Pics from the Malibu Canyon fire aftermath

[slodave]

Hi!

I found myself taking the long way to get some food today and decided to drive down Malibu Cyn. The devastation is evident everywhere, but at the same time, it was interesting to see the mountains devoid of their normal shrubbery. I will post a few now and will post a link a little later to one of the free image hosting sites. I don't want to post everything here.









Check back later for a link to all of them.

Dave

[trap]

Sad, scary but still cool pics. Thanks for posting them. Sorry for the people who lost all that.

[slodave]

Here is a slide show of all of the pictures I took today. They are shown in reverse order and I can't figure out how to easily flip them all around. Most of the burned structure pics are of the Malibu Presbyterian Church that was destroyed.
http://img151.imageshack.us/slideshow/player.php?id=img151/647/1193641452gyk.smil

Just being around the area made my clothes smell like I rolled in the ashes.

Dave

[slodave]

I may be in the IT industry, but I am new to image hosting. Here is a link to all of the still images.
http://profile.imageshack.us/user/slodave

Dave

[slodave]

Last two. Panoramic of the canyon.

http://davemason.net/images/stitch_5000.jpg

Out of the ashes grows new life...

[Noah930]

I saw that last pic in your slideshow. Thought the same thing: interesting that new life can spring up so quickly.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Interesting stuff - I agree, the most striking images (for me) were not the ones of the destruction, they were of new growth springing up so quickly. Amazing, the resiliency of life. . .

Back in 1995 I took a week's vacation in Yellowstone park - this was about 10 years after the huge fires that devastated parts of it. I still have some of the photos - it was amazing. From about eye level up in many places there was nothing except for blackened "sticks" that were formerly tree trunks - for miles in every direction. From eye level down it was lush green vegetation. Pretty amazing contrast. I imagine parts of Malibu will look similar soon (different due to lack of old-growth forest trees, but you get the idea).

Thanks for sharing.

[PatrickB]

Amazing photo's Dave... Thanks for sharing!

[slodave]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

Interesting stuff - I agree, the most striking images (for me) were not the ones of the destruction, they were of new growth springing up so quickly. Amazing, the resiliency of life. . .

Back in 1995 I took a week's vacation in Yellowstone park - this was about 10 years after the huge fires that devastated parts of it. I still have some of the photos - it was amazing. From about eye level up in many places there was nothing except for blackened "sticks" that were formerly tree trunks - for miles in every direction. From eye level down it was lush green vegetation. Pretty amazing contrast. I imagine parts of Malibu will look similar soon (different due to lack of old-growth forest trees, but you get the idea).

Thanks for sharing.

I was on the Selway River in Idaho during the Yellowstone fires and even there, the valleys were filled with smoke. I also traveled through Yellowstone in August of '91 and could still see the devastation. Around the same time, I also visited the Custer Battlefield right after that fire and was amazed at how flat the prairies looked without the grasses.

As with all the fires around our area, there will be new growth and plants that haven't been seen for 100 years or that were thought to be extinct. Lack of fire, prevents certain seeds from propgating and also prevents certain plants from thriving, due to the other plant life. For all of the bad that has come out of these fires, good has come as well. These fires are needed from time to time. Unfortunately, we live in these areas as well, but that is part of living on this planet - fires, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, volcanoes.

I am glad to share the photos.

Dave

[slodave]

A little more info. Wildlife is coming back as well. While I did not see any deer, there were a bunch of small birds having a good time in a tall bush that had not burned (everything around had) and I heard, what I thought to be a lizard warming (something small ran as I got near) in the debris of the church.

One thing not to do, is, run through the hills spreading random seeds, hoping to rapidly regrow the area. If any reseeding is to take place, it needs to be done with the native plants that grow in the area. Planting anything foreign, will only make things worse in the future.

I noticed one thing interesting about the burned shrubs in the photo with the bike. They are all leaning to the West - the way the wind was blowing. The fire almost flash dried the shrubs while they were being blown by the wind and heat from fire.

Dave

[widgeon13]

great pictures but very sad, I am amazed you could get so close to the houses, I would think looting is a concern.

Will this create serious problems with erosion, suppose the foliage will be back on the ground before you get any significant moisture.

[NICKG]

are the fires all out? have not heard much on the news ....

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Many are still burning, although cooler temperatures and lower winds have enabled firefighters to get the upper hand.

[slodave]

Originally Posted by widgeon13

great pictures but very sad, I am amazed you could get so close to the houses, I would think looting is a concern.

Will this create serious problems with erosion, suppose the foliage will be back on the ground before you get any significant moisture.

I have heard of a couple of stories coming out of the San Diego area, where looters have struck. To be honest, there really wasn't much to "loot" at the church. The Sony T.V. was nice, but it's a big mass of melted plastic now.

There will be erosion problems. I'm sure Malibu Canyon will have some road closures when it finally does rain here. The chaparral won't really grow back without water. The crab grass is quickly coming back, but that is non native and more destructive than good.

Dave

[Mule]

I just heard the best. A guy is being interviewed about his $2mil house getting burned down. He tells the reporter (I'm sorry for you Californians), "I never saw the fire coming!" I'm sorry, did you think your neighbor just got some cronic & invited some friends over? Do you have a TV? Do you go outside much? Did you know what to look for (smoke, flames)?

Yawl caint never say nuthin bout the South agin.

[dd74]

Originally Posted by Mule

I just heard the best. A guy is being interviewed about his $2mil house getting burned down. He tells the reporter (I'm sorry for you Californians), "I never saw the fire coming!" I'm sorry, did you think your neighbor just got some cronic & invited some friends over? Do you have a TV? Do you go outside much? Did you know what to look for (smoke, flames)?

Yawl caint never say nuthin bout the South agin.

Are you using this same argument for the six college students who died in a beach house fire in North Carolina on Sunday?

"Why didn't yawl wake up? Why didn't yawl run for the ocean? Why didn't yawl see it coming?"

Oh, and North Carolina is in The South, right? (Right!) But no one here is busting anyone's chops there for the loss of life and property there.

Sorry, Mule, you know not of what you speak.

[carambola]

not to sound all up on the new thing, but how would bamboo grow on the naked canyons?

[mjohnson]

Originally Posted by slodave

... As with all the fires around our area, there will be new growth and plants that haven't been seen for 100 years or that were thought to be extinct. Lack of fire, prevents certain seeds from propgating and also prevents certain plants from thriving, due to the other plant life. For all of the bad that has come out of these fires, good has come as well. These fires are needed from time to time. Unfortunately, we live in these areas as well, but that is part of living on this planet - fires, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, volcanoes.

Los Alamos, NM burned in May of 2000 after an (un)controlled burn by the Park Service. While it was sad to see the mountain denuded of all of the Ponderosa pines there's been an explosion of woodpeckers, flickers and bluebirds in the last 6 or so years.

Fire is natural -- it's just a shame that it's been supressed so long that what were common, trivial ground fires are now huge crown fires that nearly sterilize everything. If the fire's hot enough, the remaining ash on the ground becomes hydrophobic. Big floods to follow.

In Los Alamos the fire had a pretty cohesive effect on the community. We had tremendous turnout for trail work and mulching/seeding days in the forest. The USFS was amazed at the response and said they'd use it as a model for the future. Many of the families that lost their houses said it was a great way to cope - to do some work to help everyone after so many had helped them.

Hopefully CA will see some of the same...

[Mule]

Originally Posted by dd74

Are you using this same argument for the six college students who died in a beach house fire in North Carolina on Sunday?

"Why didn't yawl wake up? Why didn't yawl run for the ocean? Why didn't yawl see it coming?"

Oh, and North Carolina is in The South, right? (Right!) But no one here is busting anyone's chops there for the loss of life and property there.

Sorry, Mule, you know not of what you speak.

Your insinuation that my comment on the stupidity of one individual is somehow equivalent to joking at the death of 6 people 3000 miles away blows. If this genius was asleep, he didn't mention it. That wasn't you was it? As far as your analogy, remember, the storm had passed & still no water. Can you say U.S. Corps of Engineers?

The govt didn't light your fires did they?

[mjohnson]

Originally Posted by Mule

...The govt didn't light your fires did they?

You posted parallel to mine, and in a different direction, but I had to laugh at that one.

Our town did in fact get the ol' government torch in 2000. Thank goodness ours was on a _much_ smaller scale than Katrina OR the recent fires in CA though...