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Today was comparatively cool, which was a very welcome change. I didn't get out to look at the thermometer, so don't know what the high actually was, but it felt like 99 or 100. Better than 107 or 108, for sure.

There have been a lot of lightning strikes over the last several days, I see that at least five new fires have started in the coastal mountains above Eureka, Ca., (which is north-west of me) as well as many other lightning "starts" all up and down the state.

It remains to be seen how many of these get serious, but it looks like the McCash Fire (currently 500 acres); the Monument Fire (currently 4,800 acres); and the McFarland Fire (15,565 acres) are off to a good, make that a bad, start (these are the main fires currently burning in the the Eureka area - there are also many other smaller fires in the same area, according to the map).

Add these three to the Dixie Fire (249,635 acres), the Beckwourth Complex (105,670 acres), the Tamarack Fire (68,696 acres) and the Lava Fire (26,365 acres) all in California, and the Bootleg Fire (413,545 acres) north-east of Klamath Falls.

I am itching to go for a ride, but many of the roads into my favorite areas in the Sierra and southern Cascades are closed due to one fire or another. In any case, there is so much smoke in these areas I wouldn't be able to see anything anyway, even if I were able to go.

I have had only brief whiffs of smoke now and again so far this summer, for the most part the fires have been north-east of me. But with dots on the map indicating possible new fires in the coastal mountain range west of me, this may change.

https://maps.nwcg.gov/sa/#/%3F/%3F/40.6427/-121.6761/7

I have a good air purifier, and bought replacement filters for it last year, so I am good to go in that department, should the smoke start up again.

"More wildfires possible in the West as fire conditions worsen. Nearly three dozen fires sparked as a result of dry lightning over the weekend."
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wildfires-west-fire-conditions-worsen/story?id=79217857



Welcome to summer in the western United States.

Anne

Anne, I think you should continue looking for a new area to live. I realize lately it seems everywhere is bad, but your area seems exceptionally bad with fire danger.

So far no fires around Mammoth. I hate to give in to my bad lungs, but this is probably my last trip up here. I am OK if I just sit and don’t do any walking. When I walk even a short distance I can barely get any breath.
I enjoy watching the greats around camp. The one year twins got into the dogs water bowl yesterday. It was very entertaining
Lyn

Lyn , so glad you got to go this one last time. Enjoy your day. Fun to watch little ones play.
Velda

I envy you being at Mammoth Lyn. I fondly remember joining you and your family there at Rock Creek in 2018. What a great trip! So happy you’re getting to enjoy your family there again. I just wore my Convict Lake T-shirt yesterday and it brought back great memories.
Sandi

Anne, I think Beth is right. If the fires keep coming every summer, you are putting your health at risk staying in that area. Smoke in the summer seems to be a norm here for the past couple summers, but it comes and goes depending on the winds. And if Canada has fires to my NW. otherwise it’s non existent. Right now we are in a NW flow.

Lyn, glad to hear you are enjoying Mammoth. You just keep chugging as long as you can.

You know, it matters not where you live. There are things to consider in each state. From volcanos and tropical storms in Hawaii to snow, ice, cold, summer fires, earthquakes in Alaska, earthquakes in many states across the US ( not just west coast), forest fires, smoke (it moves on wind currents), hot summer, extreme cold in winter, snow, ice, too mch rain, flooding, crime in cities. Just so much to consider. Here in CA we get occasional smoke from fires. That's not a reason to move. (ive heard several here complain of too much rain this year). As has been said, smoke from CA fires has been noticed and caused issues as far as the east coast, and even Europe! So unless you move to outer space, and there the whole issue of no atmosphere (oxygen) becomes a problem, you cant just move to solve the problem. So, I won't move to try to escape one detriment, only to face 3 more. I have yet to find a perfect location that avoids all the issues I named! I thInk one really has to decide which is the least risk over the course of a year, and hope after you spend the money and time moving, that something unexpected doesn't make you regret the move. Last summer we had a couple weeks of smoke, this year a day or two here and there, but that contrasts with over 36 years, during which we have had a few days to a week of a little smoke on rare occasions, Not every year ! I would rather have chance of a few days of smoke than live with summers of 90° with 80% humidity day after day then ice and cold all winter. It's all a matter of what do you want to live with? just my perspective, having lived since birth (with a few years exception) in CA.
Velda

After my fire I considered moving to the coast. Now I am not a coast person per se. I dont like to walk on the beach but I love to look at it. I found a few homes there that would have worked for me. The weather is cool, fires might be in the hills but not down at the beach area. BUT huge negative for me was the healthcare. There just isnt any. I know at my Rheumatologists office they come over from the coast to be treated. Also come for any infusions or chemotherapy. They have some Family practice but not sure how good they are either. So, I quickly negated the coast. There isn't much in Roseburg either but they do have a respectable hospital but specialists are few and far between, at least the ones I need. Many people here drive up to Eugene for care, 1 hour away. I choose to drive 1 1/2hrs away to the docs I know are good and reputable. Other than that there was nowhere else I wanted to move to. I could have gone anywhere but I settled in Roseburg and I am embracing it a bit more each day.

snowball wrote:

. . . there is an old saying bloom where you are planted ... meaning enjoy your surroundings and make the best out of what you have or where your at.... no place is the best but do the best you can with what you have....
you all have a great day enjoy all that you do
sheila

Thanks. I like that Sheila. I also like this one (which I am always trying to internalize): "It is better to want what you have, than to have what you want."

There are so many new fires exploding here in Northern California, it is difficult to keep up with them. I am lucky in where I live, as I am safe in a small agricultural Central Valley town, after living in the Sierra foothills for nearly 30 years. I have not had any smoke to speak of here thus far, the weather report states that my area may get smoke over the next several days.

About 3/4 or so of northern California is mountainous and forested with very heavy brush below and mixed in with the trees in most places. Everything bone-dry after months of mostly no rain, and weeks of 100 degree temps. It is in these forested and fire-prone areas that the fires are burning.

I am seeing video on YouTube that states that the small town of Greenville, Ca. (near Lake Almanor), has now burned to the ground (Dixie Fire). Watching the video reminds me very much of the video that came out of Paradise when that town burned in 2018:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIlJBNQScbM&t=8s

Looking at the map, it appears that the Dixie Fire is entering, or has entered, the town of Chester (on the shores of Lake Almanor - Chester has been evacuated). Unless the winds change, or a miracle happens, it is possible that the town of Chester will burn tonight.

https://maps.nwcg.gov/sa/#/%3F/%3F/40.3065/-121.1291/11

If embers from the fire burning at Chester jump the water to the peninsula, the residential area on the peninsula will be at risk, although it has already been evacuated.

About 1/3 of the entirety of Plumas County is either under mandatory evacuation (red) or evacuation warning (yellow).

https://buttecountygis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=9c92e0a2d2e0415fa5248d70cd644a82

The "footprint" of the Dixie Fire, as it is currently burning, is about 31 miles north to south, and about 36 miles east to west.

The western section of the Dixie fire is currently burning towards Lassen Volcanic National Park, to my mind one of the scenic wonders of the world. I have visited Lassen many times.

https://www.nps.gov/lavo/index.htm

The most northerly arm of the Dixie Fire is burning only about 6 1/2 miles south of the park border, and winds are pushing the fire northwards towards the park.

Anne

Speaking of fires! Today a new fire, the River Fire, started about 30 miles north East up the hill from me. Was 1400 acres last I heard. Friend north of the fire evacuated around 6 pm. I had been in shower, this afternoon, after workout, and heard the distinctive sound of fire planes go over heading towards the foothills. When you have lived 12 miles from a TAC fire plane base for nearly 30 years, you come to automatically know that sound and if paying attention, know the general direction they are headed. Few days ago, Monday I think, I was standing out talking to Sean and discussing deck when all of a sudden one of the big jet fire planes roared quite low over us, followed by another just north. I started checking for new starts, didn't see any on maps plus didn't hear planes again. I'm guessing they were returning to base from Tamarack fire. So this afternoon when I heard them head uphill, I knew it was likely new fire, and it was. Moving north, so away from us and only rarely are there down slope winds towards us, but if they don't stop it, it's headed towards the edge of the Dixie fire, where, today tne small town of Greenville was over run by flames (had been evacuated).
No smoke as of now.
Velda

This all just breaks my heart! The loss of the towns, homes, forests, wildlife, etc. Just devastating!!

Hopefully, everyone is on high alert and getting evacuated from those towns in time. The devastating thing with the Paradise fire was the huge loss of life due to not being able to evacuate in time.

Velda, you are so right. No matter where you go, there are natural disasters to deal with. You just have to decide what kind you are willing to deal with. Look at Sarah, our former member, who lives in Alabama. She endures tornadoes and flooding on a regular basis. Violent storms move thru her area all the time. Our Florida friends have the hurricanes and flooding to deal with (not to mention snakes, alligators and high humidity ). For me, I couldn't deal with the bitter winters in Minnesota any more. Here, I am at risk of a major earthquake and deal with excessive heat.

So we all choose the threats we are willing to live with, in order to enjoy the positive things we love in our area. There is no true "paradise".

BarbaraRose wrote:This all just breaks my heart! The loss of the towns, homes, forests, wildlife, etc. Just devastating!!

Hopefully, everyone is on high alert and getting evacuated from those towns in time. The devastating thing with the Paradise fire was the huge loss of life due to not being able to evacuate in time.

Thanks for the post, Barbie.

There have been a few injuries due to the Dixie Fire, but I have not heard of any fatalities, for which I am thankful.

I have run across many photos and videos of small animals and deer darting down the center of a roadway, with fire burning on either side of said roadway. I have not posted links to these because I, like you, find them to be just too heartbreaking.

BarbaraRose wrote: So we all choose the threats we are willing to live with, in order to enjoy the positive things we love in our area. There is no true "paradise".

Well. . . (a bit of gallows humor here) there was a "Paradise". But it burned in 2018. . .

MandysMom wrote:Speaking of fires! Today a new fire, the River Fire, started about 30 miles north East up the hill from me. Was 1400 acres last I heard. Friend north of the fire evacuated around 6 pm. I had been in shower, this afternoon, after workout, and heard the distinctive sound of fire planes go over heading towards the foothills. When you have lived 12 miles from a TAC fire plane base for nearly 30 years, you come to automatically know that sound and if paying attention, know the general direction they are headed.
Velda

Good morning, Velda and everyone. Velda, thank you for your post.

Velda, I pray that your friend and her home are both safe. For me, there are few things more terrifying than wildfire.

Although I didn't live anywhere near a fire plane base during my 30 years of living in the foothills, like you, I know only too well the distinctive sound of fire planes: first would come the higher-pitched engine sound of a "spotter" plane. If it was accompanied by, or rapidly followed by, the bone-deep rumble of one of the big jets carrying retardant, it was time to get outside and look for smoke. If one then saw that there were fire helicopters also coming in, it was probably time to get in the car.

Brief update:

At least for the time being, it appears that most of the town of Chester has been spared, although according to the map (please note - these maps are not static, but are interactive - they can change by the hour):

https://maps.nwcg.gov/sa/#/%3F/%3F/40.274/-121.1418/12

Chester appears to still remain threatened.

Greenville has been burned, as noted in an above post, with Crescent Mills again being threatened.

Here is video from this morning of the fight for Chester (most of the fire videos I am posting are from an organization - LSM, Live Storms Media - that records video for resale. I find these LSM videos interesting, and often see snippets of them posted on various news outlets - this particular video is particularly jaw-dropping):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-8ph1s_pHE

As of this morning, the Dixie Fire, in a matter of just a few hours overnight, appears to have increased in size by about 25%. As of this morning, it now ranks as the 6th largest fire to ever burn in modern California. It is still actively burning - and growing.

Overnight, the north-west arm of the Dixie fire appears to have crossed the southern boundary of Lassen Volcanic National Park and has now entered the park - burning over six miles (from the Chester area to the park boundary) in just a few hours, an incredible rate of spread.

The River Fire, as Velda noted (thanks for the updates from your perspective, Velda) continues to burn. Here is a link to updating information on the River Fire near Velda and Colfax (it looks like there is more than one "River" fire currently burning in California):

https://yubanet.com/regional-fires/rivercolfax/

The River Fire is looking particularly bad, inasmuch as it is not burning in a relatively remote area (as is the Dixie Fire) but is burning in a well-populated (although still a bit rural) area that can almost be considered as a distant suburb of Sacramento - California's state capitol.

More on the Dixie Fire (there are MANY other large fires currently burning in northern California - I am concentrating on the Dixie Fire because it is the one nearest to me, and I know the area fairly well - I have driven the roads there many times).

According to the map, here is a listing of small Gold-Rush era towns that have been burned over in the Feather River canyon by the Dixie Fire:

Rich Bar
Storrie
Rock Crest
Belden
Twain
Rodgers Flat
Virgilla
Hot Springs
Paxton
Keddie

(possibly others I might have missed - there are many Gold-Rush era towns in this area that still retain a small number of residents).

For those who might be interested, there are a series of fire "lookout" cameras located all over California that are connected to the internet (I guess these are gradually replacing the traditional "fire lookouts" that have been manned by a live person) that allows one to get a look a what various fires are doing.

There is a bit of a "learning curve" to figure out where these cams are located, what they are "looking at", and how to use them - but once one gets the hang of it, the video that can be viewed is fairly astonishing - and pretty frightening (as one is able to fully comprehend how big these fires really are, and how rapidly they are able to progress).

Here is a link to the cam site: alertwildfire.org (this is a link to the "Shasta & Modoc" section which covers the Dixie Fire - there are other sections located throughout the state):

http://www.alertwildfire.org/shastamodoc/index.html?v=fd40731

A final note: I have lived in this area of Northern California for over 40 years. Up until the last two or three years our major fires have always come near the end of the fire season, generally mid-to-late October. What would happen in the past is that a major fire would blow up, burn for a week or so, and then the winter rains would come and put it out.

This year not so much.

There are many many major fires currently burning around the state like I have never seen before - with likely more fires to come - and this is just the beginning of August. There is likely three months to go - at least - before the seasonal rains begin.

I can't see how these major fires - particularly those burning, like the Dixie Fire, in remote, difficult-to-access deep canyon and high mountain areas - can possibly be fully extinguished without a major influx of rain.

Which isn't going to come anytime soon.

More to come.

Anne

Thanks for the videos Anne. It’s astonishing the rate of speed that the fire is moving. Very scary. Huge rolls of flame are creating their own weather and they’re own fire storms. About the only thing that would probably help would be if the winds were to shift and push the fire back at itself where it doesn’t have much fuel to burn because it’s already been there. But the outer edges would have plenty of fresh fuel to takeoff with again, to so you can’t win.

Watching videos of the fire in Greenville also shows the intensity of the fire, as ut’s able to jump across blocks of streets and just take anything in it’s path.

Fire as we know has been over the earth many many times, and it’s natures way Of clearing out and rejuvenating the forests etc. But man has gotten in the way now, so we cannot let nature do her work anymore.

My initial comment to Anne was a reaction to her posts including about fires and about moving. Yes, we all have to decide what risks we're willing to live near. I spent two winters in the area Sarah lives. I grew up in the Midwest with tornados. I could deal with them there but couldn't move to the area Sarah is in. I love Arizona but will most likely not spend many monsoon seasons there, although mainly because it's not hard to get away for awhile. Like you Barbie, I don't want to live in winter anymore but I do like visiting it. Hurricanes I feel I get enough warning from. Fires have never kept me from living in California. The high cost to live there has... At least the areas I've considered. That goes back to the year I bought my first home in the suburbs of Chicago shortly after visiting a family member who had recently bought a home in the suburbs of Los Angeles. Very similar homes, 3 bedrooms each, approx same square footage. Theirs on a slab, mine with a completely finished basement. Lot size about the same, but they had a pool. I paid about a quarter the price. That made me decide to visit lol. We all have to pick what works best for us.

Another town, Canyon Dam, on the shores of Lake Almanor, was burned this afternoon by the Dixie Fire.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5a2wDx8mI0k

The only main evacuation route still open out of the Lake Almanor area, Hwy. 36 from Chester to Westwood to Susanville, may be closed by fire. Anyone remaining in the Chester/Westwood area is being encouraged to evacuate to Susanville before the road closes.

https://krcrtv.com/news/local/lassen-co ... dixie-fire

According to this map

https://maps.nwcg.gov/sa/#/%3F/%3F/40.2153/-120.9303/10

@ 11:58 p.m. August 5 (this is a "live" map and is continually updated, so the location of the fire constantly changes) the entire Lake Almanor area appears to be surrounded on three sides by fire, with the only good road out being Hwy. 36 (as mentioned above), which is two-lane (one lane in each direction).

Also looking at the above map, the western arm of the Dixie Fire appears to be turning slightly eastward, (towards Susanville), which is about 23 miles distant from the most eastern part of the arm.

The eastern arm of the fire is continuing eastward, and perhaps turning slightly north, putting it within about 13 miles of Susanville.

If the current path of both arms of the fire continue as they are moving, and current conditions persist, one or both arms may have the potential to reach Susanville, a small city in the Sierras of about 15,000 people. Evacuation centers have been set up in Susanville to service the needs of evacuees from the Lake Almanor area.

The west arm of the Dixie Fire is burning into the interior of Lassen Volcanic National Park. The entire park has been closed due to this fire.

Anne