B.C is on fire

biziedizie · August 23, 2003, 08:46:34 AM

   Things aren't looking too good for alot of people that are stuck in the fires in B.C.

  http://www.silk.fm/silk/firewatch/

   Steve

Dennis · August 25, 2003, 09:26:21 AM

Yep, things are just back to normal in our little town...well as normal as can be right now....just yesterday some friends lost their house about 40km from me....sure makes you think...

KiwiCharlie · August 27, 2003, 12:01:35 AM

G'day Guys,
The BC fires have even been on the news way down here! Looks pretty bad this year. My stepmother works for a forestry co on Vancouver Island - they have stopped ALL logging work until they get some rain. Pretty severe steps to take. Must mean plenty of people not earning right now.
Have seen the footage of the Martin Mars waterbombers doing their thing etc.
Hope you guys get some respite soon. I passed through Penticton in summer '94 while a fire was raging outside of town - what an amazing (and scary) thing to witness with ones own eyes. I can feel for the affected people.
Best,
Charlie.

Bro. Noble · August 27, 2003, 08:56:09 PM

We usually shut down the mill at 3PM and start getting ready to milk. Almost every day for over a week, we have been getting thunder and lightening, but little or no rain-------about 1/4 inch in the past month.

Today, I left the mill at 3 PM, went to check some dry cows on the way to put the milk cows in.

At 3:30 there was a treamendous clap of thunder but no rain.

At about 5:30 my wife came to the milkbarn to report that a neighbor called and thought my son's house was on fire. He took off and I followed as soon as I could leave the cows.

The lightening had started a fire in the dry cow pasture. The VFD got there about the same time I did and by 8:30 we had a good fire line around it. Burned about 30 or 40 acres of pasture and a bunch of brush piles. Singed some trees around the edge of the pasture. If that had been in the pine plantation there would have been a real inferno. So thankful that it didn't do much real damage.

The weatherman promises rain and cooler weather in the coming week.

Paul_H · August 27, 2003, 09:53:37 PM

Charlie,
Things are pretty good on the coast here,but nasty in the interior.We have a total industrial closure in the bush,and the logging roads are now shut to the public.

Noble,
That sounds like quite a scare.How close did it come to your son's house?

DanG · August 27, 2003, 10:14:25 PM

We've had a respite here this year from the bad wildfire seasons of the past few years. It has been soggy and miserable on the one hand, but on the other, there has been no wildfire threat. They can't even get a good controlled burn going.

I hope that doesn't bite us in the butt later on.

Noble, it sounds like you guys dodged a bullet there.

It sure could have been a lot worse. Bet it made you feel that ol' GOOD kind of tired when you got it under control.

Paul, that shutdown isn't doing your depressed logging industry any favors right now, is it. Maybe it will bring a spark..er :-[ aahh...burst of energy to the business when you get some relief from the drought. We're hoping so.

Paul_H · August 27, 2003, 10:34:24 PM

Thanks DanG.
With the longer shutdown,the mill yards are getting mighty empty and prices are starting to move again(in the right direction ;)) It's still early but I'm always hopefull.

Bro. Noble · August 27, 2003, 11:44:04 PM

Paul,

While I was still in the barn, the report came back to me that the fire was right up to the pole barn. Well that did scare me cause the pole barn is right next to my son's house and is full of hay with a couple of stacks of roun bales as well as the mill adjacent. Turns out it was at another pole barn a half mile away. Got about 50 yards from that barn which is also full of hay.

DanG,

That good kind of tired feeling is right. Course I was already tired from cutting logs today and working at the mill a little. I thank God that very little damage was done, Got plenty of hay still, likely to get rain next week, and met some very nece guys on the fire crew.

Fla._Deadheader · August 28, 2003, 05:30:40 AM

That sure is a scary way to meet new people. Glad yer damage was minimal. I think fire is the Ultimate means of destruction. Never a way to recover, other than complete rebuilding.

Norm · August 28, 2003, 05:42:23 AM

Glad to hear that you didn't have the fire get to any buildings Noble. We have been dry here also but they say that cooler weather is coming in this weekend.

Has it been real dry up in your area Paul? I have been reading about the fires in your area too. When I was in Washington one year they had a big fire in the mountains, very scary stuff. Hope it stays away from your place.

Paul_H · August 28, 2003, 04:41:02 PM

Noble,
I'm really glad the fire left your family alone.When I lost our excavator to fire four years ago,all I could do was watch.It's a sickening feeling.

Norm,
It was very dry and hot here a few weeks ago,then we got a few days of cool,and moist.It is starting to get warm again,but cools down quickly at night with good recovery.I believe the fire rating is still at "extreme" here though.

We need a solid week of rain.

Bibbyman · August 29, 2003, 07:45:48 PM

We've not gotten any significant rain in July and August. The showers in the past week or so have been all around us. A neighbor a few miles away may get 6/10 and we get nothing. 60% chance yesterday and it stormed hard on my way home from the office – until I got about a mile from home. We got just enough to dampen the dust. Today we had 80% chance of rain but got the 20% of no rain again. Rained all around but we gust got some more sprinkles.

Dumb neighbor just up the road about a mile has let his lawn grow to about boot top high. Son Chris said he was out there with a five-gallon gas can pouring gas around in it and had lit it on fire. You can see where he burned it off, but for the life of me, I can't see how it didn't get out and burn the world down.

Oldest son's job puts him on the road a lot. He said one day last week there were stopped twice on highway 50 from Jefferson City to Sedalia because of fires on the road shoulders and nearby fields.

Good luck up there.

David_c · August 29, 2003, 08:18:10 PM

we must be getting everone elses rain this year because this summer we really havent had many days without cept maybe last 2 weeks. one thing nice about northeast we dont get those forest fies you get in the west knock on wood.

biziedizie · September 01, 2003, 10:28:06 PM

  There's a new fire that started across the river from me and I can see the smoke from here. Hope it gets put out soon.
  I gotta go over there in the am to get one of my boats out of a guys shed as he can't bring it to me as he's hooked up to his travel trailer just incase the fire gets to his place.
  I think the news that I hear on the radio has over rated this fire but from what I hear most parks and trails around here are closed down due to the lack of rain.

   Steve

breederman · September 02, 2003, 05:00:16 AM

Glad to here it was only a close call Noble, wish we could send some of you guys some rain.I just dumped 3.9 inches from the guage and it is still raining.