OT - Yet Another Forest Fire near me

So there is another fire near me(about 30 miles from me). Its real smoky outside and I saw a tanker airplane go overhead so I looked it up online. It started a few hours ago and is a few hundred acres now. Ill take a photo of the smoke when I go put the chickens in.

I dont know if you all heard we had a tanker plane crash yesterday in Yosemitte and the pilot died.

http://www.kcra.com/news/local-news...eastbound-interstate-80-at-applegate/29017858

 

People are saying that it was started by some kids that were setting pieces of paper on fire and tossing them out their car window. They started more than one fire apparently. I guess they have already been arrested. The Governor signed an extension a few weeks ago to a law that gives you 10 years to life for starting an aggravated forest fire (a forest fire in which someone is hurt, almost inevitable since firefighters always get hurt). Great way to ruin your life quickly.

My pics wont turn out as it just looks like brown clouds. My neighbor took this photo and it show up better.

View attachment 33854

 

Thirty miles doesn't seem far... Take care and be safe.

 

I guess you can see from the picture how dry the ground it, must be like a tinder box, take care Ellewood.

 

I heard that Northern California has now had two years of 'failed' rains. Something to do with a High Pressure area sitting over the Pacific - down to climate change?

 

California has been plagued by fires at this time of the year and drought throughout history. The first year I lived there in the early 70s we had a huge fire come within 50 yards of our house before it was knocked down and the house saved thanks to neighbours on our roof hosing it down before the fire trucks arrived. Just part of life in the "Golden State". Nothing to do with climate change. In SoCal it has more to do with those Santa Ana winds that sweep in from the desert and fan the flames into huge conflagrations...like the Malibu Fire that burnt all the way through the canyons to the ocean and nearly destroyed my house.

Hope you're ok Kellen. Those kids should go to jail for a long time.

 

Its hard to blame any one event one climate change even though this is the worst drought in California history. These events are far more likely for California as time goes on according to all the climate models. California is supposed to turn into a far drier climate much more like Arizona or New Mexico. Washington and Oregon are supposed to turn into California's traditional climate.

 

Good luck to you and your's Sir.

Hope who started it get what they deserve.

 

A house has burned down so it will be 10 years to life in prison for all of them.

 

Not good.