Topic: California Fires.

[8ullfrog]

1000 people missing, 63 confirmed dead last I checked, and once again a tragedy was possibly caused by neglegence by Pacific Gas & Electric.

People really do underestimate fire. I've read you've got less than 30 seconds to get out of your house alive once it catches fire, and that's not even mentioning potential asphyxiation from the smoke.

[6pairsofshoes]

I guess it depends on how big yr house is, and if you are on the ground floor near an exit, etc.  We think a good deal about getting out of our house as we regularly practice for earthquake preparedness.

A friend of mine lost her house in the Oakland fires in 1989.  She had 15 minutes to get anything she needed and then it was destroyed.  Glass was fused into puddles on the ground.  She grabbed a few photos from the fireplace mantel and that was it.  She basically escaped with the clothes on her back.  There are many people like that up north.  Their whole town was wiped out. 

We are still dealing with horrendous smoke that makes it hard to breathe. 

[goldshirt*9]

dont have many fires in the UK but I am agasp at the ferocity and conditions in the California fires.
The Bravery of the firefighters bring tears to my eyes.

[6pairsofshoes]

Yes.  The firefighters are truly heros.  I was listening to a NPR piece last night and they were talking about the PTSD that firefighters are now having to deal with.  It used to be that the sorts of horrible fires and the related horrors (burned bodies of humans, livestock, pets, and the utter destruction of people's entire lives via their homes and possessions) happened maybe once in a firefighter's career. 

There's a quasi military aspect to all this.  It's like fighting in a war zone, both the endurance (they work 24 hour shifts and have rather makeshift shelters to return to between bouts of fighting fires), and the horrors.

But in recent years, these kinds of fires have become more and more of a regular occurrence.  So a firefighter who might have once had to deal with only one terrible fire, like the Camp Fire that is burning in Paradise, CA, now has to deal with multiple such fires in just a few short years.  They deal with anger, and all kinds of related stresses that are parallel to those experienced by military veterans who return from the Afghan campaign.  They've been sending chaplains and emotional support groups to the fires to help the firefighters deal with this, but still, besides risking life and limb, they now have the emotional fallout of the experience to contend with.  We owe these guys more than a debt of gratitude.

I have to deal with the unhealthy inconvenience of curtailing exercise and wearing a mask, but that's nothing compared to these guys who must deal with all kinds of horrors and at a level of intensity I don't even want to try to imagine.

[smokester]

I think I may have mentioned this already but over here they are planning building regulation changes in line with the forecast of hotter summers in the near future. I initially found this a bit of a gas that England can have one record breaking heatwave (and forest fires in Lancashire) and all of a sudden a millennia of abysmal, soggy and chilly Augusts can be so soon forgotten. However, if they are right, God only knows what the impact would be on areas of the world like California that are naturally hot, and are susceptible to drought which creates a perfect environment for these disasters.

This year's events may be just the tip of the iceberg.

[6pairsofshoes]

It's finally raining.  Thank God.

Now I can go outside without contemplating what long term damage it's doing to my lungs.

[goldshirt*9]

hope it helps the fires stop.
here was my first minus cycle ride home this winter. good job i have new thermals

[8ullfrog]

I'm worried about mudslides with all the damage the fires did.

[6pairsofshoes]

Yeah.  Burn away the vegetation and add water, and voila.  We now have much needed rain but also the invasion of ants that accompanies it.  I'm running out of Windex (I spray them and they don't like it).  Hopefully the basement won't fill with water and knock out the pilot light on the hot water heater.

I feel for those in Paradise who are living in tents in this weather. It's got to be just awful.

[8ullfrog]

100% contained.

Borax your entrances. Pretend you're in SPN and creating salt lines so the demons can't get in. There is a lot of clunk in that show, but the salt line stuff usually feels legit.

the numbers are down to 271 missing, 85 dead.