Major Fire Near Chico California

[Janderso]

The dragon awoke yesterday after being quiet for several days. It is now at 414k acres, making it the 4th largest in California history. It's making a run towards the communities of Mill Creek and Mineral. The Lassen N.P. headquarters are in Mineral. Winds from the southwest continue to push it towards the park and the 2021 Dixie fire burn scar. Nervous again.

View attachment 499062

The Dixie fire has got to mitigate some of the rage of this thing.
I don’t blame you for being nervous.
Hang in there, we are sending positive vibes man.

 

[Janderso]

It's amazing how weather affects fire behavier. Looks like they started backfire operations lastnight on 172 below Mineral. That feels like a Hail Mary play at this point. I hope they get it right or at worst case don't create a bigger problem. That's got to be a tough call to make.

Yes, we had low winds, cloud cover and humidity in the 80’s. This combination really slowed this fire down.
Backfires seem to backfire more often than they should.
Only my opinion of course. I am not qualified in anyway to have an opinion on this subject

 

[Janderso]

Once beyond initial attack (24 hours give or take) there are growing levels of red tape. Local, state, region, national.

Many resources including aircraft are national resources, so while it may seem to be a lot of bureaucracy, it is there to keep from sucking up all the resources in the nation, something this state could easily do.

Watching units from all over the state and western states sure does warm my heart.
Yesterday I saw two crews from Utah taking a needed break.
Love it.

 

[Aaron_W]

Watching units from all over the state and western states sure does warm my heart.
Yesterday I saw two crews from Utah taking a needed break.
Love it.

The travel is one of my favorite parts of the job,. I've been to 15 states on fire assignments from Hawaii to Florida and most of the Western and Southern states in between. Sometimes I feel like a smoky carnival worker.

 

[woodchucker]

The travel is one of my favorite parts of the job,. I've been to 15 states on fire assignments from Hawaii to Florida and most of the Western and Southern states in between. Sometimes I feel like a smoky carnival worker.

that's got to be some tough work, in tough situations. Thank you.

 

[MrWhoopee]

Watching units from all over the state and western states sure does warm my heart.
Yesterday I saw two crews from Utah taking a needed break.
Love it.

I still get a little teary and choked up when I see the convoys of fire trucks.
Makes me so thankful.

 

[Aaron_W]

that's got to be some tough work, in tough situations. Thank you.

Thanks, I was on engine crews for 21 years. I retired at the end of 2017.

Although theoretically retired, the Forest Service has a short term employment program for emergencies, and the past 6 years Ive been working quite a bit. Sadly disaster response has good job security.
These days I do fire logistics and dispatch instead of dragging hose. Much less dirty and physical work but I still get to travel around the country.

 

[Janderso]

Hey, good news.
The fire is still at 429,000 acres and 39% contained.
It hasn't grown for three days!!
The temps are down finally. Still have a southern breeze which is great.
Let's hope Craig.

 

[woodchucker]

Hey, good news.
The fire is still at 429,000 acres and 39% contained.
It hasn't grown for three days!!
The temps are down finally. Still have a southern breeze which is great.
Let's hope Craig.

That's still over 600 square miles... just unbelievable. I hope they hang the guy that started it.

 

[Janderso]

That's still over 600 square miles... just unbelievable. I hope they hang the guy that started it.

Yeah, it burned our favorite fishing spot. Been going there since I was a kid.
It’s a big one.