iDRY Vacuum Kilns

Sponsors:

Forest fires

Started by Warbird, August 06, 2009, 01:48:03 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Warbird

It is getting pretty bad around here.  Over 1.5 million acres have burnt in Alaska this year alone.  We just had the driest July on record in this area, and we are now almost surrounded by forest fires.  The smoke is so thick, it looks like a dense fog outside.  We have ash on the car that looks about like a very light dusting of snow.

They have shutdown all woodcutting on State and Borough property, due to the extreme fire danger.  They posted this message:  http://www.co.fairbanks.ak.us/HotTopics/2009_Fires_And_Other_News/PressReleases/Press%20Release%20_8_05_09_01.pdf

They have even moved the air quality warning to Very Unhealthy, which is the second highest on the scale.

I tell you what...  next time I hear some EPA goon talk about wanting to shut down my wood stove that is more efficient than my boiler, it will be real difficult not to knock his teeth in.  The good news is, the local Fair starts on Friday and it always rains during the Fair.  Here is hoping the trend continues.

Stamp

Warbird, in case you're not aware, most fire info is placed on www.inciweb.org

I don't know which ones are in your area, but you might want to try to look them up.  They are listed by state and name and the site includes the latest maps, road closures, etc.



Paul_H

The town of Lillooet just over an hour east of us,evacuated 2000 people a few days ago because a fire is threatening the town.They lit a backfire a couple nights ago.

This link tells some of the story and has some really good pictures in the photo folder.

Link

And another link closer to home here in Pemberton

Pemberton Fires
Science isn't meant to be trusted it's to be tested

Warbird

Thanks, Stamp.  I didn't know about that site but do have all the local state gov't sites.

Paul, I hope they get those fire under control soon.  2 of our fires are each about 20 miles away from town.  As far as I know, we have only had to evacuate a few folks.  Looks like the fires in your area pose more immediate threat.

*edit*  It is raining this morning!!  Thank God!  Hopefully it is raining over the fires, too.

Stamp

Yes, rain is good.

I'm in Boise ID right now on my way to the North Fork Complex Fires in Ukiah, OR.  It is raining in Boise right now and it sounds as if it's supposed to rain in Ukiah later today.  If it's significant enough amounts of rain it will help with fire control.  Unfortunately, often times the rain amount is too small and along with it often comes lightning and high winds which cause more problems for fire fighters.

Onthesauk

We had 30 plus small lighting started fires in our area over the last week but none of them got very big.  We had three thunderstorms go through over about 4 days that started all these but each storm also dropped 5 or 10 minutes of good rain each time so really helped.  300 firefighters living down on our high school football field and a heli center down at our airport.

I think our biggest was around 30 acres, bigger one over by Lake Chelan was about 600 acres, inciweb.org says a single fire up near Fairbanks, AK is over 340,000 acres.  Have to keep things in perspective!
John Deere 3038E
Sukuki LT-F500

Don't attribute irritating behavior to malevolence when mere stupidity will suffice as an explanation.

Warbird

Thankfully, we've continued to get a bit of rain and it does appear that Autumn is rolling in.  The smoke is mostly gone right now, with just a hint of smoky smell in the air.  At its worst, I could barely see past the end of my fenced yard!

DanG

Warbird, I read the report on that fire in the link that Stamp posted, and it appeared that they have been just letting that fire burn for TSI purposes.  If that's really the case, the best you could hope for would be a wind shift, which you must have gotten. ;)
"I don't feel like an old man.  I feel like a young man who has something wrong with him."  Dick Cavett
"Beat not thy sword into a plowshare, rather beat the sword of thine enemy into a plowshare."

Warbird

Indeed.  No wind, or wind from the proper direction, plus the rain/humidity knocking the fires down some has done the trick.

firefighter

I just got back from a 19 day tour of fighting forest fires in BC . There are firefighters from all over Canada helping out once we get our mandtory 2 days off we my be sent back to do an other 19 day tour .We were glad that we could help and looking forward to going back.

mcfcfan

Quote from: firefighter on August 09, 2009, 09:33:47 PM
I just got back from a 19 day tour of fighting forest fires in BC . There are firefighters from all over Canada helping out once we get our mandtory 2 days off we my be sent back to do an other 19 day tour .We were glad that we could help and looking forward to going back.


Glad you made it home safe and sound firefighter 8)
Have you used your mill yet?
Cheers
Lee
Life isn't about how to survive the storm,
but how to dance in the rain."

Warbird

Glad you made it home safely!  I have a couple of buddies who fight forest fires, too.  Do you know how many acres in Canada have burnt this year?

firefighter

I do not know the total for Canada ,but I know not much has burnt in Ontario as it has rained so much here it would be hard to get a fire from a lighting strike as the fine fuels are not capeable of igiting .BC had 700 fires burning when we were there ,we were on a fire at Tweedmere provincial park it was a very small but it grew to over 1400 hecters by the next day ,we did save the small ski chalet and the building that housed there tow machine ,we set up water sprinklers to protect the two buildings ,waiting orders to go back for an other 19 days .No I have not been home since I picked up the mill hope to use it in the fall .

Brucer

Hey, firefighter. Thanks for your help. Much appreciated!

Warbird: From April 1 until yesterday in British Columbia, there were just over 2,400 fires started (half by lightning, half by people -- usually through stupidity), and 121,300 hectares have burned. That's about 300,000 acres, or 470 square miles. Right now there are 700-750 fires burning.

At the beginning of last week we were seeing about 200 new fires a day, but it was down to 20 per day at the start of this week. It's definitely cooling down.
Bruce    LT40HDG28 bandsaw
"Complex problems have simple, easy to understand wrong answers."

Warbird

Glad to hear it is cooling down over there.  The major fires surrounding Fairbanks are dying now, thanks to some cool temperatures and that rain we got.  It actually frosted last night.  I was both happy and sad to see it, as it is very early to be freezing already.  However, it sure is nice not to be breathing all that smoke.

SwampDonkey

Haven't had much for fires here in NB for at least two years. I know a couple burnt down in NS, one pretty big near Halifax in the spring. It's rained so much except the last two weeks that fire risk was low to moderate. I have heard that a bunch of fire fighters recently left NS for fire fighting out west. A lot of the fire fighting here in NB, by air, is done by Forest Protection Limited. They also taxi fire fighters around.

http://www.forestprotectionlimited.com/english/business/fire.html


The province used to maintain air strips in remote bush country for years, but stopped that probably 20  years ago. I know of a couple old abandoned runways. They were also used for spraying budworm, which hasn't been required on any large scale since 1993.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Tom

I've been reading about burning water in automobiles in the Alternate Methods and Solutions topic.  It's beginning to concern me a bit that these guys are saying that water will burn.  Heck, it's been raining so much here that we can't even walk on the front yard, the driveway is flooded and the roof leaks with no chance to fix it .  If this stuff catches fire, we are going to be in big trouble.  Sheesh!!  There goes another big bolt of lightning.  Will Lightning catch it on fire?  :-\

Warbird

In the end, it's all gonna burn anyway.  No need to worry about it.  :)

JD350Cmark

Warbird,

Yup, it's all gonna burn at some point.  The Santa Cruz fire is about 10 to 15 miles from me.  The area thats burning has not burned in over 60 years.  Some of the area is private land that could have been logged over the years...  The real serious tree huggers have stopped any tree cutting.  EPA regulations have imposed so many restrictions on control burns that it's nearly impossible to do that.  Heaven for bid we use any type of equipment to grade, take care of drainage issues or clear along fire roads prior to these fires.  I tell ya, the people on the government payroll that come up with this stuff...need a great big boot.

No homes lost yet.

Stay safe up there.
2004 Wood-Mizer LT40HDG25

Warbird

Thanks JD.  We are doing well now.  Cooled off a whole lot, winter is right around the corner, and it has been raining.  You stay safe, too.  I hope that Santa Cruz fire doesn't get any closer to you.

firefighter

The fire season has been a bad one in BC this year and on Friday we learned a bell 212 helecopter had crashed in the fraser river ,the pilot has not been found yet .Our prayers go out to the family of the pilot . We have not herd any more .WE doknow there were no firefighters on the helecopter .

Warbird

That is horrible news.  I'm sorry.

Ron Scott

Firefighters Gaining Upper Hand on 11 California Wildfires

Firefighters this morning (August 17th) were gaining the upper hand on 11 brush fires burning around California. Firefighters were slowly getting the Lockheed Fire, north of Santa Cruz, under control. For days, the fire had threatened coastal communities, but most of the more than 2,000 residents evacuated last week were allowed to return to their homes. The La Brea Fire in the Los Padres National Forest, which burned 87,000 acres, is now 64% contained.

- LA Times
~Ron

Ron Scott

Mendocino Forest Fire Nearly Contained- CA

Firefighters battling a wildland fire in a remote area of the Mendocino National Forest expected it to be fully contained by Friday night, officials said Friday. About 346 firefighters, including four helicopters, fought the Summit Fire Friday west of Stonyford and a few miles from Fouts Springs, according to a U.S. Forest Service press release. The fire is burning in timber and brush in steep, rugged terrain about
25 miles west of Stonyford.

- Contra Costa Times
~Ron

firefighter

We have had very few fires where I work due to all the rain .BC is now looking at if they need more help and the trip that was to leave ontario has been postponed but hopefully they will still go .the big thing is mother nature starts most off them and most times in the end she also puts the big ones out ,but in the mean time it is the firefighter who has to do it for here .Keepup the good work.

Thank You Sponsors!