12;20am on 7/10/08 saw the volunteer fire department pager go off for a car fire a mile from my home. Since the page said flames were seen under the vehicle, I paused to grab my fire extinguisher on the way out the door. As it happens, that was an optimistic action on my part.
There were bystanders and a sheriff on scene when I arrived, but they were well back from the car because it was fully involved. Flames were four feet or more above the roof of the vehicle. Interestingly, there was no driver or owner present.
I put on my structure turnouts, grabbed my McCloud (a fire fighting hand tool, kind of like a metal rake on sterioids) and briefly worked around the vehicle, keeping the fire from spreading into the surrounding grass & brush, and trying to stay out of the thick smoke vehicle fires always produce. A couple of minutes later our department's water tender arrived. I pulled a hose, the chief fired up the pump, and I put out the fire. Just about the time I had it out our primary response engine arrived on scene to back us up.
This is probably one of those cases where I'll never learn what happened, but if someone deliberately set this fire they deserve more than whatever penalty the law can throw their way. If we'd had any winds at all it could have spread quickly and caused serious loss of property and injury, or even death. Again, assuming it was deliberate, I've got more than a few choice words for whoever did this.
Thankfully we got this one out quickly and kept things from getting too exciting. At some point I'll go back to sleep.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Friday, July 4, 2008
Big Sur Fire Image 2
Once again Alan Seales has sent me an image of the Big Sur fire - technically called the Basin Complex - taken from his deck. This time it was on the evening of July 2nd. Containment on this fire still seems to be a long way off given what I read in the news. Let's hope that changes.
Sudden Oak Death
We had a crew come and trim up a lot of trees around the house a couple of days ago. We'd been planning this well before the recent fires, but as you can imagine, all the tree folks are very busy up here right now given recent events.
One of the trees we had removed was sick with Sudden Oak Death. It was buried in a far corner of the lot and we didn't know it was ill, but when the tree guy spotted it, we knew it had to go. We'd never seen a tree with sudden oak death before, so we had no idea what to expect. As the photo below shows, though, one hint is if the tree appears to be bleeding.
That's thick, ugly, bright red sap that looks like blood. If you see this, the tree is probably a goner and should be removed to help reduce the spread of the disease.
We're also told that the local bay trees are a host of both sudden oak death and the blight that kills the madrone trees. If so, they're doubly nasty.
One of the trees we had removed was sick with Sudden Oak Death. It was buried in a far corner of the lot and we didn't know it was ill, but when the tree guy spotted it, we knew it had to go. We'd never seen a tree with sudden oak death before, so we had no idea what to expect. As the photo below shows, though, one hint is if the tree appears to be bleeding.
That's thick, ugly, bright red sap that looks like blood. If you see this, the tree is probably a goner and should be removed to help reduce the spread of the disease.We're also told that the local bay trees are a host of both sudden oak death and the blight that kills the madrone trees. If so, they're doubly nasty.
Friday, June 27, 2008
No lightning, we hope...
The chance of lightning tonight and this weekend seems to have gone north of us, and for the moment I am breathing a sigh of relief. Today's smoky haze was enough to drive everyone nuts, but it cleared slightly this afternoon. Not entirely, mind you, but slightly.
I'm not sure what else to write about tonight. I've been tired for several days now and can't seem to shake it off, but I have no idea why that would be. Given the comments at the gym this morning, though, it appears I am not the only one suffering. Perhaps the smoke is responsible for my lethargy.
Anyway, I hope to do some serious carving this weekend. I've got a big piece of pumice out on the driveway that needs to get finished up soon. If I get somewhere with it I'll try to get a picture put up here.
I'm not sure what else to write about tonight. I've been tired for several days now and can't seem to shake it off, but I have no idea why that would be. Given the comments at the gym this morning, though, it appears I am not the only one suffering. Perhaps the smoke is responsible for my lethargy.
Anyway, I hope to do some serious carving this weekend. I've got a big piece of pumice out on the driveway that needs to get finished up soon. If I get somewhere with it I'll try to get a picture put up here.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
ARTWORKSx6 Encore!
We're doing ARTWORKSx6 again this year. The last time we did it was 2005, so it was time. This is an art show and reception by 6 Santa Cruz Mountain artists on September 27th, 2008. You can find more information here, and there will be updates in the near term. We all look forward to seeing you there.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Maybe no lightning after all...
The NOAA weather site has dropped the chances of lightning over the weekend. We all know weather forecasts aren;t that great beyond what's happening right now or in the next hour or two, but I'll take this one. This morning we had a 20% chance of thunderstorms on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Given the vast number of fires started all over the northern half of California by lightning last weekend, I rejoice to see that vanish off my local forecast.
Art News! Sculpture Repair
So I know I started this blog to cover the local fires, but it really only makes sense in the long term if I also cover art related items in here. To that end, here's the first brief post on a related topic.
Recently I finished up a sculpture repair for someone. It was a big enough job that I took some photos, wrote it up, and added it to my website. Take a look if you're curious.
More art related news should be coming to this blog one of these days.
And remember, I'm always interested in your feedback about these posts. You can leave responses to a blog post directly, or you can email me.
Thanks!
Recently I finished up a sculpture repair for someone. It was a big enough job that I took some photos, wrote it up, and added it to my website. Take a look if you're curious.
More art related news should be coming to this blog one of these days.
And remember, I'm always interested in your feedback about these posts. You can leave responses to a blog post directly, or you can email me.
Thanks!
Highway 17 Fire Wasn't Arson Either
This link says that the fire along 17 on Monday afternoon wasn't arson either. The source isn't quite as solid (as far as I can tell) as the news on the Trabing fire, but I'll take it. We've got a nasty fire season ahead of us - with another chance at lightning this coming weekend - and don't need an arsonist running around.
Trabing Fire Cause Determined
The cause of the Trabing Fire has been determined and it wasn't arson. It was car exhaust. You can read the details in this article. I'm now on a CAL FIRE mailing list and got the news late last night but am only now getting the chance to share it with you.
This gives me the chance to reinforce some things I've said here and in person as well.
First off, I know I've commented on the potential inaccuracy of early news reports. In the case of the Trabing fire, I know I read early reports that indicated the fire was caused by someone, but they didn't necessarily indicate it was deliberate. The wording was actually rather vague. Over the next few days the news media fed on itself and the cause went from being uncertain to arson. This is a great example of the fact that early information - even a few days after an event - may be wrong.
Secondly, this reduces the likelihood that we have an arsonist running around. Sure, it's still possible, but now we know a major fire people thought might be arson caused wasn't, and that's something of a relief. I'll sleep a bit better.
And finally it's another example of how we unwittingly do things that cause risk to ourselves and others. Car maintenance is critical to avoiding fires, particularly in extremely dry conditions like we currently have.
This gives me the chance to reinforce some things I've said here and in person as well.
First off, I know I've commented on the potential inaccuracy of early news reports. In the case of the Trabing fire, I know I read early reports that indicated the fire was caused by someone, but they didn't necessarily indicate it was deliberate. The wording was actually rather vague. Over the next few days the news media fed on itself and the cause went from being uncertain to arson. This is a great example of the fact that early information - even a few days after an event - may be wrong.
Secondly, this reduces the likelihood that we have an arsonist running around. Sure, it's still possible, but now we know a major fire people thought might be arson caused wasn't, and that's something of a relief. I'll sleep a bit better.
And finally it's another example of how we unwittingly do things that cause risk to ourselves and others. Car maintenance is critical to avoiding fires, particularly in extremely dry conditions like we currently have.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Another day, another fire...
This routine is getting old. Fire after fire. Today we had another one. It was small, along the west side of highway 17, and messed up my afternoon, but fortunately it didn't spread quickly and was swamped with equipment rapidly.
The fallout from some conversations that followed, though, is more important. Some of you reading this blog may not have thought about this, so it's time I wrote it up.
The unfortunate fact is that fires happen. They happen with some frequency, year round, regardless of weather, holidays, or anything else.
Right now the entire Loma Prieta community is on edge thanks to the three big fires we've had in the area, and to the many other big fires burning in northern California. But we wouldn't be as edgy in the rainy season, for example, or even at this point in a "normal" fire season.
This is relevant because people who are worried go looking for data as quickly as they can. They hear helicopters or air tankers go overhead, or sirens going down the road, and they hit the web trying to find out where the fire is, for example. I know multiple people for whom this is true, so if you think I'm writing about you specifically, you're wrong.
In any event, the system doesn't always get news out that quickly. As I said, fires happen all the time, and not every house fire or small grass fire ever makes it to the paper or the web. Wildland fires have to get to some moderate size, use some significant resources, and/or threaten homes or businesses before they're going to appear on the CAL FIRE website with a name and maps. It simply wouldn't be practical to get that kind of data out about every fire that happens. There are simply too many of them.
Here's another example. When I was part of a crew covering Big Creek station the other day, we were told that we'd get relieved around midnight by an engine that was being made available. At 1am it hadn't arrived, but that's normal. Things always take longer than anticipated, and we were OK with that. But then we heard that several engines had been sent to a small fire up in the Santa Cruz Mountains. This was the middle of the night, and they held that fire to less than an acre if my memory for the radio traffic serves. That fire was put out so quickly that it's likely no one had a chance to get it into the news cycle, or post anything about it to the web.
And I'd like to point out that even when news does get out quickly, some early media reports can be inaccurate. Remember the Summit Fire was originally said to be at the corner of Summit and Loma Prieta? There are at least two such intersections, and they are miles apart. The TV announced road closures in the wrong place and even the wrong location for the fire for some time.
Today's fire along 17 had some chaos in it's initial dispatch. Multiple people called in fires in various locations, and that information was given to the responding engines over the radio. Anyone with a scanner could hear it. In that initial confusion, fire crews were searching for fires on 17 south of Summit, at the junction of 17 and Summit, and all along Summit back to the Summit Store - 4.5 miles down the road.
That initial confusion will happen some times. In this case there's a store on 17 - called "Casa del 17" - that commuters might think of as "the store at 17 and Summit" or "the store near Summit", and such descriptions can get muddled easily, particularly in stressful conditions, like calling 911 in a moving car to report a fire.
But it all got sorted out quickly, with multiple people and engines checking the various areas to be sure that nothing was missed. And the fire itself was out before any property was lost or injuries happened. I'm sure the drivers on southbound 17 weren't happy with the road closure, but it was kept to a minimum and people were moving again pretty quickly.
Anyway, the first thing to do when confronted with a fire - or any other event of a similar nature - is to step back and assess what is going on. Take a deep breath and think it through. What do you really need to know? What is the best way to get that information? Early on in the case of a fire, your own eyes and ears may be the best and most reliable source of data you have. Follow that with a scanner that announces your local fire dispatch frequency, and after that try the websites of your local newspapers. Live TV coverage comes after that in my experience, but your mileage may vary.
I've got a few other posts planned on related topics. Alas, with all the fires we're having and my other workload, it may be a while before I can get to them.
The fallout from some conversations that followed, though, is more important. Some of you reading this blog may not have thought about this, so it's time I wrote it up.
The unfortunate fact is that fires happen. They happen with some frequency, year round, regardless of weather, holidays, or anything else.
Right now the entire Loma Prieta community is on edge thanks to the three big fires we've had in the area, and to the many other big fires burning in northern California. But we wouldn't be as edgy in the rainy season, for example, or even at this point in a "normal" fire season.
This is relevant because people who are worried go looking for data as quickly as they can. They hear helicopters or air tankers go overhead, or sirens going down the road, and they hit the web trying to find out where the fire is, for example. I know multiple people for whom this is true, so if you think I'm writing about you specifically, you're wrong.
In any event, the system doesn't always get news out that quickly. As I said, fires happen all the time, and not every house fire or small grass fire ever makes it to the paper or the web. Wildland fires have to get to some moderate size, use some significant resources, and/or threaten homes or businesses before they're going to appear on the CAL FIRE website with a name and maps. It simply wouldn't be practical to get that kind of data out about every fire that happens. There are simply too many of them.
Here's another example. When I was part of a crew covering Big Creek station the other day, we were told that we'd get relieved around midnight by an engine that was being made available. At 1am it hadn't arrived, but that's normal. Things always take longer than anticipated, and we were OK with that. But then we heard that several engines had been sent to a small fire up in the Santa Cruz Mountains. This was the middle of the night, and they held that fire to less than an acre if my memory for the radio traffic serves. That fire was put out so quickly that it's likely no one had a chance to get it into the news cycle, or post anything about it to the web.
And I'd like to point out that even when news does get out quickly, some early media reports can be inaccurate. Remember the Summit Fire was originally said to be at the corner of Summit and Loma Prieta? There are at least two such intersections, and they are miles apart. The TV announced road closures in the wrong place and even the wrong location for the fire for some time.
Today's fire along 17 had some chaos in it's initial dispatch. Multiple people called in fires in various locations, and that information was given to the responding engines over the radio. Anyone with a scanner could hear it. In that initial confusion, fire crews were searching for fires on 17 south of Summit, at the junction of 17 and Summit, and all along Summit back to the Summit Store - 4.5 miles down the road.
That initial confusion will happen some times. In this case there's a store on 17 - called "Casa del 17" - that commuters might think of as "the store at 17 and Summit" or "the store near Summit", and such descriptions can get muddled easily, particularly in stressful conditions, like calling 911 in a moving car to report a fire.
But it all got sorted out quickly, with multiple people and engines checking the various areas to be sure that nothing was missed. And the fire itself was out before any property was lost or injuries happened. I'm sure the drivers on southbound 17 weren't happy with the road closure, but it was kept to a minimum and people were moving again pretty quickly.
Anyway, the first thing to do when confronted with a fire - or any other event of a similar nature - is to step back and assess what is going on. Take a deep breath and think it through. What do you really need to know? What is the best way to get that information? Early on in the case of a fire, your own eyes and ears may be the best and most reliable source of data you have. Follow that with a scanner that announces your local fire dispatch frequency, and after that try the websites of your local newspapers. Live TV coverage comes after that in my experience, but your mileage may vary.
I've got a few other posts planned on related topics. Alas, with all the fires we're having and my other workload, it may be a while before I can get to them.
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