SoCal Woolsey Fire

I think Australia went through something similar. The indigenous population used to let bushfires go though on a regular basis, then when the country was taken over by the British, fires were suppressed and forests got denser. Eucalyptus trees are particularly dangerous as they're loaded with oil.

I'm guessing the big difference is planning (as purrin said). My childhood house used to back onto a nature reserve but there was a fire break. We had bushfires come round every handful of years.

An entire town going up is pretty shocking.

 

Quite a few known dead or missing too.

Someone once told me that eucalyptus trees explode.

Near where I used to live, in London UK, is a big open area which is mostly just grass. In a rare good British Summer, like this one just past, it is a full-time job for the fire guys. Apparently, the fire spreads through the root system, underground, making it literally whack a mole: they beat it out in one place and it jumps up in several others. Not a threat to life, though.

 

This.

But you know, 20M+ people in the desert known as southern CA with lots of little flammables made of wood that we call homes everywhere, lack of abundant water and moisture, what could go wrong?

 

IIRC the reason a lot of the little flat-ish areas north of LA are not developed is due to sporadic radioactive contamination in many places. Otherwise I imagine many of these areas would have been developed decades ago.

Senators do nothing b/c waving their arms around + wasting tax payer dollars here will not result in more votes and re-election.

 

@purr1n

Looks like Fallout 10 when Bethesda finally got around to replacing the creation engine. All jokes aside; are the things you care about, and those around you, doing ok?

 

shit man, I know there's not much I can do or say through the innernets to help matters, but truly, honestly, those pictures are some serious heart break. truly glad you and yours are safe.

 

All of Calabasas is under evacuation now

https://mobile.twitter.com/CityofCalabasas/status/1061794018508468226

 

Glad they're showing sympathy. Hope all's well with the people and that your place isn't terribly off. Whether or not people learn not to build houses in places where fires are this much of a risk, I just hope things work in the end and that the hiking trails are beautiful again sooner rather than later.

 

I don't think where homes were built mattered. The fires could have been prevent if the brush & whatnot was properly controlled & monitored throughout.

 

Mhm, that's true, but I've been reading up a bit more on this since the thread went live and from what I've gathered it really does seem that there are areas that are simply more susceptible to wildfires, or for errant flames to go out of control. Precautions such as the above-mentioned do a lot to mitigate damage, but incidents apparently will occur regardless.

Not to say every effort to safeguard against fires shouldn't be taken.

 

Saw a report on the Paradise Fire. The head of Cal Fire said there was no way to stop it. The winds just were too strong.

It’s wiped off the map.

 

That's good to know. But so sorry for the destruction all around you, and for the people whose lives have been devastated.

The price of natural disaster, even if one's home is still standing and many of one's belongings remain unspoilt, is peace of mind. People like to say stuff like "Once in a hundred years event." I reply, "You mean first time in a hundred years. All the elements built up to enable it, and they are still there."

 

This is so true. Here in Houston we have had multiple 100, 500 year flooding events in the past 4 years. At some point, you have to acknowledge that the norms are shifting. What was once a rarity with climate change may soon become commonplace.

 

Having lived my entire life in California I can tell you it already has changed.