CA fire 'victims'

[Hugh R]

Here are just a few samples of my fire trap back yard.

[JavaBrewer]

Originally Posted by KevinP73

I was prepared to offer up my best defense as to why I choose to live where I do then it struck me.....I don't give a flying f**k what you think about where or why I live where I do. And if you're not OK with that then go f**k yourself after all I'm stone cold sober.

Big mistake. Trust me on this.

[KevinP73]

Originally Posted by dmoolenaar

Big mistake. Trust me on this.

Amen

[campbellcj]

I'll never go back to the concrete jungle. We do need people to be more responsible about brush clearance and keeping proper insurance etc. And wood shake roofs are just ludicrous. We have a groomed lot, stucco structure, tile roof. 8 miles of brush behind. I'll take my chances.

Controlled burns in certain areas make a lot of sense to me too. Don't know about the economics but it sure would reduce the drama and disruption of normal life overall.

[chapo]

Next time the homeless overrun seattle, or the mountain erupts, or they actually have fires up in Washington, remind me hard drive is a moron.

[Burnin' oil]

Easy there. Hard Drive is no moron. That was just the Boone's Farm talkin', or maybe it was the sloe gin fizzes, or the Bartyles & James.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by KevinP73

...after all I'm stone cold sober.

That's no life. Why would anyone choose to live like that? Now, I really could give a rip about where you live, but this whole "stone cold sober" thing - we need to talk. I can help you with that.

[KevinP73]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

That's no life. Why would anyone choose to live like that? Now, I really could give a rip about where you live, but this whole "stone cold sober" thing - we need to talk. I can help you with that.

I was at work when I posted that. Actually still am, but later..............

[island911]

Originally Posted by techweenie

I'll have to remember to come back to Mr. HardDrive after that Seattle mega-quake hits. It's gonna be a monster. And then I can criticize him for choosing to live there. Can, but won't.

http://tinyurl.com/l3odge

Yeah, the PNW has a few active volcanos and potential disaster from earthquakes . . . but at least they're not seasonal.

OTOH, we do have enough liberally drunk self-righteous loons to sink a city.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

We've got 'em here too, don't kid yourself. Only here it's usually tequila or cheap Mexican beer like Dos Equis or Tecate.

[HardDrive]

Originally Posted by KevinP73

I was prepared to offer up my best defense as to why I choose to live where I do then it struck me.....I don't give a flying f**k what you think about where or why I live where I do. And if you're not OK with that then go f**k yourself after all I'm stone cold sober.

How are we ever going to have a meaningful converstation on PPOT if you keep holding back how you really feel?

[KevinP73]

Originally Posted by HardDrive

How are we ever going to have a meaningful converstation on PPOT if you keep holding back how you really feel?

Probably will never happen, I'm just too thin skinned.

[techweenie]

Spectacular:

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=c3a_1251947673

[RWebb]

Seattle area is at HUGE risk from Lahars...

most places have some episodic disaster issues - tornados in mod-west

Maine is not at much risk of anything or so said an ex-gf who was OCD on disasters -- she was an astrophysicist, so go figure...

[sammyg2]

While we're at it, lets go after people who build houses at the base of volcanoes.
Do they still have lahar drills in some of the public schools up there?

I remember something about a fire in Oakland a couple decades ago, here's what wiki said about it:

The fire ultimately killed 25 people and injured 150 others. The 1,520 acres (6.2 kmē) destroyed included 3,354 single-family dwellings and 437 apartment and condominium units. The economic loss has been estimated at $1.5 billion.[1]

Fires happen all over the place, every year. So Cal just gets the most press coverage.

How about we bag on people who build houses near forests? They can burn too.

The Great Seattle Fire was a fire that destroyed the entire central business district of Seattle, Washington, on June 6, 1889.

In the fall of 1851, the Denny Party arrived at Alki Point in what is now the state of Washington. After spending a miserable winter on the western shores of Elliot Bay, the party relocated to the eastern shores and established the settlement that would become Seattle. Early Seattle was dominated by the logging industry. The combination of a safe bay and an abundance of coniferous trees made Seattle the perfect location for shipping lumber to California. In 1852, Henry Yesler began construction of the first steam-powered mill in the Pacific Northwest.[2] Because of the easy access to lumber, nearly every building was constructed of the affordable, but flammable timber. Additionally, because the area was at or below sea level, the fledgling town was a frequent victim of massive floods, requiring buildings to be built on wooden stilts. The town also used hollowed out scrap logs propped up on wooden braces as sewer and water pipes, contributing to what could be described as a firetrap.

Events of the fire
Aftermath of Seattle fire of June 6, 1889 looking east at the ruins of the Occidental Hotel at corner of James St. and Yesler Way.

On the afternoon of June 6, 1889, John E. Back , a worker in Victor Clairmont's cabinet-making shop near Front Street and Madison Avenue, was heating glue over a gasoline fire. Sometime around 2:30 pm, the glue boiled over and caught fire. The fire soon spread to the wood chips and turpentine covering the floor. Back attempted to douse the fire with water which only served to spread the fire further. The fire department arrived by 2:45, but by that time the area was so smokey that the source of the fire could not be determined. At first it was assumed to have begun in the paint shop above Clairmont's woodworking shop and the Seattle newspaper erroneously ran this story the next day.[5]

Spread of fire

Fed by the shop’s timber and an unusually dry summer, the blaze erupted and shortly devoured the entire block. The fire quickly spread north to the Kenyon block and the nearby Madison and Griffith blocks.

A combination of ill-preparedness and unfortunate circumstances contributed to the great fire. Seattle’s water supply was insufficient in fighting the inferno. Fire hydrants were sparsely located on every other street, usually connected to small pipes. There were so many hydrants in use during the fire that the water pressure was too weak to fight such a massive blaze. Seattle also operated by a volunteer fire department, which was competent, but inadequate in extinguishing the fire.

Magnitude of destruction

By the morning of June 7, the fire had burned the majority of 25 city blocks, including the entire business district, four of the city’s wharves, and its railroad terminals.

[VaSteve]

Can someone please quantify 20,000 acres for me? I'm having a hard time picturing it. This country is huge but every time I hear about these giant fires and PNW logging (separate posts on this), I can't help but wonder how there's anything left with foliage on it...

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by VaSteve

Can someone please quantify 20,000 acres for me? I'm having a hard time picturing it. This country is huge but every time I hear about these giant fires and PNW logging (separate posts on this), I can't help but wonder how there's anything left with foliage on it...

An interesting way to picture it is that 640 acres equal a square mile...


Unbelievable footage, Tech.

[john70t]

And(despite the building's location), insurance covered it all.


(or, at least some people).

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by techweenie

Spectacular:

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=c3a_1251947673

No kidding.

It would be a lot more fun to watch if we didn't have to think about all the people affected by it. People don't realize how fast they move, or how explosively large areas can ignite. Some of those smoke columns look like small nuclear blasts.

I've seen a couple of our bigger forest fires up here from afar; it's just mind blowing the power and ferocity of them, even from a "safe" distance.

[sammyg2]

Little bump for posterity and reflection.
Perspective might be a better word.

Huge fires in Baja Oklahoma, twisty things all over the midwest, floods, etc. Yet So cal has been calm and mild for quite some time (knocking on head).

So where's the guys who like to say that people shouldn't live in places where mother nature strikes when you need em?