California Fires

Seams every year large fires start somewhere in the state. Now most fires are in the northern part. Hundreds of buildings, and thousands of acres burned. Several people have been killed, two tractor operators have been killed cutting fire brakes. A grand father was talking to his wife, and two grand kids on his cell phone trying to get to his home to rescue them. As the fire was entering his house one of the grand kids was heard to say, grand pa come get us the fire is coming in the back door. How can a person live with that? All three perished. Others have also been killed. I guess the fire moved so fast people just didn't get the message to leave. Around here Fire departments do there best to get people to clean up there weeds around their land. Stan

Stan,
What is the solution to fires, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes?

People have a choice, they can move or they will have to put up with it.

I feel safe in my corner and have a basement in case of a tornado.

Never been hit with a tornado in 69 years. Many have been close.

Around here the fire dept wants the first 50 ft around your house free of combustible plants. The next 50 ft thinned 50%, all trees limbed up at least 7 ft or more. This will help. Also no more wood shingle roofs on new construction. When a fire is going through a neighborhood house to house there isn't much more than can be done. Stan

Stan,
I think siding and shingles should be non combustible.

Wood shingles have been banned in Dallas probably for 30 years. I don't really know what there is to offer in California: Drought, fires, monsoon rains, mud slides, water resource problems, earthquakes, taxes, on and on. Been there numerous times on business trips, sisters lived there for awhile and visited them, nothing there for me. Only place in the US where you rent a car and it isn't washed! Texas is booming and guess where a lot of new folks are from? Just wondering if that's good or bad for us..............

I wish I could find my copy of a 90's Fine Homebuilding magazine that showed an aerial shot of a subdivision on a hillside in California. A fire decimated the sub but there was ONE big white house completely intact. The article detailed what saved the house AND the design features responsible. IIRC, it had triple pane windows, tile roof, cement stucco siding and the hillside around it was planted with special low greenery that burst when fire hit it and let loose water from the plants. I think the place also had a sprinkler system. Not sure if it could withstand the kind of fires now seen in California where a wall of fire moves through.

Here in Mariposa county Calfire wants 100 ft defensible space around buildings. Most people do it. Although we have several wildfires each year,very few structures are lost. Even with this Ferguson fire the only structures lost were abandoned buildings from the mining days. Sadly 2 lives were lost however.

I saw the same house. It survived the fire.
I wonder if it survived the mud slides that
would occur after a good rain.

Some of the severity of the CA fires can be blamed on those that refuse to allow controlled burns to be conducted on a regular basis.

OUT OF THE MOUTH OF A 16 YEAR OLD...WHAT AN OLD SOUL THIS CHILD MUST POSSESS

This poem by a local 16 year old eager kid says it all:
Wallow Fire

Let’s return the forest to its natural state,
trust me boys this will be great!
We’ll shut down the loggers and cut back the cows,
this will leave more room for wolves and spotted owls.

We will build little roads for ATV’s,
and big old camps for boats and RV’s.
We will lift all restrictions of fire laws,
let no loggers in with axes or saws.

Yup, we are goin green that’s what they said,
send your cattle our way, we’ve got wolves that need fed!
We will put riparian areas for the elk to eat,
then make them cowboys keep our fences neat.

We will measure the grass, mark all the trees,
we will count all their cattle and collect our fees.
Those loggers make our forest bare,
make it look like a mans head that ain’t got no hair.

That’s what they said many years ago,
and in takin action they wasn’t too slow.

So the grass grew tall, the forest got thick
and cowboys and loggers, it made them all sick.
Now we sit here in a smoke covered town,
Forest Service trucks runnin’ around.

This coulda been stopped, but it wouldn’t be heard.
Those greenies didn’t listen, guess they’d rather it burned.
As humans we’ve failed to protect our land,
so Mother Nature stepped in and gave us a hand.

But it coulda been stopped by fallin some trees,
and that, I think, now everyone sees.
So there you go, it’s in its natural state,
but don’t cry now, it’s already too late.

You wanted a green forest, you wanted it seen,
well take a good look cause black’s the new green!

Well said.