A lot of people like to build homes in forested, hilly, rural areas with dry summers. And few of them build fire-resistant houses. Never could understand that. I remember a photo of a ritzy neighborhood (near Santa Barbara I think) quite some time ago, after a fire came through. Most of the houses were reduced to ashes, but here and there were ones that were untouched. The untouched ones all had tile roofs, stucco walls with protected or absent eaves, and lacked flammable outside decks. Also no trees or shrubbery right up against the houses.
The local high temperature record is 115F, back in 1905. Sleeping porches (on the north side of the house) were common then, for those who could afford them. No need for sun porches around here!
The very large, roiling column of smoke (like a rising thunderhead) from the River fire has disappeared. From our house this morning we can only see a low-lying layer of smoke in the distance that obscures the mountains, with clouds above. There is no smell of smoke here. They say the fire has spread to four thousand acres.
Our predicted high temperature today is "only" 108F; it will be a couple degrees "cooler" tomorrow, and beginning Wednesday we will be back to average July temperatures (around 100F). No power failures, no request from the power company for unusual power sparing.
The River Fire, which grew to 4,000 acres within a matter of hours after it was discovered Sunday afternoon in the foothills of Mariposa and Madera counties, is reminding some longtime residents of another fire that ravaged the area 60 years ago – almost to the day. “This fire is running in the footprint of the Harlow Fire,” Jaime Williams, a public information officer with Cal Fire, told The Bee on Monday. That fire started on July 10, 1961, and eventually burned more than 43,000 acres, destroyed more than 90 homes and killed two people, according to historical accounts. The Fresno Bee reported at the time that the Harlow Fire was “one of the worst in foothill history” to date, while the Oakhurst-based Sierra Star recounted in 2008 that it was “the fastest-burning fire in California history,” burning at a pace up to 175 acres per minute at its peak. Earl M. Kidder wrote in The Bee that the Harlow Fire began as “a wisp” in an area known as Usona, and burned more than 18,000 acres in a two-hour span on July 11, enveloping the towns of Nipinnawasee and Ahwahnee. “It sent flaming fingers dangerously close to the towns of Coarsegold and Oakhurst before it roared on northeast toward the Yosemite Forks on Highway 41.” The Madera Tribune reported two weeks after the fire started that authorities arrested “a teenage Mariposa mountain boy” for starting the fire and planned to charge the 18-year-old with arson, as well as two counts of murder for the deaths of an Ahwahnee couple who died when their car stalled amid the flames on a back road. The newspaper’s account indicates that after failing a polygraph test, the young man confessed to starting the fire on his 18th birthday at the Harlow Ranch with a packet of matches. His idea was to burn off underbrush to make it easier to round up wild horses on the ranch.
We have three motion-activated Rainbird sprinklers intended to frighten away critters (in our case ground squirrels that think our fruit trees are their buffet). They are not easy to get properly adjusted, but I am making progress. I joke about them being "squirrel showers," but I have yet to see the squirrels purposely setting them off and frolicking in the cool and gentle spray of water. I await that as an inevitable eventuality.
The 3 Simple Rules That Underscore the Danger of Delta [Click] 1. The vaccines are still beating the variants. 2. The variants are pummeling unvaccinated people. 3. The longer Principle No. 2 continues, the less likely No. 1 will hold.
Fascinating...especially as Wil and I are 3-4% Neanderthal and a couple of our kids are more like 5%, especially Youngest. Interesting that the two ten pounders (at birth) show the most traits. Big shoulders and one even got his first tooth at 3 months...!
We bottled some two-year-old plum wine today, and I tossed the leftover plums underneath one of the peach trees the ground squirrels have been patronizing. Walking out, I kept thinking of a big bunch of squirrels having a drunken revel there tonight, and wondering what kind of raucous music they might be playing. . .
It really is amazing how much we continue to learn about them; they seem more and more like us all the time. The skeletal differences are quite interesting; different shoulders (arguably better than ours), straight spines and fixed ribs, for instance. Why they died out remains the puzzler.
US heatwave: Wildfires rage in western states as temperatures soar
ReplyDeletehttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-57794263
The article mentions California and evacuations.
A lot of people like to build homes in forested, hilly, rural areas with dry summers. And few of them build fire-resistant houses. Never could understand that. I remember a photo of a ritzy neighborhood (near Santa Barbara I think) quite some time ago, after a fire came through. Most of the houses were reduced to ashes, but here and there were ones that were untouched. The untouched ones all had tile roofs, stucco walls with protected or absent eaves, and lacked flammable outside decks. Also no trees or shrubbery right up against the houses.
DeleteThe local high temperature record is 115F, back in 1905. Sleeping porches (on the north side of the house) were common then, for those who could afford them. No need for sun porches around here!
DeleteA lot of people build in Southern California's chapparal(sp?). Chapparal is a fire-maintained ecosystem.
DeleteYes. Definitely more dangerous on average than building smack on top of an active earthquake fault.
DeleteThe very large, roiling column of smoke (like a rising thunderhead) from the River fire has disappeared. From our house this morning we can only see a low-lying layer of smoke in the distance that obscures the mountains, with clouds above. There is no smell of smoke here. They say the fire has spread to four thousand acres.
ReplyDeleteOur predicted high temperature today is "only" 108F; it will be a couple degrees "cooler" tomorrow, and beginning Wednesday we will be back to average July temperatures (around 100F). No power failures, no request from the power company for unusual power sparing.
DeleteThe River Fire, which grew to 4,000 acres within a matter of hours after it was discovered Sunday afternoon in the foothills of Mariposa and Madera counties, is reminding some longtime residents of another fire that ravaged the area 60 years ago – almost to the day.
Delete“This fire is running in the footprint of the Harlow Fire,” Jaime Williams, a public information officer with Cal Fire, told The Bee on Monday. That fire started on July 10, 1961, and eventually burned more than 43,000 acres, destroyed more than 90 homes and killed two people, according to historical accounts.
The Fresno Bee reported at the time that the Harlow Fire was “one of the worst in foothill history” to date, while the Oakhurst-based Sierra Star recounted in 2008 that it was “the fastest-burning fire in California history,” burning at a pace up to 175 acres per minute at its peak.
Earl M. Kidder wrote in The Bee that the Harlow Fire began as “a wisp” in an area known as Usona, and burned more than 18,000 acres in a two-hour span on July 11, enveloping the towns of Nipinnawasee and Ahwahnee. “It sent flaming fingers dangerously close to the towns of Coarsegold and Oakhurst before it roared on northeast toward the Yosemite Forks on Highway 41.”
The Madera Tribune reported two weeks after the fire started that authorities arrested “a teenage Mariposa mountain boy” for starting the fire and planned to charge the 18-year-old with arson, as well as two counts of murder for the deaths of an Ahwahnee couple who died when their car stalled amid the flames on a back road.
The newspaper’s account indicates that after failing a polygraph test, the young man confessed to starting the fire on his 18th birthday at the Harlow Ranch with a packet of matches. His idea was to burn off underbrush to make it easier to round up wild horses on the ranch.
At least it wasn't arson motivated?
DeleteBut, yeah, stupidity kills.
I wouldn't be surprised if the fire started when an automobile catalytic converter set some roadside grass afire.
DeleteWe have three motion-activated Rainbird sprinklers intended to frighten away critters (in our case ground squirrels that think our fruit trees are their buffet). They are not easy to get properly adjusted, but I am making progress. I joke about them being "squirrel showers," but I have yet to see the squirrels purposely setting them off and frolicking in the cool and gentle spray of water. I await that as an inevitable eventuality.
ReplyDeleteThings that wake you from sleep: https://nj1015.com/small-but-possible-risk-of-rare-disorder-from-johnson-johnson-vaccine/
ReplyDeleteWatchdog: Two Trump EPA appointees defrauded agency [Click]
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ReplyDeleteTake This Job And Shove It, I Ain’t Workin’ Here No More [Click] Johnny Paycheck
Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg removed as officer of subsidiaries after criminal charges, report says [Click]
ReplyDeleteDon't you worry none, Mr. Weisselberg; Donald will take REAL GOOD care of you. You know he will.
DeleteTexas Democrats leave state in bid to block Republican-backed election bills [Click]
ReplyDeleteBernie in Trumpworld: “It’s absolutely imperative if democracy is to survive that we do everything that we can to say, ‘Yes, we hear your pain and we are going to respond to your needs.’” [Click]
ReplyDeleteThe 3 Simple Rules That Underscore the Danger of Delta [Click]
ReplyDelete1. The vaccines are still beating the variants.
2. The variants are pummeling unvaccinated people.
3. The longer Principle No. 2 continues, the less likely No. 1 will hold.
Survival of the Fittest only goes so far.
DeleteI am reminded of Napoleon's statement that he would rather have a lucky general than a good one.
DeleteThe lives of Neanderthal children [Click]
ReplyDeleteFascinating...especially as Wil and I are 3-4% Neanderthal and a couple of our kids are more like 5%, especially Youngest. Interesting that the two ten pounders (at birth) show the most traits. Big shoulders and one even got his first tooth at 3 months...!
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ReplyDeleteThis from the bottom of one of your links from yesterday. Heartbreaking, it is. . . .
ReplyDeletehttps://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/jul/14/genie-feral-child-los-angeles-researchers
I noticed the lede and thought it was probably something I didn't want to delve into. Having read it, I know I was right.
DeleteThird try is the charm, I think:
ReplyDeleteTrump’s Social Security Chief is Fired; He Doesn’t Like It. [Click] A veritable herd of gnus today. . .
We bottled some two-year-old plum wine today, and I tossed the leftover plums underneath one of the peach trees the ground squirrels have been patronizing. Walking out, I kept thinking of a big bunch of squirrels having a drunken revel there tonight, and wondering what kind of raucous music they might be playing. . .
ReplyDeleteRiver Fire doubles in size to 8,000 acres today. [Click] You wouldn’t know it from down here.
ReplyDeleteThe Neanderthal story was wonderful, Alan, thanks.
ReplyDeleteIt really is amazing how much we continue to learn about them; they seem more and more like us all the time. The skeletal differences are quite interesting; different shoulders (arguably better than ours), straight spines and fixed ribs, for instance. Why they died out remains the puzzler.
Delete