More new fires in California. . .

[Colliemom]

Anne, thank you for doing all of this work that you are doing to keep us informed on the situation out there. Your writing talents are very evident in that you keep the suspense moving as you describe the various events. Like a book that is hard to put down .

As you mentioned, the news doesn’t say a whole lot although CBS Evening News does mention it. There are so many fires, storms etc. around the country, that it’s hard to keep up with everything. And some people say there is no climate change. There is definite climate change. Sure, there are cycles, but long term, you can see a pattern. I’ve seen it here in Michigan too.

I fear that CA is in for big changes now and for the foreseeable future. More and bigger fires, lack of water causing severe shortages, damage to infrastructure, homes, power grids etc. that will take a lot of time and resources to rebuild, if ever. And then there’s the health issues from ash and smoke, both to humans and animals. . Being outdoors isn’t healthy, but neither is being forced to staying indoors. We’ve all seen the effects of the during pandemic lockdowns. Smoke and ash can infiltrate into homes and buildings even with filtering g systems and if the power goes, all bets are off there.

So keep up the great work and stay safe. You know you have a trailer and your van and it’s an out, if the situation gets too bad where you are. You may be protected from fire itself, but not from smoke and ash. Stay safe girl.

[Cudedog]

_____

PART 1 - UPDATE 8/21/21, Saturday
_____

Anne, thank you for doing all of this work that you are doing to keep us informed on the situation out there. Your writing talents are very evident in that you keep the suspense moving as you describe the various events. Like a book that is hard to put down .

Sue, thank you so very much for your kind words. They are very much appreciated.

As you mentioned, the news doesn’t say a whole lot although CBS Evening News does mention it. There are so many fires, storms etc. around the country, that it’s hard to keep up with everything. And some people say there is no climate change. There is definite climate change. Sure, there are cycles, but long term, you can see a pattern. I’ve seen it here in Michigan too.

I fear that CA is in for big changes now and for the foreseeable future. More and bigger fires, lack of water causing severe shortages, damage to infrastructure, homes, power grids etc. that will take a lot of time and resources to rebuild, if ever. And then there’s the health issues from ash and smoke, both to humans and animals. . Being outdoors isn’t healthy, but neither is being forced to staying indoors. We’ve all seen the effects of the during pandemic lockdowns. Smoke and ash can infiltrate into homes and buildings even with filtering g systems and if the power goes, all bets are off there.

Sue, I agree with all that you say here. 100%. Particularly the "all bets are off" part.

Another issue regarding these fires - that I am not reading anywhere at the moment - is the impact wildfire over the last couple of years (not to mention the wildfire that is going on right at this moment, even as we type) will be the loss in ability of people who live in "fire prone areas" (for want of a better term) to retain the fire insurance they already have - or acquire new fire insurance. This will severely impact potential buyers ability to purchase a home (all mortgage lenders that I have ever heard of require fire insurance before they will make a real estate loan), and thus sellers to even be able to sell their home).

In many areas here in California already (probably other states as well) it is becoming more and more difficult to acquire fire insurance - if not impossible.

Those that have already acquired homes in these areas are having their fire policies cancelled, with few options available to acquire new fire policies. Those that do are finding policies at almost insurmountable cost, that few can afford. Think a monthly fire insurance premium near - or equal - to one's monthly mortgage payment.

Without fire insurance, this might put these people in mortgage default - again, because fire insurance is a requirement.

We are probably talking about tens of thousands of homes here.

This insurance issue is not much being discussed in the current spate of fire disasters that are happening all over the west.

But you can be sure it will be. Soon.

So keep up the great work and stay safe. You know you have a trailer and your van and it’s an out, if the situation gets too bad where you are. You may be protected from fire itself, but not from smoke and ash. Stay safe girl.

Thanks, Sue. If you look out your front window and happen to see a white cargo van, towing a little Jayco, winding up your driveway, don't be too surprised!!

___________________________

A Brief update this morning.

Nine National Forests in northern California are being closed due to extreme fire danger. This is just about all of the national forests located in northern California:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd945702.pdf

Lassen Volcanic National Park (also listed on the above link) has already been closed for about two weeks, due to the Dixie Fire burning within the park. Lassen remains closed at this time.

No rain in the forecast (which is usual and normal for this time of year), temps have moderated a bit – due to be “only” in the mid-90’s today, instead of 100 – 112 (as it has been for nearly all of June, July and August).

I am reading that the availability of fire fighters and fire fighting equipment is becoming very problematical; personnel and equipment have been removed from the Dixie Fire to be re-assigned to other, new and more pressing, fire needs in other locations around the state.

The National Guard has arrived to assist in the Dixie firefight:

https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2741170/cal-guard-actively-fights-states-wildfires/

The quality of light here at my house is a bit clearer this morning – still a heavy smoke overcast, with a slight smoke smell in the air (I have my HEPA filter running. Light ashfall began Thursday afternoon, and is continuing.

The town of Taylorsville (Dixie Fire) was put on mandatory evacuation yesterday afternoon.

All major fires noted in previous posts continue to burn.

Again, I am reading online that 9 National Forests in northern California are being closed due to severe fire danger.

https://www.kcra.com/article/9-national-forests-northern-california-close-extreme-fire-conditions/37353947

Referencing a previous discussion on WomenRV, I did find this link on the Forest Service website about a pending pay increase for fire fighters:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/news/releases/secretaries-haaland-and-vilsack-announce-implementation-new-pay-initiatives-wildland

Most of the following fire information below was obtained from CalFire:

https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/

and/or from CalFire's subsidiary links to InciWeb:

https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/

Information not being directly quoted from CalFire and/or InciWeb is my own input/opinion, which I am closing in brackets.

My last update on this thread was 8/19/21, so where the increase in acreage is stated below, this would be from August 19 to this morning, August 21.

PLEASE NOTE: There are a great many new wildfires igniting in northern California on a daily basis.

Sometimes as many as 80 new fires every day. Most of these are extinguished before they can grow into monsters, other fires burn just long enough to cause major damage, although they might remain relatively small in “acres burned” (so are not generally included in my updates).

An example of this is the Cache Fire in Clearlake, Ca., burning August 19. This fire burned only about 100 acres, unfortunately, in the process, it burned through a mobile home park, burning 56 homes and 81 outbuildings to the ground.

The Cache Fire has been alleged to have been caused by arson (one wonders how many other California fires are starting this way):

https://www.lakeconews.com/news/69822-cal-fire-arrests-clearlake-man-for-setting-wildland-fire

FIRE UPDATES

The Dixie Fire

[Looking at this morning’s fire maps, it appears that the Dixie has now burned a little more than 50% of the entirety of Lassen Volcanic National Park. The fire is now exiting the part in the north-east corner of the park, with the fire still actively burning within park boundaries. The bulk of the fire still burning within the park appears to be moving in a north-west direction.

https://caltopo.com/map.html#ll=40.50753,-121.34914&z=11&b=mbt&a=modis_mp

The link above is to a live map of the Lassen Park area of the Dixie Fire; the dark lines in the center of the map indicate park boundaries. Please note: since this is a live map, should you look at it later today, tomorrow or next week it will have changed, so likely will no longer show what I am mentioning in this post.]

[The information below on the Dixie Fire has been obtained directly from CalFire and InciWeb]

Acres: 714,219 [up from 678,369, an increase of 35.850 acres]
Contained: 35%
Active: Active for 38 days
Structures damaged: 90
Structures destroyed: 1,230
Helicopters: 19
Fire engines: 463
Dozers: 206
Water tenders: 176
Personnel: 5,060

"Current Situation:

Dixie Fire West Zone:

Slightly higher humidity overnight limited the fire activity somewhat. Active burning was still observed, but did not challenge control lines as much as during daytime hours. Mop-up continued along certain areas of the fire to mitigate any potential threat from weather. Management teams continue to work together to share resources as needed when priority fire suppression is needed. Southwest winds will continue on Saturday, as another dry cold front moves across the region. Wind gusts are likely, along with enhanced fire weather concerns. Damage assessment is ongoing, and the number of damaged and destroyed structures may change as teams are able to access the fire area safely

Northern California has experienced large fire activity and will likely experience an extended fire season. Fires burning in northern California are exhibiting extreme fire growth based on critical fuel conditions. The prioritization of resources is always based on life, property, and natural resources. Under these drought conditions, wildfires are burning rapidly with extreme severity and have traveled up to 8 miles in a single day. Fire spread is fuel driven and does not depend on wind speed, as we have seen in previous years. Firefighters are experiencing conditions never seen before, such as increased spread rates, spotting and active nighttime burning. We coordinate very closely with the US Forest Service and CalOES for our local and out of state partners, to ensure resource availability.

__________________________

See Part 2 of this post, below.

[Cudedog]

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PART 2, 8/21/21, Saturday

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Dixie Fire East Zone:

Due to the wind switch yesterday, portions of the fire that were wind sheltered the previous two days became active and threatened control lines. The fire has moved
downhill and spotted in multiple locateions across Genesee Valley Road. All available resources are continuing point protection and aggressively defending lines previously created around homes. The spot fire in the Devil's Punchbowl was driven by intense winds and grew despite repeated retardant drops while conditions allowed for flights.

The spot fire is inaccessible for firefighters to construct direct line. Dozers, feller bunchers, and masticators are working to construct and reinforce indirect lines on Grizzly Ridge. Fixed and rotor wing aircraft supported crews on the eastern edge of the Janesville area and the fire line west of Milford is currently holding. On the northwest side, hand line and hoses are in place down the escarpment and direct dozer line is being constructed to connect with Boulder Road.

Caldor Fire

[“According to the California Office of Emergency Services, more than 23,000 people are evacuated in El Dorado County. Fire officials said Wednesday evening the fire is still extremely active, and there is no estimate on when people can return to their homes.”]

https://www.capradio.org/articles/2021/08/21/caldor-fire-expands-forces-evacuations-near-pollock-pines-in-el-dorado-county/

82,444 acres [up from 65,474, an increase of 16,970 acres]
13 structures damaged
245 structures destroyed
Helicopters: 20
Fire Engines: 142
Dozers: 22
Water Tenders: 14
Personnel: 1558

[The Caldor Fire appears to be burning in the direction of Lake Tahoe, an area of many ski resorts and multi-million dollar homes. According to the fire map, the Caldor remains about 16 miles distant from Lake Tahoe as of this writing]

Current Situation:

"The fire remained active in all areas overnight with short-range spotting and rollout continuing to increase the fire perimeter. Winds decreased during the evening hours and returned to a Southerly flow allowing for continued growth in the Northeastern areas of the fire. Due to very dry receptive fuel beds, the vegetation is igniting easily throughout the fire area. The increase of relative humidity allowed for firing operations to help strengthen control and containment lines.
With historic drought conditions there is heavy dead and down fuels throughout the fire area. Northern California remains under Fuels and Fire Behavior Advisory. Due to ongoing damage assessment of the area the numbers of destroyed and damaged structures are subject to change.

To better provide public and firefighter safety due to extreme fire conditions throughout Northern California, and strained firefighter resources throughout the Country, the USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region is announcing a temporary closure of nine National Forests. This closure will be effective on August 22, 2021, at 11:59 p.m. through September 6, 2021, at 11:59 p.m. The closure order can be found at

https://go.usa.gov/xF7EM "

Other major fires currently burning in northern California:

Monument Fire 145,357 acres [up from 135,714, an increase of 9,614 acres - still threatening the town of Hayfork]
Antelope Fire – 64,950 acres [up from 59,127, an increase of 5,823 acres]
River Complex Fire – 80,400 acres [up from 53,009, an increase of 27,391 acres]
McCash Fire – 13,708 acres [up from 3,253, an increase of 10,455 acres]
McFarland Fire – 116,423 acres [up from 110,132, an increase of 6,291 acres]

________________

Thanks for reading, everyone.

If you have questions about the western fires, I am happy to try to find answers for you. Please ask.

Anne

[Cudedog]

____________

Update Monday, August 23

____________

All of the major northern California fires continue to burn. They are not burning so ferociously at the moment, (with the possible exception of the Caldor Fire) due to moderating winds. Winds, blowing through critically dry fuels, are the main driver of wildfire here.

There have been no further major fires igniting in the area over the last day or so, as of 8/23 @ 11:52 a.m

Winds are predicted to remain relatively calm over the next several days, which should enable firefighters to make more progress on containment.

Total acres burned on all fires listed below have increased since my last update.

Dixie Fire - up to 725,000 acres, 40% contained
https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2021/7/14/dixie-fire/

Caldor Fire - 106,562 acres, 5% contained (still burning towards Lake Tahoe)
https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2021/8/14/caldor-fire/

Monument Fire 150,011 acres, 20% contained [still threatening the town of Hayfork]
https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2021/7/30/monument-fire/

Antelope Fire – 68,528 acres
https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2021/8/1/antelope-fire/

River Complex Fire – 86,492 acres
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7760/

McCash Fire – 18,143 acres
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7757/

McFarland Fire – 118,090 acres
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7746/

Anne

[Cudedog]

____________

Update Wednesday, August 25

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Here are a couple of interesting photos of the McFarland fire posted by inciweb.

My update will resume BELOW these two photos.

McFarland fire. Photos from inciweb. Looking at this photo, I would estimate that the front of this moving section of fire to be at least 5 miles wide, possibly more.


McFarland fire (photo a bit further below, following an explanation). Looking closely at the foreground of this next photo (below), it appears to me that what is seen to be burning on the ground in the foreground might be logging slash (logging slash is what is left over when trees are cut for timber: cull trees, tops of cut trees, shattered tress that came apart in the felling process, cut-off tree stumps. Also all tree branches, stips of bark maybe tens of feet in length, needles, - this material can amount of literally tons of slash per individual felled tree.)

Logging slash is generally piled up and left behind in the forests, as there is no monetary value for the logging companies in removing logging slash. Also few requirements that the slash be removed. In any case, were it removed, there is no place to put it - the vast amounts of it cannot easily (or economically) be burned or buried once it might be hauled out of the forest. This is one reason why it mostly isn't hauled away.

So it is, generally, piled up and left to dry out in the forest, in the blazing California sun - making it bone-dry, thus more flammable and easier to ignite, than the surrounding brush and trees. Due to the lack of rain here, it does not readily decompose, so these dried-out piles of slash hidden in thousands of acres of forest, can remain fire-receptive for years.

Logging companies hired to "clean the forests" or to "manage the forests" are responsible for creating logging slash. Such statements as "Cleaning the forests" or "Managing the forests" are generally euphemisms for "cutting live trees for profit"; i.e. creating lumber to sell.

I am pretty apolitical on this issue - I do understand the need for lumber - but the slash that logging leaves behind is a problem that is not being adequately addressed.

I shall say no more on this, at the moment. Logging slash is not such a problem in more temperate areas - areas receiving regular rainfall. As noted many times here, California generally receives no rainfall at all from mid-April until the end of October, and our summers here are HOT.

Logging slash is generally left a ways back from a road, so that it cannot be seen by passing motorists. Having lived in the Sierra foothills for nearly thirty years, I have often (always?) seen logging slash scattered through the forests, below the trees, often blocking trails, as I went out walking.

As I am sure you can image, logging slash is a hot-button political issue here.

Again, burning in the foreground of this photo is what it appears to me might be dried-out logging slash littering the ground, and burning. LOL - actual fire update finally begins after this photo.


Onward to today's update:

All of the major northern California fires, noted in my previous post, continue to burn. There have been no new major fires igniting in California since Monday's update.

The winds over the fires have moderated quite a bit, giving firefighters the ability to work the fires, put out constantly-emerging spot fires, and to extend and maintain fire lines. It is to be hoped that great progress can be made while the winds are calm(er); likely sooner than later the winds will return again to these fire areas.

As noted above, winds blowing through critically dry fuels, are the main driver of wildfire here.

Again, there have been no further major fires igniting in the area over the last day or so, as of 8/25 @ 10:13 a.m

Winds are predicted to remain relatively calm in the various fire areas over the next several days, with periods of extremely heavy smoke, putting many of these mountain communities into the "Hazardous" range for air quality.

Unfortunately, prevailing winds are generally from the west to the east, so likely those of you to the east of California (and Oregon, and Washington - where extremely large fires are burning also) will continue to have periods of western states wildfire smoke.

There is, of course - as is usual and normal for this time of year - no rain in the forecast.

Total acres burned on all fires listed below have increased since my last update. Fire stats on these fires have been updated from my previous post on Monday.

For more specific updates on these fires, please click on the links below the photos.

Thank you.

Dixie Fire - now at 735,064 acres (up from 725,000 acres), 45% contained. Estimate of full containment has been slipped (as I anticipated) from August 30 to September 30.
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7690/

Caldor Fire - now at 126,182 acres (up from 106,562 acres) 11% contained (still burning towards the ski and resort area of Lake Tahoe)
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7801/

Monument Fire 152,125 acres (up from 150,011 acres) still only at 20% contained [still threatening the town of Hayfork]
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7750/

Antelope Fire – 69,700 acres (up from 68,528 acres, 40% contained
https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2021/8/1/antelope-fire/

River Complex Fire – 88,721 acres (up from 86,492 acres) 19% contained
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7760/

McCash Fire – 23,360 acres (up from 18,143 acres) containment number not listed
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7757/

McFarland Fire – 119,560 acres (up from 118,090 acres) 73% contained
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7746/

Anne

[Cudedog]

____________

Update Friday, August 27 @ 7:43 a.m.

____________

As is usual and normal for this time of year in Northern California - there is no rain in the forecast.

Total acres burned on all fires listed below have increased since Wednesday's update. Fire stats on these fires have been updated from Wednesday's post.

Total acres burned by all fires still actively burning (this does not include any of the previous fires that have already burned in northern California, and it does not include many other, smaller, fires currently burning:

1,368,360 acres (one million, three hundred sixty thousand acres) of fires still actively burning in northern California.

Heavy smoke overcast at my house this morning, color of the sunlight a distinct yellow-orange, eyes burning a bit, smell of smoke in the air. Temperatures predicted to exceed one hundred degrees today.

"Red Flag Warning" in effect from August 27 @ 5:00 a.m. until August 28 @ 11:00 a.m.

"Gusty northerly wind develops this morning across the northern
and central Sacramento Valley and surrounding foothills. Combined
with low humidity and dry fuels, this will result in critical
fire weather conditions."
https://forecast.weather.gov/showsigwx.php?warnzone=CAZ016&warncounty=CAC101&firewxzone=CAZ216&local_place1=South%20Yuba%20City%20CA&product1=Red+Flag+Warning&lat=39.1182&lon=-121.6381#.YSkLVt9lBIA

113 new fires ignited in California yesterday, only one new major fire in northern California resulted from these ignitions, this fire being the Airola Fire of Calaveras County. Calaveras County is famous for the Mark Twain story, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog In Calaveras County".
https://en.wikipedia.orgwe/wiki/The_Celebrated_Jumping_Frog_of_Calaveras_County

As of last evening (August 26) I am reading that the Caldor Fire, "knocking on the door" of the Lake Tahoe basin (location of hundreds, if not thousands, of multi-million dollar homes and multiple ski resorts), has been designated as the #1 priority for fire fighting efforts in the United States.

Ah, yes, Tahoe as #1 priority. Of course.

The irreplaceable and pristine wilderness that is (or perhaps now only was. . .) Lassen Volcanic National Park, I guess, not so much.

As of this morning, it appears that the park is upwards of 75% burned over by the Dixie Fire (see below for Dixie stats). The Dixie Fire is still burning within the boundaries of the park, and has now burned north-west out of the park and is threatening the mountain town of Old Station, which is under mandatory evacuation with the fire only about 4 miles distant.

Although the Dixie continues to actively burn within the boundaries of Lassen, personnel and equipment are being pulled off the Dixie fire to send this personnel and equipment to the Caldor fire at Lake Tahoe.

For more specific updates on individual fires, please click on the links below.

If anyone has any questions, please ask here or PM me, and I will try to find an answer for you.

Thanks to all for reading this thread.

Anne

Dixie Fire - now at 750,672 acres (up from 735,064 acres), 45% contained. Estimate of full containment September 30.
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7690/

Caldor Fire - now at 143,941 acres (up from 126,182 acres) 12% contained. Full containment predicted for September 8. With the fire still growing and spreading, I do not think September 8 is a realistic expectation. This morning the Caldor Fire is coming very near to the Lake Tahoe basin. Mandatory evacuations declared for outlying areas of the basin, including the towns of Strawberry, Twin Bridges, Myers and the Sierra at Tahoe ski resort.
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7801/

Monument Fire 160,148 acres (up from 150,011152,125 acres) still only at 20% contained [still threatening the town of Hayfork]. Estimate of full containment November 1.
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7750/

Antelope Fire – 71,251 acres (up from 69,700 acres, 42% contained
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7764/

River Complex Fire – 93,247 acres (up from 88,721 acres) 19% contained
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7760/

McCash Fire – 25,748 acres (up from 23,360 acres) containment number not listed
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7757/

McFarland Fire – 122,653 acres (up from 119,560 acres) 73% contained
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7746/

Airola Fire (New Fire) - 700 acres, near the town of Sonora. Percent contained, 35%. Estimate of containment, September 2.
https://yubanet.com/california-fires/airola/

[Cudedog]

____________

UPDATE 8/29/21 - Sunday 11:39 a.m.

____________

A very brief update this morning, as I have family visiting (yes, we will all be doing masks although all of us are completely vaccinated), and Martha is very much in my thoughts.

Suffice to say that all major fires here in northern California are still burning, the Caldor Fire moves ever nearer to city of South Lake Tahoe, and the West arm of the Dixie Fire continues to burn it's way across Lassen Volcanic National Park. The East arm of Dixie has burned back on itself, turning in an area where fuels are still abundant, and appears to again be offering serious threat to the city of Quincy, county seat of Plumas County (Quincy is also the base of fire fighting operations on the Dixie Fire).

Over tomorrow (Monday) on into Tuesday (and possibly Wednesday) there is now a "Red Flag Warning" over much of the state, especially of concern is the Lake Tahoe area (including the area of the Caldor Fire) with winds predicted there to be 15 - 25 mph. . . with gusts up to 50 (yes, that's fifty) mph.

There are other fires burning in northern California not mentioned here; possibly - and unfortunately - new fires will ignite during this Red Flag Warning event.

The above links on my post previous to this one should still be valid for each of the fires in question (the information below the links is updated daily), should anyone be interested.

Thanks to all for reading this thread.

Stay tuned. . .

Anne

[Cudedog]

Another quick update. South Lake Tahoe city - resorts, hotels, ski lifts, million-dollar homes - is now under serious threat from the Caldor Fire, which has burned many miles closer to the city in only the last few hours - and there have been no major winds today.

Most communities around the south part of the lake are now under either evacuation warning, or mandatory evacuation orders.

Monday - Tuesday is predicted to have 50 mph winds over this entire area.

Anne

[MandysMom]

Sunday evening the historic Camp Sacramento, where generations of families spent a week as campers each summer, was over run by the fire. Also fire reached the ski resort which overlooks Tahoe. I listen to live chats by the PHD in meteorology who works for KRCA, our NBC affiliate. He usually has these private chats ( only if you have followed his page can you get on), on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. He goes into detail, says Hi to each of us by name as we sign on, and answers questions. Tonight, since he was on duty, he held a special fire coverage chat. He showed us the live camera as fire came into the ski resort and as it approached the main communications hub up at top of a mountain. It will survive because it has a wide cleared area around it, the ski resort had its snow making machines going to mist its buildings and infrastructure. Of course it's to warm to freeze to make snow, but they hope they saved some buildings with the water spraying. Later this evening I read the 60 bed Barton Memorial hospital was evacuated as a pre caution before any notice of warning to get ready. Much easier to get ambulances in to move the 30 nursing home patients and the other 30 regular patients without having to buck heavy evacuation traffic. Luckily none of the usual summer 100,000 tourists were there, because getting over 30,000 out the narrow mountain roads will be difficult enough. Finan, tne weather guy said, he hates to spread doom and gloom, but if winds go to steady 25-30 mph with gusts much higher, over next 2 days (as predicted by national models),he has no clue how they will keep fire out of Tahoe south basin and Christmas valley, just 2 miles ahead of the fire. Christmas neighborhoods were evacuated over past day and half. He also said Hwy 50, the main route from Sacramento to Nevada on the south end of Tahoe, which has been closed over a week, may be closed through the end of September due to the damage done already by tne fire (think burned trees that need to be cut so they don't fall on people, unstable soil where vegetation burned, now releasing big boulders down onto road, and damage to road itself.)
Yep its a scary mess.
Velda

[Cudedog]

OMG, Velda!

Thank you for your TOTALLY AWESOME fire update. With your contacts, and insight, you have a truly unique perspective as to what is going on up there in the Tahoe area. . . and none of "what is going on", at the moment, is looking at all good.

I'm going to do some digging, and see what else I can find out. I understood from some things I read yesterday that the punishing winds were due to begin about 11:00 a.m. this morning. . .

I'll bet those fire planes have been flying over your house almost non-stop during the last several days.

Again, thank you.

Anne

[MandysMom]

Actually No the fire planes have not been able to go as much due to smoke preventing their being able to see where to put retardant and winds causing issues. Some flights yesterday but not as many as they hoped. The big fire bombers, which have tanks in excess of 10,000 gallons, are escorted in by small prop planes which mark via gps exactly where ground crews and special mapping planes tell them is the best place for each load, which may be spread along a half mile or more path. Most people can't picture what it's like for a huge DC-10 jet to fly at 200 feet ( yes two hundred feet) off the ground between mountains, to drop on specific targets. It's pretty amazing feat of flying! I hope they get some photos of the Canadian scooping planes which I have seen photos of parked at ready. going to be a potentially bad next few days and weeks, and then there is the long recovery. And, in case you didn't think about it, we are in a drought and each plane takes from 2000 to over 10,000 gallons from our water supply to mix with retardant then gets dumped over fire lines. No, not on fire itself, but on lines where fire fighting leadership have so to speak, drawn a line in the sand where they hope to provide enough non burn able buffer between bull dozing and hand cut lines and retardant, to stop the fires forward progression. Then helicopters help with water drops to help put down spot fires and hot spots, coordinating it all to try to contain the fire. But containment is not fire out as there are unburied fuels within lines and smoldering trees and debris which with wind could flare back up and send embers beyond lines. Just the process of making an area and it's roads safe for people to return, is a long and daunting task still ahead of us.
Velda

[Colliemom]

So, It is now September 5 and where is the author of this continuing saga?. I guess all the news of Idaho must be overshadowing the fires or else things are getting to be too much same old and maybe beginning to get a little control perhaps? Just wondering what the latest is paid

[Cudedog]

So, It is now September 5 and where is the author of this continuing saga?. I guess all the news of Idaho must be overshadowing the fires or else things are getting to be too much same old and maybe beginning to get a little control perhaps? Just wondering what the latest is paid

LOL. I'm still here! I just grew a bit weary of all of the constant bad news about all of these fires, and had to take a bit of a break.

All of the fires in the "continuing saga" (I like your term - thanks!) are still actively burning, although over the last several days the winds have moderated quite a bit, so the current fires are not as active as they were. The combination of wind, historically dry brush due to summer heat and ongoing drought, has been the driving force behind all of these fires. Wind most especially. Fires can't - and generally don't - move far without wind.

With wind, and the combination of factors listed above, a bad fire can burn 20 (yes, twenty) miles in a single day.

My primary, and personal, focus on this current group of fires has been the Dixie Fire, which ignited near the location of the Camp Fire start - the Camp Fire is the fire that burned the town of Paradise to the ground here in 2018. I live about 45 miles (as the crow flies) from where the Dixie first ignited, and I know the area fairly well. The Feather River Canyon has always been one of my favorite places to "go for a drive".

Currently, the Dixie Fire has burned over much of Lassen Volcanic National Park. The only reason the entire park has not (yet) been burned over by the Dixie is because of "fire scars" from previous burns of a few years back has limited the available fuels for the Dixie within the park.

Dixie has been edging up on the town of Portola (population 2,000 - east arm of Dixie) for the last week or so, but fire fighters have been working hard at creating fire lines and using other techniques to try to keep Dixie out of Portola. So far, Portola seems to be remaining safe. There are other, smaller communities, that may not be.

From the northwest arm of the Dixie (still actively burning) to the southeast arm (also still actively burning) is an astonishing 70 (yes, seventy!) miles.

One of the problems being encountered is that there are so many fires burning here is that there is a definite shortage of fire fighters and equipment. For example, personnel and equipment were pulled off Dixie to be sent to the Caldor Fire (Lake Tahoe). Interestingly, the east arm of the Dixie is due north of the Caldor, and only about 75 miles separates the two fires - almost the same distance that separates the two arms of the Dixie!

And here we are in September.

Sometime between now and the next few weeks our annual autumn winds will again begin to blow (in northern California they are called "Diablo" winds, in southern California they are called "Santa Ana" winds).

If any - or all - of the current fires here are still burning when these winds again begin to blow (it is not at all unusual for these winds to reach a velocity of sixty to eighty mph) all bets will be off. Additionally, as has happened in previous years, there will likely be new fire starts when these winds arrive.

Thanks for your inquiry, Sue, very much appreciated.

I will now go look around at the various fire websites that I visit, and post updated stats on each of the major fires. Although, (as mentioned) the fires have reduced their ferocity for the moment, they are still burning. As long as a fire remains burning, it remains a risk.

I read last night that Dixie is expecting a "wind event" sometime today (a wind event is never good news when talking about a fire). I'll try to find out more about that and post it as well.

LOL. Sue, I was going to ask you a question with this post, but have now forgotten what it was. Will try to include my question with my next "update" post here on this thread, which should be up in a little while.

Thanks again, Sue. I sincerely appreciate your questions.

Anne

[Cudedog]

____________

FIRE UPDATE 9/5/21 8:21 a.m., Sunday

____________

In addition to the fires listed below, there are multiple additional fires actively burning in Northern California.

The Dixie Fire, currently at 893,852 acres, is rapidly approaching the record for all-time largest fire ever to burn in modern times in the state of California. Currently, the all-time record holder is the August Complex Fire, which burned 1,032,648 acres, igniting in August 17 & 18 of 2020.

It is perhaps important to note that the August Complex was a "complex" of fires - which means that there were many fires near to one another that were categorized into a fire "complex".

The Dixie Fire is not a complex fire, but is rather a single fire that ignited in the western Sierra Nevada foothills, burned over the crest of the Sierra, and is now burning to the east of the Sierra crest and on into the desert of the Great Basin.

Astonishingly, the distance from the west arm of Dixie, to the east arm, is a distance of 70 (seventy!) miles, as the crow flies.

This is the first time in recorded history that a fire has burned all the way across the Sierra - from one side of the Sierra to the other (from west to east):

https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/568541-wildfire-burns-across-sierra-nevada-for-first-time-in-recorded

As of this writing, we are approaching mid-September, and the Dixie still burns. . .

As mentioned in my previous post on this thread, our annual autumn winds (60 - 80 mph) will be blowing over all of the fires listed below within a few weeks.

And California is not yet safe from new fires. The Camp Fire, which burned the town of Paradise to the ground, ignited during a "wind event" on November 8, 2018. The annual rains that year had not yet arrived.

We are all praying for rain. None of these fires will be fully extinguished, and the definite possibility of new fires igniting will not be over, until our annual rains arrive, usually by late October. In 2018, year of the Camp Fire, the rains did not come until mid-November, which was one reason the Camp fire was so very deadly.

FIRE UPDATES ARE BELOW THE PHOTO

Dixie - courtesy InciWeb



Dixie Fire - now at 893,852 acres (an increase of 143,180 acres over my previous update), 56% contained. Estimate of full containment October 30 (extended from September 30 on last update).

There is an unverified report that at least one of the teams fighting the Dixie has been put into quarantine due to Covid 19.

There is a verified report (InciWeb) that a fire fighter assigned to the Dixie passed away September 2, "due to an illness". No further details have been made available.

For further information on the Dixie:
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7690/

Caldor Fire - now at 215,400 acres (an increase of 71,459 acres over my last update) 43% contained. Full containment predicted for September 27 (extended from September 7 on my previous update).

For further information on the Caldor Fire:
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7801/

Monument Fire 160,148 acres (an increase of 19,128 acres over my last update) still only at 35% contained. Estimate of full containment is still November 1.

For further information on the Monument Fire:
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7750/

Antelope Fire – 71,505 acres, 42% contained. Estimate of full containment September 30.

For more information on the Antelope Fire:
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7764/

River Complex Fire – 121,273 acres (an increase of 28,026 acres over previous update) 21% contained. Estimate of full containment: October 1.

For further information on the River Complex Fire:
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7760/

McCash Fire – 54,385 acres (an increase of 28,637 acres since my last update). Only 7% contained. Estimate of full containment October 31.

For further information on the McCash Fire:
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7757/

McFarland Fire – 122,653 acres (fire size remains unchanged - acreage has not been updated since September 2) 98% contained. Estimate of full containment September 9.

For further information on the McFarland Fire:
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7746/

Airola Fire (New Fire) - 700 acres, near the town of Sonora. No updates on this fire have been posted since September 2. If there are no new updates, this fire will be removed from this list.

For information about the Airold Fire:
https://yubanet.com/california-fires/airola/

I guess all the news of Idaho must be overshadowing the fires

Oh dear, Sue! I guess I am out of the loop. What is going on in Idaho? Just checked my news feed, didn't see anything that stood out.

Please post your Idaho news.

Thank you, Sue. And thanks to all for reading this thread.

Anne

[Colliemom]

Sorry Anne, that was supposed to have read “Ida” and not “Idaho”. Dar spell correct changed my word and I didn’t catch it! I’m sure you have heard all about that storm and the mess it left behind.