Nervous Night - Dixie & Morgan Fires

[Aaron_W]

I know we have members in the area. I've been working the dispatch center in Quincy and was here when Greenville burned. The Dixie is doing as it likes, at best crews can herd it around towns, at worst watch them burn and try to help residents get out.

When I started in fire in the 90s 5000 acres was a big fire and you might hit one or 2 a that size in a year. Now 30000+ is common and these multiple hundred thousand acre fires happen every year.

Hoping the best for all in the path. I spent 6 month on the August complex last year, which went around 1 million acres.

 

[matthewsx]

Stay safe and don’t hesitate to get out when you’re told.

Anything can be replaced but you have to be around to do it….

John

 

[francist]

Fingers crossed for you, MrWhoopee.

 

[pontiac428]

The smoke has been blocking the sun and dropping temps up here, but respite from the heat isn't worth the cost of so much destruction. I hope the blaze avoids you. Stay safe!

 

[silence dogood]

MrWhoopee, Hope that this does not happen, but make sure that you have more than one escape route. Those roads can get crowded at the worse times. Last year just east of Salem, Oregon, my son was part of a Chinook crew to dump water on the fires. They were grounded because the smoke was so bad that the pilot would not be able to see. They stayed near the chopper so that it would not be vandalize (yeah, I know, don't get me started on that). They also had to make sure that the fire did not get too near, otherwise the rotors could delaminated from the intense heat. Hoping the best for you. Mark

 

[MrWhoopee]

Insurance pictures have been uploaded to the "cloud". First filled car has been shuttled 10 miles down the hill to the daughter's house. Saw Frontier setting up a generator at our local phone switch, so we will have internet and landline. Updated PSPS notice says power will only be off until Wednesday night instead of Thursday. Hopefully that's a reflection of reduced wind expectations.

Remaining hopeful.

 

[Janderso]

My son is on a hotshot crew and spent the last two weeks on the Dixie fire. This morning they're headed to the Sequoia's, but it seems every time they head toward a fire, they get diverted at least once to another. I wish Mr. Whoopee and everyone living in the fire regions all the best. Very scary!

As far as we are concerned, those of us in California, your son is a true hero.
This is tough work. I can't imagine working in the conditions he is working in.

 

[Janderso]

The smoke has been blocking the sun and dropping temps up here, but respite from the heat isn't worth the cost of so much destruction. I hope the blaze avoids you. Stay safe!

My wife went up to Seattle for a week to get out of the smoke and heat.
Not this year.

 

[Gaffer]

As far as we are concerned, those of us in California, your son is a true hero.
This is tough work. I can't imagine working in the conditions he is working in.

Thanks. He put this video together for his crew last season.

 

[Dhal22]

Hey, I am curious what kind of buffer zone it would take to give your home some decent protection? Is this idea feasible or are the fires just too large? I have heard people recommend this.
Robert

I lived in Kansas for a couple of years as a kid and saved our house with back fires. Nobody home after school and I saw a massive prairie fire coming our way. I ran to the house for matches and started fires upwind all the way around the property. The flames could not burn fast enough upwind it seemed. In a roar the wildfire was past our house and gone in the distance. My parents were very happy with my thinking later that day.