Thread: Officials: CA could face devastating fire season

Officials: CA could face devastating fire season

By JARED GRIGSBY, The Associated Press
6:00 p.m. August 4, 2009

MARIPOSA, Calif. — Charles Lammers spends every winter clearing the dead brush around his modest, two-story house, making sure any approaching wildfire doesn't have a direct path to his door.

It's something many residents in his rural community of Midpines have taken care to do since a massive blaze a year ago charred 53 square miles and destroyed 30 homes in the area southwest of Yosemite National Park.

"I think a large group of people are aware of the fire danger, but I think there's a huge group that have no concept of how easy it is for a major, devastating fire to come through and burn your house, destroy the value of your land," Lammers said.

Federal and state fire officials are warning that a third year of drought means California could face one of its worst wildfire seasons in years. Scientists say the danger could be heightened by global warming.

Peak fire season begins July 1, but Janet Upton, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said a severe, early spring fire in Santa Barbara has fire officials concerned about the intensity of this year's wildfire season.

"Experts believe that climate change may be influencing drought and therefore wildfire occurrences, but that's an ongoing study," she said.

There already have been 2,959 wildfires this year in California, up from 2,354 a year ago at this time, Upton said.

A weekend lightning storm sparked the latest round of blazes in Northern California that briefly threatened homes in the rugged, steep terrain of Shasta and Lassen counties.

Though the state has seen more fires this year, less area has been destroyed than during the same period last year.

A total of 27.8 square miles, or 17,788 acres, have burned so far this year, compared to 530.2 square miles, or 339,325 acres, t this time last year, according to state fire officials.

Upton attributed the decrease to the fast, effective response of fire crews, even though state budget cuts have reduced the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection's coffers by $27 million this year. The amount includes funds for a proposed exclusive contract for a DC-10 airtanker

An executive order by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in May allowed fire officials to secure and deploy the resources needed to battle wildfires. The governor also has exempted fire personnel from statewide furlough programs imposed to close a gaping budget deficit.

"The number of resources on the ground are the same, with the exception of that one DC-10," state fire department director Del Walters said. If the plane is needed, it can be taken out on a pay-per-use period, he added.

On Tuesday, nearly 1,200 firefighters were at the scene of the lightning-sparked wildfires in Shasta County, where flames burned more than 11 square miles, or 7,200 acres, were about 10 percent contained.

Another 800 firefighters were in nearby Lassen National Forest battling a series of wildfires covering 4.7 square miles, or 3,000 acres. Mandatory evacuation orders involving 130 homes were lifted, but the fires – also started by the weekend lightning – were only 5 percent contained.

To the south, crews were able to fully contain a large fire in southern Monterey County, a day after it had prompted mandatory evacuations of about 200 people. Progress also was being made in Central California's Stanislaus National Forest, where a 7.8-square-mile blaze was about 45 percent contained. The causes of those fires remained under investigation.

No major damage to homes has been reported in the recent fires, a trend that fire officials hope to keep up with the help of residents like Lammers of Mariposa County.

Lammers has planned for the worst, positioning water tanks on the hill above his house and one below. Tree limbs have been lifted off the ground, and there's hardly any dead brush for at least 200 feet around the property.

Upton encouraged the preparedness but also warned homeowners to do their brush-clearing in the winter or spring.

"People use power equipment and will mow dead grass with a mower, and it's not meant to do it," she said. "You get too late in the year and you pick the wrong day, you run a risk of starting the thing you're trying to avoid."

http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/ ... dex=143878

Originally Posted by JohnDoe2

Scientists say the danger could be heightened by global warming.

"Experts believe that climate change may be influencing drought and therefore wildfire occurrences, but that's an ongoing study," she said.

Global warming isn't the problem in Cali or anywhere else. It's over building and over population. It's homeless 3rd worlders who live like campers and trash the environment with combustibles amid their campfires. It's malicious behaviour by malcontents.

It's time to close the borders and stop using "global warming" as an excuse for turning this country and it's natural resources into a cesspool.

Federal and state fire officials are warning that a third year of

drought means California could face one of its worst wildfire

seasons in years.

I don't care what officails say. I care about facts. Again, just to support my statement:

Most fires today have human causes, often accidents, but frequently arson. Human influences have changed the ecosystem, so natural patterns do not apply. Human activities affecting the environment include:

•Road building


•Current and prior logging


•Current and prior agriculture


•Fire suppression


•SettlementBrushfire hazards are continually changing due to changes in land use, growth (or consumption) of fuels and varying amounts of precipitation.

20 Largest California Wildland Fire (By Structure Destroyed)

see link for info on above




http://www.holborn.com/holborn/repor...brushfire.html

Ca. wildfires burn out of control because the weeds, brush and trees are dried out because of the three year drought and the high winds that are prevalent in some areas of California. How the small fire that started them started is a moot point.

You are preaching to the choir about the Santa Ana winds and CA wildfires. I grew up in San Diego County and spent a lot of time in Campo on a private ranch. I now live in NM and I am in a hot spot for fires here, too.

I'm not trying to diminish the fact of fires. I am trying to point out that "global warming" isn't the main cause. See my original post regarding over-population, over-building, arson, illegals and anyone else who trashes the environment.

The winds will blow and the lightening will strike but it isn't just drought! It's human interference that makes wildfires provacative. Less people, less impact!

California, and especially the south western portion is always in a state of drought! Any idiot who lives there knows that wild fires are more of a threat than earth quakes and I should know being one of those idiots.
I've also been a rural fire fighter for about twelve years and I can tell you for a fact that most fires are started by man, either accidentally or on purpose. The other major cause is lightning.
Californias eco system is designed to burn and it has nothing to do with the so called global warming bs. It's been doing this long before any scientist ever thought about global warming.
Back in the early 1900's the drought was so bad in San Diego they hired a rain maker by the name of Hatfield, he went to work up in the mountains and when nothing happened they fired him and refused to pay him, the next day it started to rain and it rained for some time causing the death of six people, they then blamed Hatfield for that.
Wildfires are simply a fact of life out here, always have been and always will be! Some of the plant life requirers the heat of a fire for it's seeds to open. This is just how nature works and for us to live safely here we need to understand it and adjust to it.

Well, the good news is that there is an alternative to hiring Mexican firefighters. Hire firefighters from Australia and New Zealand!

Originally Posted by Captainron

Well, the good news is that there is an alternative to hiring Mexican firefighters. Hire firefighters from Australia and New Zealand!

A few years back when we had some major fires the local Tecate volunteer fire dept. was allowed over to help and they did a fine job.
I'm still in contact with one of their former cheif's down there. Back in our day they used to come up and train with us.
Don't discount the people of Mexico, there's lots of good folks there who don't like all this illegal immigration anymore than we do, they just have a different reason for it.