I've talked to a few people now, and I've learned a few things.
First, the technical definition of the word "contained" is that fire lines surround the entire area of the fire, making it difficult for the fire to escape.
After containment, the next point is "controlled", which means that it's out enough that the fire folks decide they can walk away from it. The best estimates I've been able to drag out of people on that seem to converge at two or three weeks out, so call it mid June.
But even "controlled" doesn't mean "entirely out". Tree roots and heavy timber can smoulder for weeks or months and then flare up again. At least twice now I've heard from different sources that we're likely to see several flare ups over the summer, and that the fire probably won't really be "out" until we get some rain in the fall.
No other fire news today.
Showing posts with label summit_fire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label summit_fire. Show all posts
Friday, May 30, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Summit Fire udate 5/29/08
"Contained" doesn't mean "out". This morning, while walking my dogs, we saw a helicopter carrying a bucket. It was clearly working the Summit fire.
At some point I'll have to ask a few people how long they think it will take to fully extinguish this beast.
At some point I'll have to ask a few people how long they think it will take to fully extinguish this beast.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Summit fire - what I saw on 5/25/08
Here's a picture of what I saw on Sunday evening while working on the water tender. This is taken from the southern edge of Summit / Mt. Madonna road, looking south-east. Or at least that's where I think I was facing when I took this photo.
There are places that look a lot worse than this, but for some reason this is the only vista that grabbed me hard enough that I got out the camera as we were working.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Long day
Just a brief post tonight. It was a very busy day on many levels. This morning at 1am the pager went off for a fire and Loma Prieta's water tender was requested. I got to the station and was on the rig. We headed out and almost got to 17 before we were cancelled. Thus, I spent from 1am - 2am not sleeping, and that has made today that much more interesting. The morning was spent on "the overhead of life" and the afternoon was spent on repairing a sculpture, which I needed to get to. Then it was off to teach stone carving class. I'm exhausted.
The big news on the Summit Fire today is 100% containment has been achieved, and everyone who was evacuated has now been allowed back into their homes. That's a big milestone.
Perhaps tomorrow I will post a photo I took on my Sunday evening water tender shift, but I'm too tired (and it's too late) to do that tonight.
The big news on the Summit Fire today is 100% containment has been achieved, and everyone who was evacuated has now been allowed back into their homes. That's a big milestone.
Perhaps tomorrow I will post a photo I took on my Sunday evening water tender shift, but I'm too tired (and it's too late) to do that tonight.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Summit Fire Update 5/26/08
Sorry this took so long to write up. Here's what happened during my time on the water tender on Sunday night.
First off, we met the previous crew and geared up. Then we headed out to the fire with a full load of water. We were working the northern edge of the fire, starting from the west side and moving east. Our job was to fill up any engines that needed water as we encountered them, and to keep certain portable tanks full as well.
Our shift started at 5:30pm, though, and as we drove into the fire zone we found that most everyone working that edge of the fire already had full tanks and were settling in for the evening. In fact, the north and western edges of the fire looked basically quiet to me. The north east corner still had active fire working, however. We could see the smoke plume and even some flames from our easternmost point, at Ormsby Fire Station.
While there we met the head of the water group and talked with him, working on sorting out some paperwork issues. Also at that point we handed out the last of the water we came with. Our 2200 gallon tank empty, we headed back out to refill, but as things were settling in for the night and no one would need additional water until the morning, we were released to go home and sleep in our own beds, rather than on the fire line itself.
I know our water tender was back on the line this morning, probably doing the same job, and I believe it has was released entirely from the fire this evening. That's a fine thing. Our department's limited resources are probably better spent responding to new incidents in our area rather than stretching us too thin and having us work the Summit Fire for prolonged periods. With thousands of personnel there, our best focus is probably on the area we know well, and where we can make a great deal of difference quickly thanks to that knowledge.
Todays news tells me that the fire is 70% contained now, and based on what I saw on Saturday night I believe it. I'm sure mop up work will go on for weeks, but unless something significant changes in the weather it is probable we've seen the worst of the Summit Fire.
I'm still collecting information on other fire information sources. One is Lorri Scott's blog. Lorri is a long time friend and fellow artist. She lives closer and more to the north of the fire than I do, so her perspective is a bit different.
I'm told that kron4.com has a blog and that it has good information, but I can't read the site in my browser for some reason. It comes up with text all over itself. I pass that link on, but I don't personally know if it will do anyone any good.
From this story I learned that a local animal shelter was destroyed in the fire. They are looking for contributions to help them rebuild. If you are interested, you can find out more from their website humanityforcats.com.
I'm afraid that's all I've got on the fire this time around. Frankly, that's a good thing in my mind. The sooner the Summit Fire is old news the better, so long as we learn our lessons and are prepared for the next one.
With that in mind, over the coming days and/or weeks I will probably reduce my posts in this blog, but also start covering a wider range of topics. You're always welcome to get in touch with me about anything you see here, and of course, share things of interest with me so I can pass them on.
I hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day. Keep safe!
First off, we met the previous crew and geared up. Then we headed out to the fire with a full load of water. We were working the northern edge of the fire, starting from the west side and moving east. Our job was to fill up any engines that needed water as we encountered them, and to keep certain portable tanks full as well.
Our shift started at 5:30pm, though, and as we drove into the fire zone we found that most everyone working that edge of the fire already had full tanks and were settling in for the evening. In fact, the north and western edges of the fire looked basically quiet to me. The north east corner still had active fire working, however. We could see the smoke plume and even some flames from our easternmost point, at Ormsby Fire Station.
While there we met the head of the water group and talked with him, working on sorting out some paperwork issues. Also at that point we handed out the last of the water we came with. Our 2200 gallon tank empty, we headed back out to refill, but as things were settling in for the night and no one would need additional water until the morning, we were released to go home and sleep in our own beds, rather than on the fire line itself.
I know our water tender was back on the line this morning, probably doing the same job, and I believe it has was released entirely from the fire this evening. That's a fine thing. Our department's limited resources are probably better spent responding to new incidents in our area rather than stretching us too thin and having us work the Summit Fire for prolonged periods. With thousands of personnel there, our best focus is probably on the area we know well, and where we can make a great deal of difference quickly thanks to that knowledge.
Todays news tells me that the fire is 70% contained now, and based on what I saw on Saturday night I believe it. I'm sure mop up work will go on for weeks, but unless something significant changes in the weather it is probable we've seen the worst of the Summit Fire.
I'm still collecting information on other fire information sources. One is Lorri Scott's blog. Lorri is a long time friend and fellow artist. She lives closer and more to the north of the fire than I do, so her perspective is a bit different.
I'm told that kron4.com has a blog and that it has good information, but I can't read the site in my browser for some reason. It comes up with text all over itself. I pass that link on, but I don't personally know if it will do anyone any good.
From this story I learned that a local animal shelter was destroyed in the fire. They are looking for contributions to help them rebuild. If you are interested, you can find out more from their website humanityforcats.com.
I'm afraid that's all I've got on the fire this time around. Frankly, that's a good thing in my mind. The sooner the Summit Fire is old news the better, so long as we learn our lessons and are prepared for the next one.
With that in mind, over the coming days and/or weeks I will probably reduce my posts in this blog, but also start covering a wider range of topics. You're always welcome to get in touch with me about anything you see here, and of course, share things of interest with me so I can pass them on.
I hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day. Keep safe!
Summit Fire Update 5/24/08
I am considering turning this email into a an actual blog, but there's no time to do that right now. The number of people I am sending it to continues to grow and these kinds of fires drag on for long periods, so there will be additional updates. If you have any thoughts about that, feel free to send them to me. (Ed Note: If you're reading this in the blog, the above has clearly already happened. Oh well.)
Saturday didn't bring a lot of fire related news my way. Those locals who watch television are probably better informed than I am on things right now.
I did hear aircraft today, and I was told by a friend that aircraft were working the fire yesterday as well. That's good. As I write this update the temperature is 49 degrees outside and there is still no wind to speak of at my home. We still might get rain as well. Ideal conditions for fire fighting as far as I can tell, so long as the possible lightning doesn't materialize.
The CALFIRE incident page about this event has gotten a bit more interesting. It now has links to maps and more details about fire activity.
This fire is a big deal, and as if to prove the point, our governor paid a visit to the incident command post yesterday.
One bit of news that surprised me is that they had wind at the fire last night. As I reported yesterday it was calm here, and we had no wind last night that I know of at our home. But one news article said they had some gusts of wind at 40 MPH last night and the fire jumped containment in one or two places as a result, though I think they caught it again quickly.
We're dealing with forces of nature, and our efforts are pretty small in comparison.
I spent Saturday morning at my local fire station in one of our regularly scheduled training sessions. This time we were doing rigging for over-the-side rescue work, specifically lowering and raising systems. That's a type of call I haven't been on yet, but we do get them. Usually it's a vehicle off the side of a road and down an embankment somewhere. We don't have many cliffs in our response area, so these are generally relatively low angle rescues, and that's what we were training for. We have some very good people who know this material well. As a result I am confident that I'll be safe when asked to participate in this kind of work.
Changing topics, I need to thank everyone for their responses and good wishes. If I don't reply directly to you, please accept my apologies. Sometimes I have a lot of time, sometimes I have none. I try to reply, though.
One reader asked who they could donate money to in order to help the victims of this fire. I have one answer but I am also looking for others. That first answer should have appeared in yesterday's email, but in my hurry to get it out I forgot to include it.
The Red Cross is always looking for donations after events like the Summit fire. I've learned from our friend Avis that the local chapters of the Red Cross (Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, and others) are coordinating their efforts in this case. Avis is a board member of the Santa Clara Red Cross Chapter, and thus a good source of information on their needs.
She tells me that the local Red Cross chapters wind up spending a lot of money doing their part to assist with overseas disasters, like the earthquake in China or the cyclone in Myanmar, but no portion of donations earmarked for those big disasters are shared with the local chapters. That means local chapters need donations to handle local issues.
I also know that the Red Cross is called out to much smaller events. I've personally heard them requested to help a single family after their home was damaged in a fire leaving them with no place to go.
Thus, the Red Cross needs money to assist the victims of local events like this one. If you are willing and able to contribute, one place to do so is:
http://www.scv-redcross.org/openrosters/ViewOrgPageLink.asp?LinkKey=20779&orgkey=1481
That's the Santa Clara Valley Chapter where Avis volunteers, but you're welcome to contribute to your local chapter as well. The Santa Cruz Chapter can be found here:
http://sccredcross.org/index.php?pr=Summit_Wildfire
Both of those links let you contribute specifically for the victims of the Summit Fire.
If you do contribute and are asked, please mention "Avis Brown" as the person who referred or encouraged you to donate as they try to track who's effectively soliciting contributions. I've done a fair bit of volunteer work, so I have a sense of what it takes. Based on that experience, my heartfelt thanks go out to Avis for her efforts on behalf of the Red Cross. And to anyone else doing similar work. Thank you!
Beyond the Red Cross, I am also looking for other ways that the victims of the Summit fire might be helped. Sometimes there are funds setup to assist people in cases like this, but so far I haven't heard about any. If you encounter anything like that, please let me know. I will share that information in future mailings.
And if you see anything else that might be of interest to those interested in this fire, please feel free to send it my way.
Finally, I've volunteered to take a 12 hour shift on our department's water tender on Sunday night. It may be interesting or boring, depending on where we're stationed and what is going on. And of course I won't know until I get there. As a result of that work, though, my next update probably won't come out until Monday afternoon. You get a day off from these missives as a result.
Once again, I thank you all for your concern and your good wishes.
Please stay safe and well!
Saturday didn't bring a lot of fire related news my way. Those locals who watch television are probably better informed than I am on things right now.
I did hear aircraft today, and I was told by a friend that aircraft were working the fire yesterday as well. That's good. As I write this update the temperature is 49 degrees outside and there is still no wind to speak of at my home. We still might get rain as well. Ideal conditions for fire fighting as far as I can tell, so long as the possible lightning doesn't materialize.
The CALFIRE incident page about this event has gotten a bit more interesting. It now has links to maps and more details about fire activity.
This fire is a big deal, and as if to prove the point, our governor paid a visit to the incident command post yesterday.
One bit of news that surprised me is that they had wind at the fire last night. As I reported yesterday it was calm here, and we had no wind last night that I know of at our home. But one news article said they had some gusts of wind at 40 MPH last night and the fire jumped containment in one or two places as a result, though I think they caught it again quickly.
We're dealing with forces of nature, and our efforts are pretty small in comparison.
I spent Saturday morning at my local fire station in one of our regularly scheduled training sessions. This time we were doing rigging for over-the-side rescue work, specifically lowering and raising systems. That's a type of call I haven't been on yet, but we do get them. Usually it's a vehicle off the side of a road and down an embankment somewhere. We don't have many cliffs in our response area, so these are generally relatively low angle rescues, and that's what we were training for. We have some very good people who know this material well. As a result I am confident that I'll be safe when asked to participate in this kind of work.
Changing topics, I need to thank everyone for their responses and good wishes. If I don't reply directly to you, please accept my apologies. Sometimes I have a lot of time, sometimes I have none. I try to reply, though.
One reader asked who they could donate money to in order to help the victims of this fire. I have one answer but I am also looking for others. That first answer should have appeared in yesterday's email, but in my hurry to get it out I forgot to include it.
The Red Cross is always looking for donations after events like the Summit fire. I've learned from our friend Avis that the local chapters of the Red Cross (Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, and others) are coordinating their efforts in this case. Avis is a board member of the Santa Clara Red Cross Chapter, and thus a good source of information on their needs.
She tells me that the local Red Cross chapters wind up spending a lot of money doing their part to assist with overseas disasters, like the earthquake in China or the cyclone in Myanmar, but no portion of donations earmarked for those big disasters are shared with the local chapters. That means local chapters need donations to handle local issues.
I also know that the Red Cross is called out to much smaller events. I've personally heard them requested to help a single family after their home was damaged in a fire leaving them with no place to go.
Thus, the Red Cross needs money to assist the victims of local events like this one. If you are willing and able to contribute, one place to do so is:
http://www.scv-redcross.org/openrosters/ViewOrgPageLink.asp?LinkKey=20779&orgkey=1481
That's the Santa Clara Valley Chapter where Avis volunteers, but you're welcome to contribute to your local chapter as well. The Santa Cruz Chapter can be found here:
http://sccredcross.org/index.php?pr=Summit_Wildfire
Both of those links let you contribute specifically for the victims of the Summit Fire.
If you do contribute and are asked, please mention "Avis Brown" as the person who referred or encouraged you to donate as they try to track who's effectively soliciting contributions. I've done a fair bit of volunteer work, so I have a sense of what it takes. Based on that experience, my heartfelt thanks go out to Avis for her efforts on behalf of the Red Cross. And to anyone else doing similar work. Thank you!
Beyond the Red Cross, I am also looking for other ways that the victims of the Summit fire might be helped. Sometimes there are funds setup to assist people in cases like this, but so far I haven't heard about any. If you encounter anything like that, please let me know. I will share that information in future mailings.
And if you see anything else that might be of interest to those interested in this fire, please feel free to send it my way.
Finally, I've volunteered to take a 12 hour shift on our department's water tender on Sunday night. It may be interesting or boring, depending on where we're stationed and what is going on. And of course I won't know until I get there. As a result of that work, though, my next update probably won't come out until Monday afternoon. You get a day off from these missives as a result.
Once again, I thank you all for your concern and your good wishes.
Please stay safe and well!
Friday, May 23, 2008
Summit Fire Update 5/23/08
The caveats below all still apply, and there's nothing new in the 5/22 section, so those of you that got this update yesterday need not read beyond today's info.
First off, today was almost totally calm on the winds here at my home. That's good news, but I also note that I never heard any air tankers or helicopters working today. That may be because they were farther away this time, or it may be that they were grounded some or all of the day thanks to the smoke. I honestly don't know. Remember that I have no visibility on the fire from my home, and today I couldn't even see the smoke plume.
And speaking of smoke, we went from not even smelling it yesterday to being in the thick of it this morning. It spread out overnight and blanketed the area, only gradually going away as the day heated up. I walked the dogs at the gym this morning instead of on our local roads just to avoid some of the thick smoke.
In any event, with the weather as cool and calm as it was today, things should have gone well for those working the front lines of the fire. I sure hope so.
Thanks to some of you I've encountered several new sources of information since I sent out the last email. They include:
The other bit of news I think is confirmed today is that the home of someone I know - and that many in the MAG know as well - was destroyed in the fire. Hugo Zazzara lost the home he built by himself from scratch. Hugo is a furniture maker who spent a few MAG shows next door to my booth, selling his custom work. I'm sure his home was quite spectacular, and I'm equally certain that he will feel the pain of it's loss for a long, long time. For those who've not already seen it, you can read his story here.
I feel for Hugo. Had this fire started just a few miles farther west I'd be in his shoes, along with quite a few others. There are a lot more houses in our immediate vicinity, and the winds were awful. We're lucky no one died. The fire isn't out yet, though, so we all need to keep alert and be prepared for any changes. And the next fire.
Thanks again to everyone who has shared information, offered help and support, or just worried about us. We're lucky to have so many good friends.
Please keep safe.
First off, today was almost totally calm on the winds here at my home. That's good news, but I also note that I never heard any air tankers or helicopters working today. That may be because they were farther away this time, or it may be that they were grounded some or all of the day thanks to the smoke. I honestly don't know. Remember that I have no visibility on the fire from my home, and today I couldn't even see the smoke plume.
And speaking of smoke, we went from not even smelling it yesterday to being in the thick of it this morning. It spread out overnight and blanketed the area, only gradually going away as the day heated up. I walked the dogs at the gym this morning instead of on our local roads just to avoid some of the thick smoke.
In any event, with the weather as cool and calm as it was today, things should have gone well for those working the front lines of the fire. I sure hope so.
Thanks to some of you I've encountered several new sources of information since I sent out the last email. They include:
- The Mountain Network News, our local news magazine. They keep a story on their main page containing a summary of the latest info.
- A navy weather satellite data site found by my wife. That picture clearly shows the smoke plume yesterday. And if you look at other pictures taken around that time you can see the smoke move a bit, but generally head due south. In fact you can see the plume go all the way down to the LA vicinity, though it's out at sea. I think they rotate this data out over time, so after a few weeks you probably won't be able to get that picture anymore.
- A reasonably good map showing the location of the fire, some of the evacuated areas, origin, etc.
- Another map containing actual CALFIRE data about actual fire size and location on Thursday night. Our home is about 6 miles or so to the west of the north west edge of the fire, which is pretty close to the point where it originated. I'd have added a marker to it if I could figure out how to do that.
The other bit of news I think is confirmed today is that the home of someone I know - and that many in the MAG know as well - was destroyed in the fire. Hugo Zazzara lost the home he built by himself from scratch. Hugo is a furniture maker who spent a few MAG shows next door to my booth, selling his custom work. I'm sure his home was quite spectacular, and I'm equally certain that he will feel the pain of it's loss for a long, long time. For those who've not already seen it, you can read his story here.
I feel for Hugo. Had this fire started just a few miles farther west I'd be in his shoes, along with quite a few others. There are a lot more houses in our immediate vicinity, and the winds were awful. We're lucky no one died. The fire isn't out yet, though, so we all need to keep alert and be prepared for any changes. And the next fire.
Thanks again to everyone who has shared information, offered help and support, or just worried about us. We're lucky to have so many good friends.
Please keep safe.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Summit Fire Info 5/22/08
An update on the Summit fire from my (personal!) perspective.
Please note that I am not allowed to speak for CALFIRE or Santa Cruz County Fire. (Those who know me well know that I am lucky to speak for myself, let alone anyone else.)
Oh, and some of this may be repetitive for some of you. I apologize, but I'm sending this info to a lot of people, and rather than write it all up several times, I figured I'd just do it once.
Anyway, here's what has happened to me so far as a result of this fire:
For those who are curious about the incident itself and the associated statistics, the official source (updated several times a day until it's all over) can be found here:
http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/incidents/incidents_details_info?incident_id=263
In addition, you can see some pictures taken by my department chief here:
http://lomaprietafire.blogspot.com/
Our home is 7 or 8 miles west of the fire, and so far the fire has been burning basically south. Thus, while I'm sure it has gotten a bit closer to our house, it's still a very long way away. If the winds stay calm now, the dozers will scrape a super highway around it all tomorrow and that will stop it's advance.
Anne and I have had offers of help from many of you, and we thank you for your thoughtfulness. Right now we have no need to evacuate, and correspondingly we have no need to stay elsewhere. Should that come to pass, rest assured we'll take someone up on their offer, and we will be most appreciative. However, for the moment, I think we're safe. And it is my suspicion that we'll be just fine tomorrow as well.
What worries more than anything else is the size and scope of this fire in May. If it as August or September I wouldn't be surprised. I've said it looks like it could be a bad fire season, and this only reinforces that thought. For those who live in our area, please be sure to get your property cleaned up as required by the 100' clearance law. If you don't know what that means let me know and I'll get you more information.
Things are heating up, and we may see more events like this. Please be careful, do what you need to prepare and stay safe!
All the best, and thanks again for your offers of help, lodging, and/or support. Anne and I are very lucky to know so many good people!
Please note that I am not allowed to speak for CALFIRE or Santa Cruz County Fire. (Those who know me well know that I am lucky to speak for myself, let alone anyone else.)
Oh, and some of this may be repetitive for some of you. I apologize, but I'm sending this info to a lot of people, and rather than write it all up several times, I figured I'd just do it once.
Anyway, here's what has happened to me so far as a result of this fire:
- 5:30am 5/22 - Pager goes off calling the local paid engine out of county to (what turns out to be) this fire.
- 5:45am 5/22 - Pager goes off requesting my department's water tender. I get up and head to the station where it is kept, but I'm not the first one there and it only seats two. Once the driver arrives, there's no room for me, so I go home. But I see the smoke and the wind is howling, so I know this isn't good.
- 9am 5/22 - Go to the LPVFR main station. I'm expecting to get sent somewhere, but we aren't. Hang out for a while, do some equipment checkout, etc. We get the word that things are easing off a bit, so we staff down and I head home at about noon. Of course, that's too good to last...
- 1:20pm - Listening to the pager for the last hour has been crazy. Various other fires are starting up in oddball places - none near us, but we could get paged out to any of them at any time because so much equipment is in use at the big fire. So in desperation I headed back to the station. At about this time one of our engines is sent to one of these smaller fires well away from us. (Yet another reason to go to the station... we need to cover it now that three more of our people have left.)
- 5pm - My only call so far. A tree limb into wires on a local road. Nothing we can do except ask for PG&E to come fix it, so we head back to the station
- 7:30pm - Winds have died down and things are clearly calmer now. A new cover crew is in place at the local paid station, so our department stands down and those of us that haven't gone to one of the incidents are released to go home.
For those who are curious about the incident itself and the associated statistics, the official source (updated several times a day until it's all over) can be found here:
http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/incidents/incidents_details_info?incident_id=263
In addition, you can see some pictures taken by my department chief here:
http://lomaprietafire.blogspot.com/
Our home is 7 or 8 miles west of the fire, and so far the fire has been burning basically south. Thus, while I'm sure it has gotten a bit closer to our house, it's still a very long way away. If the winds stay calm now, the dozers will scrape a super highway around it all tomorrow and that will stop it's advance.
Anne and I have had offers of help from many of you, and we thank you for your thoughtfulness. Right now we have no need to evacuate, and correspondingly we have no need to stay elsewhere. Should that come to pass, rest assured we'll take someone up on their offer, and we will be most appreciative. However, for the moment, I think we're safe. And it is my suspicion that we'll be just fine tomorrow as well.
What worries more than anything else is the size and scope of this fire in May. If it as August or September I wouldn't be surprised. I've said it looks like it could be a bad fire season, and this only reinforces that thought. For those who live in our area, please be sure to get your property cleaned up as required by the 100' clearance law. If you don't know what that means let me know and I'll get you more information.
Things are heating up, and we may see more events like this. Please be careful, do what you need to prepare and stay safe!
All the best, and thanks again for your offers of help, lodging, and/or support. Anne and I are very lucky to know so many good people!
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