Wild Fire 2025

[Riwaka]

Pacific Palisades Wild Fire, California & some wild-fire activity in Arizona reported, January, 2025.

Red Fire dozer videoed bulldozing cars & suvs that had been left in a road way.
Colin Rugg - X

[TreefarmerNN]

I can only imagine the hell that is trying to control fire in the face of 80-100 mph winds coming off a desert.  I feel for the residents and the first responders.  The residents that didn't take extraordinary fire precautions probably regret not doing so.  (Unburnable area around the house, metal roofing, non-flammable siding, etc.) Even some of those houses are likely gone just from thermal heating but some will survive while their neighbor's houses did not.

[Andries]

My niece was evacuated from her home very early this morning, the fire was four houses down the hill when she and her seven year old daughter grabbed a bug out bag and jumped into an emergency vehicle.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VqC_i9Ac_fE
A few hours later they got word that their house had burned to the ground.
They are jammed into a bachelor pad with a few other people while the fire and wind plays itself out.
Hard times for those folks!

[YellowHammer]

Well, that is terrible news, indeed. 

[Riwaka]

Zeke Lunder - The Lookout website & youtube channel earlier was estimating so far 20 000 acres for the Palisades fire and 10 000 acres for the Eaton Fire, plus additional area for the other nearby fires.

[caveman]

Andries, I hate to read that your niece and her daughter lost their house.  Thankfully they were able to get out.

[barbender]

Sorry to hear that Andries, but I'm glad they got out!

There's nothing that can be done with a fire in winds like that but clear people out of the way. Truly horrendous!

[thecfarm]

Andries, sorry to hear that.
Glad all is safe.

[Peter Drouin]

On the news the LA- -FD has been putting out fires out on the tent camps for months. And abandon buildings where the homeless and illegals are staying. 

[tule peak timber]

Thick wallets burn loudly.

[barbender]

Tule, how are you doing outdoor there? I've been thinking of you, I didn't know how far you were from the fires.

[tule peak timber]

No power, roads in and out of service, and our own local firebugs playing with matches. Winds gusting in the 40"s and stronger next week. So far so good on this one thanks for checking in.

[GAB]

TPT:
Do you know if any of your masterpieces have been gobbled up by the fire gods?
Try and stay safe.
GAB

[rusticretreater]

Tis an ill wind that bears no good tidings.  I read an article this morning about Mel Gibson being in Texas on Joe Rogan's show.  

In Rogan's Texas studio, Gibson remarked that he would be "surprised if my home is still there" in Southern California, saying that his son, a volunteer fireman, "sent me a video of my neighborhood, and it's in flames. It looks like an inferno." Gibson later confirmed that his house had indeed been destroyed.

Yeesh. Glad everyone is safe.

[tule peak timber]

TPT:
Do you know if any of your masterpieces have been gobbled up by the fire gods?
Try and stay safe.
GAB

I made some calls this morning and no one knows much as the roads in the evac zones are shut down. My sister and her family are also wrapped up in this thing. One of the calls smelled like smoke on a current contract.

[Andries]

Some Canadian support for the LA Wildfires is in the news up here:

A Canadian water bomber from Quebec struck a civilian drone while working the fires. A hole in the wing caused the pilot to make an emergency landing. Everyone (other than the drone) is fine. Can't imagine what it would take to be an air traffic controller with all the emergency flights in the area.

A firefighter from this part of Winnipeg was staying with a girlfriend in LA and to help a buddy with renovations. His name is Romeo Petit and is being hailed by LA homeowners as a hero for helping save half a dozen homes from going up in flames. The fire hydrants were coming up dry but he was able to jury rig supply from areas already burnt out and redirected them to un-burnt areas. 
https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/just-so-surreal-winnipeg-firefighter-joins-wildfire-battle-while-vacationing-in-l-a-1.7171532
Sounds like a fun guy, and his name translates to 'Little Romeo'. There's gonna be some stories when all this is over . . . .

[Riwaka]

Seems the californian version of the tasmanian (australia) Blue gum (Eucalyptus globulus) tree is getting some blame for the nature of the Californian fires. 

[barbender]

I heard about the civilian drone issues...my feelings on drones are similar to my feelings on side by sides. A useful and fun tool, that seems to magnify the worst in human behavior.

[Peter Drouin]

And they have people in LA robin empty houses. 
It is not bad enough to get burned out you have to watch out for thefts too.

How low can a person get?

[Cedarman]

Saw that some locals caught a guy lighting fires and then tied him up and he was holding a propane torch that he used to set fires.  Cop arrested and hauled off.  News said he was back on the streets for lack of evidence.  Y'all know what I'm thinking about all this.

[Gary_C]

Unimaginable devastation as shown by some drone footage. Would forest management, fire mitigation, and water reservoirs be good options?

[TreefarmerNN]

Re: Post 19

I'm amazed the guy with the torch made it to jail.  Once he did, it's not surprising they turned him loose.  It is California where illegality is legal.

I'll bet if he gets caught by homeowners again he will be a bit worse for wear if the cops get him. 

[Andries]

Still a foreign country.
Still helping a neighbour out in a time of need.

[Magicman]

I wonder what % of the water bomber's water actually gets to the ground to be effective?  As hot as the fire is, I would think that it would boil or evaporate when it reached the flames.

[GAB]

Re: Post 19
I'll bet if he gets caught by homeowners again he will be a bit worse for wear if the cops get him. 

I wonder if the if before "the cops" should be when?
GAB