2022 Wildfire Thread

[mapper]

Fires in the west are getting bigger every year. Last fire I was on was in the late eighties, it burned about 100,000 acres. It was considered a really large fire at the time.
Fires since then make that one look on the small side.
Even though I live in an area of the PNW that doesn't see too much in the way of big fires we still have a goodly number of small brush fires every year. We follow fire safe practices in our landscaping and are very diligent about keeping the area around our buildings clear of debris.
Everyone stay safe out there, it's cold and rainy now but that can change really fast.

 

[oosik]

We are having a fairly wet spring here. Native grasses are doing better than I've seen in many years. Cattle ranchers are overjoyed. Firefighter are becoming concerned. All the grass will die this fall and become fodder for wildfires. Never seems to be a happy medium.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

I see most of Colorado is under fire watch with 60-80 mph winds predicted this morning.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

Totally off topic, but New Mexico lead off this thread. If you know anyone who has the acting bug, pass this casting call on. This one is going to shoot in Las Cruces, NM.

https://www.backstage.com/casting/adventurers-born-pilot-1315412/

 

[MAX-24-Dean]

We are having a fairly wet spring here. Native grasses are doing better than I've seen in many years. Cattle ranchers are overjoyed. Firefighter are becoming concerned. All the grass will die this fall and become fodder for wildfires. Never seems to be a happy medium.

The April rains were consistent here. Wettest spring I have seen in southern Washington State in years. Mowed the grass on 3 acres and let it dry, then buck raked it yesterday and it is more than twice the volume of grass that I have had here in the last 14 years.
For the range land that can't be mowed is the talk of late season fires already. Just hoping no fires get started in the fall from lightning strikes or campers.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

The April rains were consistent here. Wettest spring I have seen in southern Washington State in years. Mowed the grass on 3 acres and let it dry, then buck raked it yesterday and it is more than twice the volume of grass that I have had here in the last 14 years.
For the range land that can't be mowed is the talk of late season fires already. Just hoping no fires get started in the fall from lightning strikes or campers.

Livestock grazing is the way to get grass off of rangeland.

 

[ponytug]

Grass is still mostly green, and we had our first wildfire of the year about a mile and half off yesterday. From the looks of it a smoker dropped a cigarette or it was intentional. There were a couple more small fires today a little farther away, which make me nervous that it wasn't accidental.

Either way, it is the earliest fire anyone round here can remember, but not too surprising given that we are in the third dry year in a row.

Stay tuned...

 

[Diggin It]

Seems like the Forest Service has some 'splainin' to do .....

US review traces massive New Mexico fire to planned burns​

By MORGAN LEE and CEDAR ATTANACIOtoday

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Two fires that merged to create the largest wildfire in New Mexico history have both been traced to planned burns set by U.S. forest managers as preventative measures, federal investigators announced Friday.

 

[JasperFrank]

"When the wind blows, nothing stands in front of a wildfire. All you can do is run" -LC

I was outdoors working as the Holiday Fire started in the McKenzie Valley. I'm only seven miles away but on the other side of a hill range. The wind was like nothing I had experienced before at that time of year. Must have been 50 MPH. All these dry leaves, pine cones and sticks and moss were swilling past me like titter in the wind and bunching up against the house and garage as the first of the fire alerts triggered my phone. You just knew this was a bad situation. It was terrifing knowing there was no way to protect anything if the fire got over the ridge line. Got the first "Be Prepared to Bug Out" message and it chilled me to think I could lose my house and everything in the next 12 hours. I can't even imagine what the firefighters had to deal with, given the wind. It was a fire storm along the river valley. Wife and dog were set up to bug out. I was going to stay till the last minute and until the water ran out. Hosed down everything and reparked all the equipment in a central field with a dirt perimeter. Haven't felt so much adrenaline for a long time. Its crazy what you can do under adrenaline in a few hours. All the leaves and sticks and pine cones got raked up and moved down wind. All the gutters were cleared, a line of 50 gallon water cans were set all around the house and garage, to be kicked over at the last minute, and my ammo supply was buried in a bunker under sacks of dry cement away from the house. The helicopters were filling from the Willamette and flying directly over the house. Police were checking every house to see if everyone was ready to leave. It was as close to being in a war zone as I had ever experienced.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

Seems like the Forest Service has some 'splainin' to do .....

US review traces massive New Mexico fire to planned burns​

By MORGAN LEE and CEDAR ATTANACIOtoday
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Two fires that merged to create the largest wildfire in New Mexico history have both been traced to planned burns set by U.S. forest managers as preventative measures, federal investigators announced Friday.

Yep, our governess is really po'd..... this wasn't the only fire started that way. I know of at least 3 other wildfires in past years starting as prescribed burns.

This particular fire is continuing to grow. The next 2 days there are going to be 50+ mph winds. It's going to get bad again!