Wild fires

[Camper Al]

You've probably have heard that now is not the time to be in Calif.'s Sierra Nevada Mts. In just over three days the Creek Fire has blown up over 135,000 acres. Basically the areas north of Sequoia-Kings Canyon Natl Park and south of Yosemite Natl are under mandatory evacuation orders.
We arrived at our campsite in the Stanislaus Natl Forest (Spicer Reservoir via Hwy 4) about 60 miles north of Yosemite and more than 200 miles north of the fires (all distances are as the crow flies) and were asked to leave due to the expected high temperatures, winds and probability of fire. No doubt the lack of available fire personnel as well.
My brother who lives on Hwy 50 above Placerville was told to expect to be without power for up to 30 hrs.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by Camper Al

We arrived at our campsite in the Stanislaus Natl Forest (Spicer Reservoir via Hwy 4) about 60 miles north of Yosemite and more than 200 miles north of the fires (all distances are as the crow flies) and were asked to leave due to the expected high temperatures, winds and probability of fire. No doubt the lack of available fire personnel as well.
My brother who lives on Hwy 50 above Placerville was told to expect to be without power for up to 30 hrs.

We'll see if I have better luck when I arrive at my campsite later today. So far no fires on the West side of the Cascades. Hopefully we won't have any "Gender Reveal" party's in the area

[NavyLCDR]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

We'll see if I have better luck when I arrive at my campsite later today. So far no fires on the West side of the Cascades. Hopefully we won't have any "Gender Reveal" party's in the area

Where are you headed? We will be at L.L. Stub Stewart state park tonight and tomorrow night and at Ft. Stevens state park Friday and Saturday. Hoping our house doesn't burn while we are gone. (Lebanon OR).

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by NavyLCDR

Where are you headed? We will be at L.L. Stub Stewart state park tonight and tomorrow night and at Ft. Stevens state park Friday and Saturday. Hoping our house doesn't burn while we are gone. (Lebanon OR).

My destination for 4 days was Buck Creek Campground in the Mt Baker/Snoqualmie NF. (East of Darrington, WA).

My stay was shortened. I arrived Tue afternoon and this morning took a ride farther up the road on my e-bike. Found a fire that was heating up about 6 miles from the campground. The Downey Creek fire started last month from a lightning strike and was in an area to steep (cliffs) for fire fighters so they were just monitoring it. Was at 4-5 acres as of Monday. Wind gusts got it going and when I saw it there was a huge plume of smoke forming and it was clear the fire was starting to spread. I went back to camp with a "lets see what happens" attitude and sure enough, about 6 PM this evening I got a visit from the Forest Service telling me they were closing the road right at our campground and I should be prepared to leave. Fire had grown to 45 acres by then. About 3 hours later I arrived at home and looked up the status of this fire. By the time i reached home it had grown to just under 400 acres.

What the heck, I might just camp in my back yard until I eat all the groceries I loaded. That way I won't have to unload them.

An added note: The campground was fully reserved with my site being one of the last to go on the website. When I arrived there the place was almost empty with a total of three (including me) campers there. It appears that many of the reservations were made back when they were released to the reservation system (by date block) and then the Covid-19 shutdown occurred. Many of our visitors here are from Canada and out of state.

I may have been chased out of my camping plans but i do have to say that things are a lot worse in other areas. Whole towns are being burned in both in WA and Or as well as the devastation in CA. My inconvenience is totally insignificant compared to what others are going through.

2020 will certainly be unforgettable regardless of how much we all would like to have it disappear from memor.

[NavyLCDR]

That's too bad, Mike. It sure has been a terrible year. We left home last night because the smoke was getting too bad, especially for my 75 yo mother-in-law. So we decided to bring her along too and had a beautiful night at L. L. Stub Stewart State Park. We're here for another day and then Ft. Stevens.

Hopefully things will be better when we return home. Thank goodness our local fire department says there is currently no danger to our town from the current fires around us. Just hope nothing new starts up.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by NavyLCDR

That's too bad, Mike. It sure has been a terrible year. We left home last night because the smoke was getting too bad, especially for my 75 yo mother-in-law. So we decided to bring her along too and had a beautiful night at L. L. Stub Stewart State Park. We're here for another day and then Ft. Stevens.

Hopefully things will be better when we return home. Thank goodness our local fire department says there is currently no danger to our town from the current fires around us. Just hope nothing new starts up.

So does the State of OR. I just read that all public lands (Forest Service and DNR) are closed in NW Oregon. From Cottage Grove N to the Columbia and from Cascades to Ocean. No dispersed camping, no campfires (even for cooking) no outside stoves, BBQ's, and even running generators in areas with vegetation. No outside smoking, or just about any activity that can be even the remotest source of ignition.

As we used to say in the Army, "S**t's getting serious".

I used to think a 10,000 acre fire was big. Looked at the map and if I recall correctly OR has several fires of 90,000 acres that have perimeters from 90 to well over 100 miles.

Here in WA they are closing campgrounds in high fire risk areas early. Season is scheduled to end this Sunday in many cases and others by the end of Sept. so I guess they figure to just close early and lessen the risk of camper caused fires (which thankfully aren't all that many compared to other causes).

[OldGal3]

Just got a note from a friend in the Medford, OR area, her neighborhood was spared but they were all evacuated. The towns of Phoenix and Talent didn't fare so well. She said those fires are arson! This afternoon was talking to another friend near the Obenchain fire in So. Oregon, he had to drive almost 5 miles to get to a place his phone would work -
while we were talking a Sheriff deputy drove up to him and said his road is now Level 3 - GO NOW. Don't know how that one started, although have read several articles/websites but there is so much information my brain is having a hard time.

So sorry for all the folks who have lost property and life. Just a shame.

[eye95]

Speaking of how Oregon fires started:

There is false information about who has been starting fires in Oregon.

I don’t want to get into what the false information is because that will start a disallowed discussion. I am not saying that anyone here has passed on false information either. Just saying that folks should research the heck outta how a particular fire was started before repeating something that they have read.

[TitanMike]

I kind of disregard whatever I read or see on the news unless it's from an official source with a name.

That said, here in WA State we had an "arsonist" caught in the act starting fires along a freeway. He then proceeded to go on "Facebook Live" and send video of his work. Was arrested and jailed.

That night he bailed out of jail and then proceeded to rob a Chevron Gas Station/Convenience Store with two accomplices.

Based on the fact that people like this walk among us it wouldn't surprise me that some of the fires were set.

I'll wait for the official reports to come out rather than speculate on specifics.

[TitanMike]

Related to the Western Wildfires, the air quality is terrible. Here in WA State we've escaped much of the smoke that's been plaguing CA and Or but according to our currrent forecast it's going to settle over our state and cause "Extremely Unhealthy" air quality levels. Visibility is decreasing and in some areas it's like a heavy Fall/Winter fog.

Health officials are recommending that people remain indoors, turn on A/C if they have it, use box fans with furnace filters taped on them, use portable air filters, etc. Also, turn the furnace fan on with a fresh furnace filter installed.

How are those impacted by the heavy smoke dealing with it where you live? What about the full timers?

[OldGal3]

Sure didn't think one sentence in my post would create it's own firestorm! I did not request verification of each item said when trading emails with my friend or speaking on the phone with another.

[Qwkynuf]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

Related to the Western Wildfires, the air quality is terrible. Here in WA State we've escaped much of the smoke that's been plaguing CA and Or but according to our currrent forecast it's going to settle over our state and cause "Extremely Unhealthy" air quality levels. Visibility is decreasing and in some areas it's like a heavy Fall/Winter fog.

Health officials are recommending that people remain indoors, turn on A/C if they have it, use box fans with furnace filters taped on them, use portable air filters, etc. Also, turn the furnace fan on with a fresh furnace filter installed.

How are those impacted by the heavy smoke dealing with it where you live? What about the full timers?

Air quality on the south end has been bad since Monday. Particularly terrible this morning. We are heading out from the Vancouver area this morning to spend a long weekend at a private campground near Ocean Shores. The AQ forecast for there is merely "Dangerous for at-risk populations".

[eye95]

Originally Posted by OldGal3

Sure didn't think one sentence in my post would create it's own firestorm! I did not request verification of each item said when trading emails with my friend or speaking on the phone with another.

Your post just brought to mind a news item I had read minutes earlier. I was not commenting on your post.

I specifically stated in my post that I was not saying that anyone here was passing on false information.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by eye95

Your post just brought to mind a news item I had read minutes earlier. I was not commenting on your post.

I specifically stated in my post that I was not saying that anyone here was passing on false information.

Our Governor and head of our State Patrol held a news conference earlier this afternoon. One of the topics was the false rumors that "Activists" were setting fires up and down I-5 for whatever reason they do things like this.

They were emphatic that there was ZERO evidence that was happening and suggested that due to the magnitude of destruction people were wanting to have "something" to blame for these fires.

Can't speak for other states but at least hear our leaders have tried to keep information flowing and also stay ahead of the rumors. It's human nature to pass on what one hears but all too often it's without waiting until they hear it from a reliable source. Even if from a reliable source it becomes somewhat like the campfire game where something is whispered on one person's ear, it gets passed on until back at the beginning where it usually bears no similarity to what was said at first.

[TitanMike]

For those following the fires out in WA, OR, and CA, it appears that the Oregon fires may reveal a very large human toll. According to State Officials the fires have swept through areas that were totally unprepared, moved with totally unexpected speed, and caught people by surprise.

The state emergency managers can't even get a handle on how many people are missing and worse yet, how many victims that will be eventually discovered when the fire favaged areas can be entered and searched.

The toll in acreage in Oregon is a million acres and California at three million acres, both areas still burning. Washington has experienced fires on the West side of the mountains in both areas and size I can't remember in my 7 decades of living here.

All I can say is 2020 isn't over yet. What else does it have in store for us in the next 3-1/2 months. A deadly Flu Season, Rains that rival "Noah's Flood", Snow, Earthquakes????????

[OldGal3]

Originally Posted by eye95

Speaking of how Oregon fires started:

There is false information about who has been starting fires in Oregon.

I don’t want to get into what the false information is because that will start a disallowed discussion. I am not saying that anyone here has passed on false information either. Just saying that folks should research the heck outta how a particular fire was started before repeating something that they have read.

Here's the research - OFFICIAL information.

https://fox26medford.com/almeda-fire...ed-police-say/

[ppine]

If you want fewer and smaller fires then you must support responsible logging, fuel reductions and defensible space.

There is a lot we can do to protect our homes, our communties and our forests. We have created the current bad fire situation by years of fire suppression and reduced logging in the last 30 years.

[Reverse_snowbird]

Originally Posted by ppine

If you want fewer and smaller fires then you must support responsible logging, fuel reductions and defensible space.

There is a lot we can do to protect our homes, our communties and our forests. We have created the current bad fire situation by years of fire suppression and reduced logging in the last 30 years.

The imported beetles that are killing huge areas of forest don't help either. Dead trees make excellent fuel.

[ppine]

Originally Posted by Reverse_snowbird

The imported beetles that are killing huge areas of forest don't help either. Dead trees make excellent fuel.

Insect outbreaks in pine forests in the West are a function of droughts, but also overstocking (too many trees per acre). The limited amount of water is divided up among more trees. Healthy trees with sufficient moisture can usually produce pitch and push bark beetles out the holes enter in.

Active forest management removes insect infected trees before they take over whole Ranger Districts. That is exactly how we managed National Forests before around 1990 when the strict interpretation of NEPA and environmental laws stopped so many timber sales in their tracks. Now we are paying the price for all of the neglect.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by ppine

Insect outbreaks in pine forests in the West are a function of droughts, but also overstocking (too many trees per acre). The limited amount of water is divided up among more trees. Healthy trees with sufficient moisture can usually produce pitch and push bark beetles out the holes enter in.

Active forest management removes insect infected trees before they take over whole Ranger Districts. That is exactly how we managed National Forests before around 1990 when the strict interpretation of NEPA and environmental laws stopped so many timber sales in their tracks. Now we are paying the price for all of the neglect.

I find it ironic that those who are so ardently trying to save the trees are actually causing more damage.