west coast fires

[Moparnut72]

I live in Quincy Ca just a mile or so from where the Claremont Fire started from a lightning strike. It merged with the Bear Fire just a few miles away and has made it to Oroville several miles away, about 35. We are experiencing extremely bad smoky conditions. We have the worst air in the nation with an Air Quality Index at 671. Visibility is probably about 500 yds. It is even a bit smoky in the house. A breeze is predicted for this afternoon, ti will probably a little better but will be blowing smoke in from the fire. Stay safe all.
kk

[roadventure]

SF Bay Area.  This  morning, this is what my bedroom Venetian blinds look like.   Probably similar to the inside of my lungs.   

Patrick Hayes
Fremont CA

You can clean your window blinds.  You can not clean your lungs.

[Zoom Zoom]

Considering we are experiencing haze here in Ohio as a result of these fires, I can only imagine what you folks are going through closer to this. Take care out there.

ZZ

[Tom]

"Black Lung Disease".

[oldbike54]

 The upper level winds are bringing the smoke across the country a couple hundred miles South of Muskogee to just West of us then the wind turns North and comes right over us . Can't imagine how bad this is where the fires are burning .

Dusty

[DesertPilot]

My part of the Bay Area has been spared the fires, but I have friends who got evacuated for the CZU Lightning Complex, which burned through some of my favorite riding roads, and this second round of fires is like the end of the world.  875,000 acres for the August Complex -- almost twice the size of the Mendocino Complex of 2018, which used to be the largest fire in the state's history -- with the SCU and LNU Lightning Complexes poised to charge into 2nd and 3rd place.  This quite boggles the mind.  Even here, dozens of miles from the nearest source, smoke has darkened the sky so much people have keeping their headlights on.  My wife and I are holding off doing anything outdoors... and sending all our wishes and prayers to the firefighters and friends whose homes are threatened.

The worst thing is, with rainfall patterns changing as global temperatures rise, this might turn out to be the new normal :(

[Ryan]

In Oregon, the White River fire was the result of lightning. The others started from power lines being knocked down by falling tree limbs, transformers blowing up, cars catching fire on the roadway, people parking cars with hot catalytic converters over high, dry grass, and arson. Only 25 percent or so of fires here are caused by nature. So if we would convert to underground utilities, keep our cars in decent repair, not park like idiots, and not act like idiots in general, we could eliminate 75 percent of Oregon's wild land fires.

[wirespokes]

You've got a point there Ryan.

Another thing to consider is forest management. I seem to recall the north american natives (Indians) actually set fires to clear underbrush. But that was with native old growth, not what we've got today. We've mowed it all down and are left with forests that can't withstand fires.

I believe forest management practices need to change. It's more difficult and costs more to thin a forest, rather than clear-cut, but I think that's the way to go.

[Ryan]

Yes, the forest are no longer managed or maintained. It is interesting that fires on private timber lands that have had debris removed and some thinning tend to stay out of the crowns, move more slowly, and can often be contained. Public lands where debris builds up, nothing is thinned, and very little is done to "manage" the forest have more to burn, the flames get into the crowns, and when they go up, all hell is unleashed. When your livelihood depends on healthy trees, you keep your trees healthy.

[Wild1_OR]

The following is a detailed study which provides excellent information:

https://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/science-update-15.pdf

[DesertPilot]

I used to blame these things on poor forest management too, but that poor forest management has been going on with little variation for many decades, and the fires of recent years, this year in particular, are so far out of scope that I no longer believe this explanation holds water.  Forest management hasn't changed.  The fires most certainly have, growing more frequent, closer together, and much much larger.  I suspect that as climate and rainfall patterns continue to change -- you do not want to know what some of the numbers are for the Sierras -- much land that is currently forested here in the West will no longer be able to support forests and will go to grassland or brush.

People will adapt.  We're tough that way.  But ride those forests while you can, and take pictures for your grandchildren.

If all goes as planned, I'll be picking up my new V85 this week to replace the one that was done in by that lad with the SUV and a lax attitude toward stop signs.  I may ride out for a look at some of the older burn areas as a way of racking up miles for the 900 mile break-in period.

[Demar]

I'm no climate expert but there has been a lot of fuel in the Sierras just waiting to burn. The attached picture is from 2016 when they estimate 29 million pine trees were killed from the bark beetle infestation. I live in San Mateo in the middle of the Bay Area bad air. It's not good but not as bad as the worst places in CA, OR and WA. The air is bad, plenty of headaches to go around. My daughter has a cabin in the Sierra foothills about 3 hours NE of here. She lost 5-6 pine trees 50-80 feet tall. There were dead trees all over. We had them removed as did many others but there are places too steep to remove easily. They were just cut down so they didn't fall on anyone but left there. I'm sure most of the Sierras have the trees still standing deep in the forests. These trees have had 4 years to dry out. The pictures are not nice Autumn foliage.... they are dead pine trees.

From the 2016 article.....

"She added: "The trees that are starting to die and have already been hit by bark beetles won't recover. They will die. It's more fuel for wildfires."

The beetles are attacking coniferous and hardwood trees; Ponderosa pine, Jeffrey pine, and pinyon pines are the most impacted. Trees in the southern Sierras, Fresno, Madera and Tuolumne counties, and some of the coastal areas near Monterey have been especially hard-hit. But Head said:"They're everywhere and in almost every county."

https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/bark-beetles-California-dead-trees-fire-risk-7390544.php

[Rhodan]

Thanks for the thread Dusty; I've been reading through it to see how the other guzzistas are doing. 

Here in WA, things will get better over the next few days unless you're by an active fire.  The winds have changed and brought in some cooler, moister air.  The down side is more smoke as the offshore plumes blew back onshore.  The upside is better weather for people fighting these things.  Hats off to those charging into harm's way to save people, animals, property, and the places we love.  Condolences to those who have lost any of those things over the last month.


Wild OR, thanks for that link and stay safe out there.
You're going to love your v7iii.  I have the yellow sibling.

[Kiwi_Roy]

The smoke is so thick up in British Columbia we have to keep the windows closed and it dropped the temperature.
Please be careful down there.
Not to be outdone someone set alight to our 100 year old creosote saturated wharf that's really added some toxins

[Muzz]

We see it on our news here every night, and it just looks terrifying.

Thinking of all you guys over there, stay safe and hope that the firefighters can get these monsters under control.

[Wild1_OR]

Thanks for the thread Dusty; I've been reading through it to see how the other guzzistas are doing. 

Here in WA, things will get better over the next few days unless you're by an active fire.  The winds have changed and brought in some cooler, moister air.  The down side is more smoke as the offshore plumes blew back onshore.  The upside is better weather for people fighting these things.  Hats off to those charging into harm's way to save people, animals, property, and the places we love.  Condolences to those who have lost any of those things over the last month.

Wild OR, thanks for that link and stay safe out there.
You're going to love your v7iii.  I have the yellow sibling.

I have two acquaintances fighting the fires. I've been able to keep in touch with one of them via text to send well wishes, but I don't want to bother him, because he has a lot to handle and I'm sure his family is wanting to maintain communication. Firefighters are undermanned due to the vast scope of the fires, so they've begun a two day course to get certified as a volunteer firefighter and support them. If only I were younger and healthier. 

The evacuation line has retreated to about 8 1/2 miles from my location, so it appears the worst is over for me. There are many on the West Coast who aren't as fortunate.

[Rhodan]

I saw this posted by the National Weather Service office in Spokane WA. 





Frodo, I don't think we're in the Shire anymore.

[Lumpy Idle]

i really like purpleair. dunno if they will have it in your area but in the bay area and environs there are plenty of sensors out there. i clear my grid of everything but the outdoor sensors and it provides areally clear picture of what the particulate counts are in your specific area and also anywhere surrounding. the local tv news is using it too. the website just aggregates the reports from the sensors in the field. pretty nifty - citizen particiption.

[Lumpy Idle]

BTW - 301 is pretty bad but the record so far seems to be that from our man in quincy, CA with numbers in the low 600's!!. now that's really realllly fugging bad!

that's minestrone soup level bad, you're inhaling minestrone, and heading toward clam chowder bad. i am down to the 180's around here and that's just (just) consumme bad. in the 300's and you are heading toward minestrone but you can sorta see the bottom of the bowl at times. the worst we have gotten in oaktown is in the low to moderate 2oo's and i thought that was some odious soup - i can't imagine stuff in the 300's and certainly not in the 600's.

[Wild1_OR]

I saw this posted by the National Weather Service office in Spokane WA. 





Frodo, I don't think we're in the Shire anymore.

We were at 501 this morning and that was after it began to improve.

[Lumpy Idle]

We were at 501 this morning and that was after it began to improve.

JEEEEBUS!

you're heading into the clam chowder zone. you want some crackers with your air?

[Wild1_OR]

JEEEEBUS!

you're heading into the clam chowder zone. you want some crackers with your air?

Send all the oyster crackers you have. 

[DesertPilot]

I was planning to ride past the burn area for the CZU August Lightning Complex this coming weekend to see how badly it hammered one of my favorite parts of the Santa Cruz Mountains.  I'd thought that fire was over -- the NASA FIRMS map isn't showing any hot spots big enough to see from orbit -- but according to Calfire, it's still only 86% contained.  This is unreal.  I'm having some trouble coming to grips with the magnitude of this thing.  This isn't just some bad times version of our usual fire season, or even a once-in-a-century disaster like we had in 2012, 2013, 2017, and 2018.  It's more like Apocalypse Lite.  I may steer clear of the area until the winter rains begin so I don't get in the way of fire crews or residents trying to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives.

Forecast is for a slight chance of drizzle here in the Bay Area Tuesday night, with a chance of showers north of Ukiah later in the week.  Let's hope this arrives and helps damp things down.

UPDATE: It appears they ran a bicycle race through the Bonnie Doon/Empire Grade area yesterday, which suggests that either 1) the CZU Lightning Complex Fire is no longer an issue, 2) these are very fast cyclists, or 3) someone doesn't like them very much.  I'm betting on Option 1 here, and may swing by to have a look at the area soon this weekend or next.

[Moparnut72]

501. That's not bad.    We have been over 900 for the last few days. We have been cooped up in the house for days.  I am going stir crazy. It has lightened up a bit now, probably around 300+.
kk

[LowRyter]

I didn't know the Bark Beetles affected California like I've seen in Colorado.  Of course as long as dead tree are in the forest, they'll be fuel.  Actually that beetle wood is now sought after.  Hopefully more of it can be harvested before there are more fires.

I think they've begun to spray the forests to kill those beetles?

[wirespokes]

I'm going stir crazy here too. But we're nowhere near your levels - yesterday was 329, today about 229. That's still pretty bad with about 1/4 mile visibility. Maybe a half mile at most.

[Lumpy Idle]

501. That's not bad.    We have been over 900 for the last few days. We have been cooped up in the house for days.  I am going stir crazy. It has lightened up a bit now, probably around 300+.
kk

900 + !?!!
i didn't even know that was possible. i was stupefied by that number so i went to google maps to figure out where quincy was.

3:0x4ebc03dabe13d11!8m2!3d39.9368363!4d-120.9471764" class="bbc_link" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.google.com/maps/place/Quincy,+CA+95971/@39.6622922,-121.3797889,10.25z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x809c5c6208c3e32 3:0x4ebc03dabe13d11!8m2!3d39.9368363!4d-120.9471764

good lord man, you are in the middle of the forest and you are merely 25 (some-odd) miles northeast of a hugeass fire. the fire marker is on google maps and its pretty much near your back damned door.! you are right in the thick of it. the literal thick of it. i can't fathom what it must be like to be up there in quincy right now.  i wish you and yours all the best. please stay safe. thoughts and prayers go out to you and yours tonight.

[Moparnut72]

The fire came to a couple of miles from us. We had to evacuate  for short time. The air quality index max is 1000 from what I understand.  The smoke has been brutal. Have to drive with headlights.  Bike riding has been zilch.
Kk

[wirespokes]

My only real bike accident was on the way to Quincy 15 years ago for a BMW rally. I know Quincy - great place to live - unless there's a forest fire.

AQI (air quality index) of 1000!!!!! Two or three hundred is bad enough, I can't imagine what a thousand would be like. I'd be huddled over the air purifier.

[Moparnut72]

We get quite a few bike wrecks here every summer.  Lots of challenging roads. Some riders get in over their heads. I have seen and took part in one of those rallies when I had an Airhead. My office when I worked for the county was in the Fairgrounds.
kk