California Wildfires

[Muse]

GWC a "hoax?"

Wildfire season is now 365 days a year in CA. Here we are in the dead of winter and Los Angeles area is a goddamn firestorm disaster.

Watched the new PBS 1 hour documentary on the August 2023 burning of Lahaina and aftermath last night. At least 102 confirmed deaths, the worst fire disaster anyone alive has seen in America. By far the best coverage I've seen.

What will it take to wake up America?

 

[IronWing]

When demand for housing is high and all that is legally allowed is sprawl, sprawl is what will sadly be built.

JFC, get over yourself.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I live maybe 60 miles due East of the Palisades, Eaton and Hurst fires. We had a relatively small fire about 2 miles due south of here last summer -- teenagers or kids playing with fireworks on undeveloped land.

Right now, the Santa Ana winds seem moderately strong here. I am modifying my week's "chore" agenda to stock up my Trooper SUV as preparation for any evacuation. It just makes sense.

If this marks the beginning of the End of the World, I just hope that Trump effing dies early in the misery.

 

[K1052]

That's fair. But mass timber could be a good choice, since it doesn't burn like light wood framed construction.

I'm kinda agnostic on what we replace light frame with but we absolutely need to. Apartment/condo living would be more attractive if you could eliminate a lot of the noise transmission between units with different construction types.

 

[Brainonska511]

JFC, get over yourself.

My sprawling home is fine. It's other people's that are the problem.

 

[IronWing]

My sprawling home is fine. It's other people's that are the problem.

People aren't building in the mountains surrounding LA because it's cheap.

 

[gothuevos]

At some point you have to call out inept management when you see it.

No water coming out of fire hydrants? Hollowed out fire department? And people want Gavin Newsom to run for President?

 

[brycejones]

Not enough forest raking?

No sprinklers in the forest?

How about some giant fans to push the big wind back?

 

[IronWing]

At some point you have to call out inept management when you see it.

No water coming out of fire hydrants? Hollowed out fire department? And people want Gavin Newsom to run for President?

Water pressure takes pumps. Pumps take power. The power companies de-energize the lines during fires to prevent arcing and more fire starts.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

Water pressure takes pumps. Pumps take power. The power companies de-energize the lines during fires to prevent arcing and more fire starts.

They don't have water towers in California?

 

[BoomerD]

They don't have water towers in California?

Very few…some in small rural towns.

 

[BoomerD]

At some point you have to call out inept management when you see it.

No water coming out of fire hydrants? Hollowed out fire department? And people want Gavin Newsom to run for President?

Not sure how you can blame Gavin Newsom for shitty decisions made by the LA mayor…

 

[eelw]

Unfortunately nothing Biden can do while the fires are still going. But orange monkey won’t do anything to help the recovery effort. Instead he’s going on a golfing vacation the first week back in office.

 

[repoman0]

At some point you have to call out inept management when you see it.

No water coming out of fire hydrants? Hollowed out fire department? And people want Gavin Newsom to run for President?

Response is on par with the “thanks, Obama!” meme

 

[uallas5]

NPR had a fairly substantial interview with a LA county fire official this morning. You've got Santa Anna winds that are blowing 60-75 mph with gusts up to 100 of very dry air combined with less than .5 inches of rain this season absolutely wreaking havoc. The high winds are not only pushing the fires but grounding all their aviation equipment. She said with those conditions there is NO possibility of containment. All they can do is try to save buildings that can be saved. Structures surrounded by a lot of vegetation or especially if the vegetation is right up to the structure are being bypassed for others they think they have a chance with.

 

[Brovane]

Water pressure takes pumps. Pumps take power. The power companies de-energize the lines during fires to prevent arcing and more fire starts.

Pump stations have backup generators in CA. I know the one that feeds my area has a backup Generator for it. Has been used before when the lines are de-energized when the power is shutdown because of winds. CA law requires water systems to have adequate backup electrical supply to ensure continuous operations during power failures. I am not saying there isn't some gaps but with the amount of PSPS that CA residents experience because of high wind conditions also not having water would have people out with pitchforks.

As far as building, CA forests and wilderness areas have had decades of mis-management at both the state and federal levels. Over the last several years state level agencies in CA have started to recognize this and start making adjustments. However over a half century of bad management isn't going to be fixed overnight.

 

[Brovane]

NPR had a fairly substantial interview with a LA county fire official this morning. You've got Santa Anna winds that are blowing 60-75 mph with gusts up to 100 of very dry air combined with less than .5 inches of rain this season absolutely wreaking havoc. The high winds are not only pushing the fires but grounding all their aviation equipment. She said with those conditions there is NO possibility of containment. All they can do is try to save buildings that can be saved. Structures surrounded by a lot of vegetation or especially if the vegetation is right up to the structure are being bypassed for others they think they have a chance with.

This right here, you need defensible space around a structure. The structure itself needs to be hardened against ember intrusion into the attic. When I moved into my house a couple of years ago in East San Diego county I replaced all my attic vents with ember resistant vents and removed all the paperbark trees around the house that the previous owners had allowed to grow right next to the house. I also regularly cut all the lower branches on my trees to not have any branches lower than 6 feet to the ground. There is always room for improvement but I have made serious efforts in the last several years to significantly reduce the exposure of my residence to fire.

 

[hal2kilo]

People aren't building in the mountains surrounding LA because it's cheap.

General rule at least in So. Cal. The valleys are cheaper than the hills and the coastal areas.

 

[K1052]

Not sure how you can blame Gavin Newsom for shitty decisions made by the LA mayor…

LAFD wasn't "hollowed out" either. Not sure where the no water stuff is coming from but seen it around on social media...which I would not assume to be exactly a tremendous source of accurate info during a disaster.

 

[K1052]

This right here, you need defensible space around a structure. The structure itself needs to be hardened against ember intrusion into the attic. When I moved into my house a couple of years ago in East San Diego county I replaced all my attic vents with ember resistant vents and removed all the paperbark trees around the house that the previous owners had allowed to grow right next to the house. I also regularly cut all the lower branches on my trees to not have any branches lower than 6 feet to the ground. There is always room for improvement but I have made serious efforts in the last several years to significantly reduce the exposure of my residence to fire.

Embers are almost assuredly what's setting stuff on fire deeper into the urban areas where there is no forest to speak of. they can travel quite a distance.

 

[hal2kilo]

Water pressure takes pumps. Pumps take power. The power companies de-energize the lines during fires to prevent arcing and more fire starts.

This guy got no eggs should get a job at Fox. No waiting for dealing with peoples pain, just start attacking the Democratic management. I thought they'd wait for thoughts and prayers at least, but no.

 

[Brovane]

LAFD wasn't "hollowed out" either. Not sure where the no water stuff is coming from but seen it around on social media...which I would not assume to be exactly a tremendous source of accurate info during a disaster.

During serious fires when you have multiple engines all draining water out of the same tanks, even with pumps going full blast to refill them the tanks can still run dry.

Water consumption in the Pacific Palisades reached four times normal levels for 15 straight hours, depleting three million-gallon storage tanks and compromising water pressure needed for firefighting efforts, DWP CEO Janisse Quinones reported

 

[Brovane]

Embers are almost assuredly what's setting stuff on fire deeper into the urban areas where there is no forest to speak of. they can travel quite a distance.

I think there is a lot of room for improvement there trying to get encourage homeowners to retrofit old houses with ember resistant vents and ensuring all new construction in certain fire risk zones have them installed. It isn't a huge amount of money but significantly upgrades thing. Embers are one of the things that I am very afraid of since I have a lot of room around my house and there is no nearby houses to me.

 

[hal2kilo]

I think there is a lot of room for improvement there trying to get encourage homeowners to retrofit old houses with ember resistant vents and ensuring all new construction in certain fire risk zones have them installed. It isn't a huge amount of money but significantly upgrades thing. Embers are one of the things that I am very afraid of since I have a lot of room around my house and there is no nearby houses to me.

I hope none of those people still have cedar shakes. Those should have been gone long ago.

 

[MrSquished]

I'm hoping Biden can declare an emergency and get money flowing there before Jan 20th because Trump wanted to withhold federal aid from blue states his last term.