jt512
Illuminator
- Joined
- Sep 24, 2011
- Messages
- 4,229
Thanks. The Eaton fire has moved further to the northeast from us and the evacuation warning for our neighborhood has been lifted.Best of luck, hope everything is okay.
Thanks. The Eaton fire has moved further to the northeast from us and the evacuation warning for our neighborhood has been lifted.Best of luck, hope everything is okay.
Three fires miles away from each other starting at "about the same time" argues against arson, not for it. How does it happen? Extreme fire weather throughout the area. We had winds gusting to 100 mph and 10% humidity following an extremely dry season.Dont' they all ? How do 3 fires miles away from each other start almost at the same time ?
Thanks. We're out of danger now. The evacuation alert has been lifted for our area.Scary! Sympathy.
Having had to pack up our things on the day of the Ash Wednesday bushfires, I know what that's like. Back in those days, we just had the radio, and hadn't heard exactly how far away the fire was.
At least these days you have alerts and online mapping. Stay informed!
No way. Turnout was 57% of eligible voters for L.A. County was 60% for the State of California according to the Secretary of State's office.I will point out that LA County had a voter turnout of 25%, and the entire state of California had a voter turnout of 28.98% in 2024. I voted. You get the government you vote for. Or don't vote for.
On the other had, it warms my heart to see a conservative take issue with the potential harm that can be caused by budget cuts to essential services. Not that I believe it's remotely sincere or will ever be applied to Republican budget cuts, but hey, you take your wins where you can.
Thanks. We're out of danger now. The evacuation alert has been lifted for our area.
As wildfires continue to rage in Los Angeles County, Seattle Humane is opening its doors to dozens of Los Angeles-area shelter pets in response.
The shelter announced Thursday that they will be accepting 60 pets from LA shelters. LA shelters are looking to make room for displaced pets so they can ideally be reunited with their families after the wildfires have calmed down.
That explains the spread. Not the start. Do fires usually start every time wind blows ? 3 in one day ?Three fires miles away from each other starting at "about the same time" argues against arson, not for it. How does it happen? Extreme fire weather throughout the area. We had winds gusting to 100 mph and 10% humidity following an extremely dry season.
Do arsonists usually set three fires in one day?That explains the spread. Not the start. Do fires usually start every time wind blows ? 3 in one day ?
The Eaton fire was apparently started by a downed power line (during intense winds).That explains the spread. Not the start. Do fires usually start every time wind blows ? 3 in one day ?
That might be an issue, but still, 3 per day ? It seems it would be happening all the time. The winds were high, but not unprecedented, AFAIK.The Eaton fire was apparently started by a downed power line (during intense winds).
While I imagine there have been 100 mph Santa Ana winds at some point in the past, it's a freak occurence. Combine that with the super dry conditions that already existed.That might be an issue, but still, 3 per day ? It seems it would be happening all the time. The winds were high, but not unprecedented, AFAIK.
It's would be well known major risk, it would get fixed decades ago. Dry or not, you can't have lines arcing in high wind, that would always been considered major hazard.
In 2008, three major fires started within a 48 hr period. One was caused by a bonfire, one by a catalytic converter, and I don't know about the third. This happens when the Santa Ana winds are blowing.That might be an issue, but still, 3 per day ? It seems it would be happening all the time. The winds were high, but not unprecedented, AFAIK.
It would be well known major risk, it would get fixed decades ago. Dry or not, you can't have lines arcing in high wind, that would always been considered major hazard.
Priority 3: How can I weaponize this?Good to see that your president-elect is showing such empathy for his fellow citizens. No playing politics here with other people's misfortune. He is, no doubt, working so hard on an issue that he will soon inherit to find things the feds can do to help the victims and potentially alleviate similar disasters during his upcomingpresidencyreign of terror. You are so lucky to have him. (Pathetic farkin country).
In 2008, three major fires started within a 48 hr period. One was caused by a bonfire, one by a catalytic converter, and I don't know about the third. This happens when the Santa Ana winds are blowing.
Readers who are unfamiliar withsouthern CAwestern states topography need to understand that mitigating the risk is a massively formidable challenge. I avoid the word impossible but...
Conservatives are generally pretty much okay with government doing things like providing police and fire protection; those certainly seem like the kinds of essential services that local governments can best provide.
FY2018: In its first presidential budget for 2018, the Trump administration proposed funding most fire service programs at slightly below the previous White House administration’s 2017 budget
FY2019: The Trump administration’s proposed budget once again kept funding levels the same, though Congress increased budgets for AFG and SAFER grants by $6 million each and raised the U.S. Forest Service’s budget by $6 billion to combat wildfire threats.
FY2020: The Trump administration’s initial budget for fiscal year 2020 proposed a $948 million cut to the U.S. Forest Service’s budget, which included a 16% decrease in grant funding for state wildfire action plans, the Missoula Current reported. According to the IAFC, the budget proposal would have cut funding to many fire service programs
FY2021: The proposed White House budget for fiscal year 2021 again suggested cuts to many fire service programs
I have called Los Angeles home for most of my adult life. There are few cities that seem to generate as much hatred and disdain... but let me tell you, LA is a great city full of amazing people. I am heartbroken by what befell her over the last few days. But Los Angeles has fortitude in her DNA. She has beauty in her soul. I am proud to be a part of her. I am proud to be an Angeleno.
We are LA.
I would expect most people to feel similarly about their home city, adopted or otherwise. Just that most people would not take it upon themselves to write it on social media.A friend of mine, originally from New Jersey, relocated to the LA area about forty years ago. They wrote the words quoted below yesterday. They are the last person I'd expect to write something like this but bravo!!! Very good.
![]()
To add to this: Republicans will rarely support wildland fuels management that does not offset costs through sales of timber. The chaparral/cheatgrass areas around L.A. have almost no commercially valuable timber.Let’s check the record:
Looks like the record contradicts your claim.
And as far as local governments providing theses services, 57% of the forest land in California is owned and managed by the federal government (source), in particular by the agencies whose budgets the Trump administration repeatedly proposed cutting.
The belief was that urban fires no longer exist, but they’ve come back. “It’s like watching polio return,” he said. “It’s happening repeatedly.”
While the Bel-Air fire in 1961, which destroyed 484 homes, and the Mandeville Canyon fire in 1978, which destroyed 230 homes, are often cited for the scale of their destruction, the 1991 Tunnel fire in the Oakland and Berkeley Hills marked the start of the modern era of urban fires, destroying 2,843 homes.
More recently, fires devastated Gatlinburg, Tenn., in 2016, the towns of Superior and Louisville in Colorado in 2021 and Lahaina, Hawaii, two years ago.
“It’s not just a California quirk,” Pyne said. “California, I think, gets there first in exaggerated forms, but this is a national issue. And, in fact, it’s becoming an international issue.”
Should have written, are going through. From the Washington Post:People in LA -- including my friend -- just went through a very traumatic, deadly series of events.
One resident in Tarzania said that, "whenever the planes make water drops it gets better" but then it goes back to getting worse.The Palisades Fire, the largest of six active blazes in the Los Angeles region, shifted east on Friday night and triggered a new evacuation order that included much of the Brentwood neighborhood and parts of Encino. The new flare-up was a “significant development,” said L.A. County spokesman Jesus Ruiz, with the fire rapidly growing and moving in the direction of “a heavily populated area … we’re definitely concerned.” The fires have killed at least 11 people and burned more than 37,000 acres — an area bigger than San Francisco — according to Cal Fire, with flames claiming more than 12,000 structures and displacing tens of thousands. The Palisades Fire is the largest at more than 21,000 acres, while the Eaton Fire has burned more than 14,000 acres. Those blazes are 11 percent and 15 percent contained, respectively. Washington Post news link (apparently not paywalled)
Reduced the overall budget by 100 million dollars? That’s almost nothing if the firefighting part of that budget alone is 3 BILLION dollars. Scare tactics reporting at its worst.Should have written, are going through. From the Washington Post:
One resident in Tarzania said that, "whenever the planes make water drops it gets better" but then it goes back to getting worse.
View attachment 58442
Yay for small government!Meanwhile, can we just throw Jesse Watters into a pile of scorpions or something?
![]()
Fox’s Jesse Watters Calls for ‘Full Federal Takeover’ of Los Angeles, Complete With ‘Martial Law’
Los Angeles County suffered through four days of wildfires this week – a situation that was compounded by a lack of water for firefighters.www.mediaite.com
(Cue the "oh he's just nobody important from our conservative crowd")
The sad thing is making excuses about how you're prepared for life in a high fire low water region, instead of moving to a region where it's not necessary to spend billions of dollars, divert billions of tons of water, and accept billions of dollars of death and destruction on a decadal basis.Yes, houses are fuel. I have removed all vegetation around my home. This week I'm removing the wood mulch ground cover to replace with decorative gravel. It's not perfect, but it gives my house a fighting chance on a bad day.
Some trees do well in fire. Monterey Pines are thick to the south of me, and their pinecones are designed to open, and drop seeds after a fire, which suggests my part of California has a history of wildfire predating humans. Anyway, I think if you got a close look at some of those trees still standing you'll see they've been scorched pretty good. And fire is a funny thing. Actor James Woods returned to his home today thinking it has been destroyed (he filmed the flames racing up the hillside behind his place), and found his place was untouched aside from smoke damage. He's been filming and posting to Twitter, and it's typical: one side of the street is an apocalypse, and the other is fine.
The sad thing is I'm now so used to wildfires that I know all the explanations for the things people think are weird.
You're right, I blew it. I trusted Google.No way. Turnout was 57% of eligible voters for L.A. County was 60% for the State of California according to the Secretary of State's office.
Here's the thing, Hotrod, I don't live in Southern California. I live in a mobile home in Central California. 450 miles to the north. Drought is the default mode for California, when the Spanish arrived they endured 10 years of drought by shipping water north from Mexico. We have an entire aquafer we're not allowed to touch thanks to the federal government.The sad thing is making excuses about how you're prepared for life in a high fire low water region, instead of moving to a region where it's not necessary to spend billions of dollars, divert billions of tons of water, and accept billions of dollars of death and destruction on a decadal basis.
I'm literally in favor of commie blocks, over whatever southern California desert-turned-waterpark lifestyle you're defending here.
Yes, you guys have had zero rain this season. Up here we've have two atmospheric rivers blow through with our 40mph winds. If SoCal had its normal rainfall from November though now there might not be a fire. Certainly not what we've got now. Literally luck of the draw.Three fires miles away from each other starting at "about the same time" argues against arson, not for it. How does it happen? Extreme fire weather throughout the area. We had winds gusting to 100 mph and 10% humidity following an extremely dry season.
Right now, much of the East Coast is experiencing drought. Some areas it is severe. South Jersey, for example. Other areas such as Eastern PA and DelMarVa are pretty close to severe as well.And where should I move to? Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Colorado all endure droughts, and wildfires. How does moving more people into those places make anything better? Western Canada, Greece, Australia, and Siberia have been having the same fire issues we've been having. And most all of our wildfires have been started by people, not dry-lightning. The homes that survive all have had landscape abatement practices in line with the state's suggested clearance for trees and brush around.
As wildfires ravage Southern California, many evacuees have been separated from their pets while fleeing impacted areas.
Samantha Rose Baldwin, an actress who appeared in the Gossip Girl reboot, detailed the “terrifying” experience of running through the Palisades Fire to save her 10-year old tortoiseshell cat Kitty.
California wildfires are anything but a natural disaster.
It's hard to imagine a more thoroughly managed wilderness than the California back country. It's also hard to imagine a more thoroughly mismanaged wilderness than the California back country.
But answer there came none.What specifically should CA be doing / not doing?
The sad thing is making excuses about how you're prepared for life in a high fire low water region, instead of moving to a region where it's not necessary to spend billions of dollars, divert billions of tons of water, and accept billions of dollars of death and destruction on a decadal basis.
I'm literally in favor of commie blocks, over whatever southern California desert-turned-waterpark lifestyle you're defending here.