at a time. It's not that bad here, yet. It's starting to get thick though.

I'll ask you all to hoist a pint to the firefighters who work so incredibly hard, doing back breaking work, under extremely difficult circumstances & often in terrain so rugged, you have to parachute in. Better yet, buy a pint for a firefighter, though they might be more appreciative of a bottle of Gatorade & a hot shower.

I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU! to all those who wear that yellow shirt & helmet. We all appreciate your hard work that saves our forests & our homes. Here's to you Hotshots & Smoke Jumpers!
Regards, GF.

 

[Cyclman]

After the wildfires in CO last year, there are lots of events and special brews in DEN to help firefighters this year. Difficult, dangerous work, apreciate their dedication to help all of us.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Men of sterner stuff and kinder heart than I. Thanks gents (and ladies).

 

[blizzard]

Can you give a case of beer to a firehouse? Cookies are nice and all, but who wouldn't want beer? Not sure what the rules are at the station...

 

[gratus fermentatio]

Can you give a case of beer to a firehouse? Cookies are nice and all, but who wouldn't want beer? Not sure what the rules are at the station...

I'd guess they'd kind of frown on having alcohol at the station, simply because when they're at the station, they're on duty & could be called to action at any moment. I think I'll see if I can find out just where I could drop off a few cases of gatorade though; and I'll make it a point to ask about beer.
Regards, GF.

 

[DrunkleJon]

Most firefighters I knwo appreciate a cold beer. I do not see there being any trouble as long as they drink them when off shift.

 

[aygov]

Part of MT a few miles from where I used to live is going up in smoke right now. My dad, still in MT, is keeping me updated on it.

I remember when I used to live up there one summer we could see a forest fire burning from our house. Pretty scary situation and thanks to all the responders who put their lives on the line to control them.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

UPDATE: Two wildfires have combined & are now called the Lolo complex fire. I can see the flames from my house now. That fire blew up even worse yesterday, est at over 8,000 acres last night. Some homes have gone up in flames & evacuations have been ordered. Red Cross is putting up any evacuees who want/need it & the county fairgrounds are putting up evacuated livestock. Police have closed US highway 12 from Lolo to the ID border & slurry bombers fly over the house about every hour or so.

I find it interesting that we're getting some good sized chunks of bunt wolf lichen falling from the sky intact. As soon as I touch them with my finger, they fall apart because they're just ash, but they stayed intact for miles while floating on the wind. 47 fires burning in 11 states; dammit! Pray for rain.
Regards, GF.

 

[aygov]

The place I grew up is about a mile away from where it reportedly burned down to the road. I don't know anyone in that immediate area, but I hope it is still standing. I know many others up the road aren't.

 

[bigskygreg]

Here's to everyone working to keep everyone safe!

Cheers!

 

[glenn514]

In my location...a few miles east of Rockford, Illinois...we've had hazy skies the past couple of days, due to the smoke and particulates from the fires. I haven't smelled smoke yet, but that, too, may happen.

glenn514

 

[CreamyGoodness]

The fact that this happens every year really opens up some questions. Could something like a "fire levy" be contructed around the tree line, isolating it? Are there any other measures of prevention that could be taken, even if these measures havent been invented yet and would require R&D?

I know forest fires are a very natural occurance, even necessary to the ecosystem at times, but still...

 

[Johnnyhitch1]

The fact that this happens every year really opens up some questions. Could something like a "fire levy" be contructed around the tree line, isolating it? Are there any other measures of prevention that could be taken, even if these measures havent been invented yet and would require R&D?

I know forest fires are a very natural occurance, even necessary to the ecosystem at times, but still...

The problem is embers and high winds, You would need some sort of metal/nonflammable mesh to in essence "DOME" the hot spots and keep it concentrated...this could be worth a billion dollars, the R&D....trillions...

To OP, respect for creating this thread!
Every morning I turn on the TV to more "fires are spreading" "more homes engulfed" "entire towns destroyed". Its devastation and I could never imagine something like that happening, the firefighters deserve TONS of credit but there also people out there that have lost their house/belongings/family/friends and I think we should also raise a pint to them In hopes of a great recovery.

Cheers

 

[CreamyGoodness]

I hear ya... I was thinking out loud. For the record, if it needs to be recorded, I wasnt implying we werent doing enough... just wondering if more could plausibly be done.

 

[aygov]

I think this picture sums it up...

I completely blanked that one of my old friend's parents still lives near there. They evacuated fine, but their yard is being used to stage water tankers and equipment.

 

[dkwolf]

The fact that this happens every year really opens up some questions. Could something like a "fire levy" be contructed around the tree line, isolating it? Are there any other measures of prevention that could be taken, even if these measures havent been invented yet and would require R&D?

I know forest fires are a very natural occurance, even necessary to the ecosystem at times, but still...

The biggest thing is, DON'T go in and put out every small fire right away. Small, controlled/controllable fires -- especially during wetter times of the year -- burn the dead trees -- the highly combustible fuel that drives these fires. When we go in and put out every fire right away, those fuels are allowed to build up to where even a small fire quickly rockets into a major wildfire.

You're exactly right, fire is a critical part of the ecosystem, we've just mismanaged it for far too long.

 

[dkwolf]

As many of you know, this is fire season here in the western USA. So far, we've had it relatively easy here in MT, but over in ID it's a lot worse. CA burns every year too & anyone who watches the news will have heard about the 19 firefighters who died fighting the Yarnell Hill fire in AZ.

There are 3 wildfires south of here & they blew up today due to gusty winds. The smoke is so thick it's turned the sunlight orange. My truck was covered with ash this morning & when the wind settles down, you can see the ash falling from the sky.

I'm in no danger, those fires are miles away from my house & I have plenty of defensible space. My old stompin grounds over near Ketchum, ID are under threat though, they're having a tough time of it over there; whole towns are in danger of going up in flames. Sometimes the smoke is so thick it will blot out the sun; for days at a time. It's not that bad here, yet. It's starting to get thick though.

I'll ask you all to hoist a pint to the firefighters who work so incredibly hard, doing back breaking work, under extremely difficult circumstances & often in terrain so rugged, you have to parachute in. Better yet, buy a pint for a firefighter, though they might be more appreciative of a bottle of Gatorade & a hot shower.

I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU! to all those who wear that yellow shirt & helmet. We all appreciate your hard work that saves our forests & our homes. Here's to you Hotshots & Smoke Jumpers!
Regards, GF.

Former neighbor of mine has his own private fire consulting business (conducts prescribed burns on native grasslands here in Iowa), and is also an Iowa DNR Fire Specialist. They loaded up one of their engines Monday and headed west; this morning him and his team were deployed on the Hough complex of fires near Taylorsville, CA.

Godspeed, brothers.

 

[blizzard]

I think this picture sums it up...

I completely blanked that one of my old friend's parents still lives near there. They evacuated fine, but their yard is being used to stage water tankers and equipment.

Holy Jeebus.

 

[Beernik]

The last count I saw, Utah had 9 active fires. But its been a couple days since I looked at an update.

There is one about 40 miles southwest of where I live. Sometimes we get some smoke and ash out of it when the wind is pushing it hard. Most of the time it's not bad.

The community south of us seems to average a wildfire every 3 - 5 years. Those always worry me because those are 5 - 10 miles away and could quickly move in our direction.

This drought is horrible. I've never seen so many empty or mostly empty reservoirs.

 

[DrunkleJon]

I think this picture sums it up...

I completely blanked that one of my old friend's parents still lives near there. They evacuated fine, but their yard is being used to stage water tankers and equipment.

Not to make light of the severity of the situation, but that is an amazing looking photo.

 

[aygov]

Not to make light of the severity of the situation, but that is an amazing looking photo.

I agree. I appreciate the cajones on the deputy that took it as well. If I were them it would take an immense effort to not nope the bless out of there...

 

[gratus fermentatio]

UPDATE: The governor & Sen. Tester took a tour of some of the burned areas; the Governor called up the National Guard & we now have troops on the ground & in the air, helping to fight the Lolo Creek Complex fire.

It's been pretty much like a smokehouse here since Tuesday, but we do get brief respites when the wind shifts. The wind is part of the problem though, we're under a red flag warning, meaning strong winds, gusting to 30mph at times, are forecast for today. The semi-good news is there is a 30% chance of rain, but with the possible rain comes lightning. That's how these fires started. When they announced the Lolo Creek Complex fire was 30% contained, the whole crowd at the meeting cheered.

Here are a couple links for those of you who would like more info:
http://missoulian.com/news/state-an...cle_db7dd30a-0b8d-11e3-976d-001a4bcf887a.html

And:
http://www.kpax.com/pages/firewatch/

And:
http://www.inciweb.org/0/

Things aren't going so well in other places of the country though. The fire near Yosemite Nat. Park in CA just exploded in the last few days & is out of control, it's reached firestorm level now. I can only hope & pray that it rains like cow piss on a flat rock.

I did check on the possibility of donating beer to the firefighters & was told that even though the guys would like it, alcohol was strictly forbidden in firecamp. Gatorade was OK, as long as it was approved. It would be a bad idea to just go waltzing into firecamp without permission. Pray for rain.
Regards, GF.

 

[dkwolf]

If you want to donate some beer, maybe you could get some buddies together and host a "thank-you" dinner once things have slowed down - even if you can only get a local crew and not any of the regional teams (or groups like my buddy, who drive from 6 states away to fight the fire).

I was going to make that comment earlier about alcohol in the firecamp; my station is a dry building, we can't even have alcohol inside, let alone consume it.

 

[Beernik]

We finally got a long and intense storm last night. Hopefully the rain helped put out some fires and the lightning didn't start any new ones.

 

[DrunkleJon]

I might suggest going by your local firehouse and talking with the firefighters there. Ask them if it would be possible to make some donations so they can arrange an "It's finally out" celebration. It is a brotherhood. They look out for each other and I am sure that they would help you express your thanks.

 

[ChefRex]

Best wishes, stay safe.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

UPDATE: The Lolo creek complex fire is 60% contained! We finally got some rain the other day & that helped a lot. The local Girl Scouts donated 27 cases of cookies to the firefighters as a way to say thank you.

The Gold Pan fire has burned over 35,00 acres & is 0% contained, but it's worse in CA. The Rim fire has burned over 150,000 acres & is threatening Yosemite.
And there are many other wildfires burning too; pray for rain.
Regards, GF.

 

[Beernik]

Utah got a lot of rain this week out of the remnants of TS Ivo. So I think most of the fires here are either completely contained or out. The foothills south of us (that I always worry about) caught fire from a lightning strike but only burned 3 football fields of area before being contained.

I was watching footage of Yosemite last night with my daughter. I told her that 3 years ago I applied for a job there at the park. She said to me "I'm glad you didn't get it."

I still wish I did. It would have been a cool place for her to grow up.

 

[aygov]

UPDATE: The Lolo creek complex fire is 60% contained! We finally got some rain the other day & that helped a lot. The local Girl Scouts donated 27 cases of cookies to the firefighters as a way to say thank you.

The Gold Pan fire has burned over 35,00 acres & is 0% contained, but it's worse in CA. The Rim fire has burned over 150,000 acres & is threatening Yosemite.
And there are many other wildfires burning too; pray for rain.
Regards, GF.

They opened highway 12 over the weekend and my dad took a trip up there. My old house still stands, but the fire torched the mountain behind it and the Fort Fizzle historic site which was about a quarter mile away. Sounds a lot like it did when it burned up there in '88.

Thank goodness for that rain! Hopefully Yosemite get some.