biggun
Monkey for Hire
Made up for you.
Let’s hope it rains ‘cats and dogs’!
Let’s hope it rains ‘cats and dogs’!
Not good...
- Thread starter Burnham
- Start date
- Replies 274
- Views 12K
Cobleskill
Treehouser
Cool beans. I bet you are enjoying your place more than ever.
flushcut
TreeHouser
Good news! May it rain heavy enough to snuff the fires.
PCTREE
Treehouser
Good news
squisher
THE CALM ONE!!!!
Hoping the best for all of you down there affected by these fires.
Close call Burnham. So happy to read your home has made it through so far.
Close call Burnham. So happy to read your home has made it through so far.
Jonny
Treehouser
So glad to hear things are alright for you and yours!
Burnham
Woods walker
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #160
Big fires like these in this fuel type (heavy fuel loads consisting of a lot of big wood) won't go out with some light rain. They won't go out with some heavy rain. They won't go completely out with a whole western Oregon fall and winter and spring's worth of rain. The forecast is only for a couple or three days of rain, with total rainfall no more than an inch.
We'll have to be very watchful for some time to come. But the fire fighters are really emphasizing strong containment lines on portions of the fire nearest to where folks live, including us. So if we don't get another hot, dry, and most especially windy weather pattern before the wet season arrives, we should be in pretty good shape.
If we do get that kind of weather yet this fall, all bets are off.
We'll have to be very watchful for some time to come. But the fire fighters are really emphasizing strong containment lines on portions of the fire nearest to where folks live, including us. So if we don't get another hot, dry, and most especially windy weather pattern before the wet season arrives, we should be in pretty good shape.
If we do get that kind of weather yet this fall, all bets are off.
Nutball
TreeHouser
Yep, the rain won't even reach the fire before it evaporates. The best bet would be a hard down pour to soak fuel in front of the fire, that would at least slow it down a good bit.
flushcut
TreeHouser
Alright I'm doing a rain dance.
Burnham
Woods walker
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #164
Must have worked, Rajan...we got some misty drizzle overnight, and it's still doing it now 
.
Better than a hard rain from one perspective. On the steeper ground that burned hot, landslides are a real concern now. Rolling rocks and uprooting trees also...all increase hazards for firefighters; the former generate longer term environmental damage than the fire alone. Heavy rain is more likely to trigger these after effects than a slow drizzle.
.Better than a hard rain from one perspective. On the steeper ground that burned hot, landslides are a real concern now. Rolling rocks and uprooting trees also...all increase hazards for firefighters; the former generate longer term environmental damage than the fire alone. Heavy rain is more likely to trigger these after effects than a slow drizzle.
Last edited:
Jonny
Treehouser
I didn’t even think of that. All those root systems probably do a lot to hold hilly areas together, huh?
Burnham
Woods walker
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #167
Alrighty then . Retrieved the Jag from my friend's shop this afternoon.
He'd offered to shelter it as long as I wished...but I knew it was completely taking his shop out of operation for him. We'd pushed everything movable to the walls, stacked the lighter stuff shoulder high. Squeezed it in. When the fire was moving fast, and the sky was gray and orange and black and red, it was a relief to me to not have it sitting out where a stray ember might land on the fabric top...bound to catch fire if that happened, I suspect.
We finally have some clear air this evening. Rained all day, mostly an easy drizzle. Tonight we have a few patches of blue sky and no smoke at all. Went outside on the porch to drink a glass of scotch for me, a bourbon for M. I know we're a long way from out of the woods on this, but it's feeling much less on the edge for me right now.
Might be that the scotch is a small factor there
.
. Retrieved the Jag from my friend's shop this afternoon. He'd offered to shelter it as long as I wished...but I knew it was completely taking his shop out of operation for him. We'd pushed everything movable to the walls, stacked the lighter stuff shoulder high. Squeezed it in. When the fire was moving fast, and the sky was gray and orange and black and red, it was a relief to me to not have it sitting out where a stray ember might land on the fabric top...bound to catch fire if that happened, I suspect.
We finally have some clear air this evening. Rained all day, mostly an easy drizzle. Tonight we have a few patches of blue sky and no smoke at all. Went outside on the porch to drink a glass of scotch for me, a bourbon for M. I know we're a long way from out of the woods on this, but it's feeling much less on the edge for me right now.
Might be that the scotch is a small factor there
.
Burnham
Woods walker
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #169
Still looking pretty good this evening. Riverside fire is at 20% containment, and that is all concentrated on the northwest around to the northeast fire front. Focused on protecting folk's homes and property. We're located about 4/5ths of the way around that portion of the heavily strengthened fire line, clockwise.
We still are about 3ish miles due east of the closest active fire front; this heavy fire line helps keep us in a good situation...unless the wind comes up again. No fire line ever built can overcome the miles ahead ember carry that significant winds will produce.
But clear air again tonight, sipping my scotch on the porch.
An also but...the car and truck are both still packed with the essentials for survival, and the beloved stuff you'd never want to loose. We're still in the evac. level 2, yellow; "be ready to evacuate on a moment's notice", per the standard 1,2,3 levels.
Feels pretty safe just now...but I know way too much about fire behavior to get complacent. Sleeping with one eye open, well into my third week of such. It's a bit wearing, frankly.
We still are about 3ish miles due east of the closest active fire front; this heavy fire line helps keep us in a good situation...unless the wind comes up again. No fire line ever built can overcome the miles ahead ember carry that significant winds will produce.
But clear air again tonight, sipping my scotch on the porch.
An also but...the car and truck are both still packed with the essentials for survival, and the beloved stuff you'd never want to loose. We're still in the evac. level 2, yellow; "be ready to evacuate on a moment's notice", per the standard 1,2,3 levels.
Feels pretty safe just now...but I know way too much about fire behavior to get complacent. Sleeping with one eye open, well into my third week of such. It's a bit wearing, frankly.
Last edited:
Benjo75
Treehouser
Your smoke finally made it to Arkansas Friday evening. I don't know how yall breathe the thick stuff for weeks on end. I'd have to wear a damp bandana or something if it got very bad here. I don't take to smoke very well anyway. Glad it's finally looking better for you. Maybe the worst if it is almost over.
Burnham
Woods walker
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #171
Only way to deal with smoke that dense is to stay indoors, all windows and doors closed all the time. It's down right hazardous to health, both short and long term.
It is especially miserable for peeps like us that are used to being active outdoors, and are living on property in locations that have allowed great freedom of movement, even under covid-19 precautions.
8 days for me and the divine Ms. M, almost exclusively indoors. Never before in the nearly 45 years we've been together.
Only way to happily survive that, I might suggest...is more sex.
It's working pretty well for us.
It is especially miserable for peeps like us that are used to being active outdoors, and are living on property in locations that have allowed great freedom of movement, even under covid-19 precautions.
8 days for me and the divine Ms. M, almost exclusively indoors. Never before in the nearly 45 years we've been together.
Only way to happily survive that, I might suggest...is more sex.
It's working pretty well for us
.
Burnham
Woods walker
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #172
More good news...about 1:30 pm today the county moved the evacuation rating for where we live to level 1, Be Ready, green zone. One level down from where we'd been since returning home from evacuation. Next would be complete removal from any evacuation notice level...in my dearest dreams, just now .
In theory, we could unpack the car and truck...not sure we'll do that yet. But probably soon if the weather and fire activity seem to be holding steady.
Got some pics from good friends whose house and big shop were saved by actions they, their adult son, and a twenty person Hotshot crew out of Zigzag, OR took over the course of 36 hours. They lost a vehicle, lots of trees, a couple of smaller outbuildings. The 'Shots foreman told them that this was the closest to losing, but being able to save, home that his crew had ever worked on.
I'll ask for permission to share some of the images...if I get it, I'll post them. But let me tell you, it's frickin' scary stuff. We are truly lucky.
.In theory, we could unpack the car and truck...not sure we'll do that yet. But probably soon if the weather and fire activity seem to be holding steady.
Got some pics from good friends whose house and big shop were saved by actions they, their adult son, and a twenty person Hotshot crew out of Zigzag, OR took over the course of 36 hours. They lost a vehicle, lots of trees, a couple of smaller outbuildings. The 'Shots foreman told them that this was the closest to losing, but being able to save, home that his crew had ever worked on.
I'll ask for permission to share some of the images...if I get it, I'll post them. But let me tell you, it's frickin' scary stuff. We are truly lucky.
SeanKroll
Treehouser
I wonder if you could build an insulated "safe room" like they have in Tornado Alley.
Maybe earth-bermed
A house, two doors down from D's grandparents house on Oklahoma, was entirely ripped from the foundation, except the safe room.
Maybe earth-bermed
A house, two doors down from D's grandparents house on Oklahoma, was entirely ripped from the foundation, except the safe room.
Would it be possible to scrape/rake a fire break and in the event of it looking very likely to lose your place, light a hail-Mary back burn to at the least increase your odds of not losing all?
A few years back it was very dry here and I gave some thought to how I’d do that if it came down to it.
A few years back it was very dry here and I gave some thought to how I’d do that if it came down to it.
