NZFF

As I sit here, in my cosy living room, with the damp and chill of Winter approaching, my Kron4 California News pops through on my internet of the California Folks suffering in a massive Wildfire in Butte County, (Highway 70), Northern California, devouring the whole city of Paradise and the surrounding area!

https://www.kron4.com/news/california/c ... 1582369196

With our latitude, climate, and weather conditions, it is difficult to imagine such an event happening here in England!

I follow these events every year in my Flight Simulator and explore the affected areas, together with my Google Maps.

An annual disaster for all the folks who live there!

Paul.

...and further south, in Southern California, the coast, north of Los Angeles.

Malibu. The home of the rich and famous...>>>

Dramatic footage!

https://www.kron4.com/news/california/e ... 1583215511

Paul.

A fiery trip into Hell...>>>

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-46161280

Paul.

Day after day...>>>

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ca ... ns-n934436

California, etc, Wildfires will become a natural occurrence all year long, rather than just a Summertime event, due to increasing temperate and drought weather conditions

Paul.

Calling a thing like that the "Camp Fire" is maybe a sign of the overload those folks are suffering.
Even if it started at a place called Camp.
We sent some firefighters over there, wonder if they're still at it...

Recently I was discussing with some work colleagues why California doesn't have a fire bomber on immediate readiness to start dropping at the first sighting of a fire (from full time spotter aircraft) rather than let it get a hold first.
With the huge cost associated with these fires it would be worthwhile having a readied presence in the air full time especially during peak season.

Some of the reasons for the fire, and why it spreads so quickly...
...at a rate of more than a Football Field a second, or 80 size Football Fields per minute!

https://www.kron4.com/news/california/w ... 1587566317

Over many years in my Microsoft Flight Sims, and the USA News, Kron4, etc, I have noticed that Californians have a preponderance to build their houses, etc, in amongst Trees and Scrub!
They build their houses in a garden full of trees!
Townships in amongst forests of trees!
I love trees, but in a climate liable for Wildfires it would seem to be a very daft thing to do!

I am following this Wildfire news every day on Kron4, and it is terrifying!

The Firefighters are fighting a losing battle against Nature.....as one would expect!

Paul.

cowpatz wrote:Recently I was discussing with some work colleagues why California doesn't have a fire bomber on immediate readiness to start dropping at the first sighting of a fire (from full time spotter aircraft) rather than let it get a hold first.
With the huge cost associated with these fires it would be worthwhile having a readied presence in the air full time especially during peak season.

CP - at this time of year, a lot of their water bombers are here in Oz, to help in our fire season. California is a big state, so they would need more than one on call. Since each US state seems to have its own Air National Guard, that might be the place to keep the expertise and the aircraft.

Mike

Agree with the comments. The idea would be to hit the fire as soon as it starts rather than waiting for it to get established and therefore much more difficult to get under control.
Even if it means a DC10 full of fire retardant is in permanent orbit.

Well the military do get involved in the US. Their Hercs get a tank stuck in the back. The days of the big old tankers are gone, replaced with turbine Trackers, SEAT and helicopters. I visited two tanker bases in my last US trip and both had a pair of Trackers on standby, an OV10 and a UH1. If it gets too much, they scramble from the nearby counties to help. As for Australia, the simple fact is that SEAT and helicopters are the most efficient and cost effective way to fight fires. They’ve got Coulson’s 146 and 737 for the big blow outs.

I believe there is some soul-searching about how to respond to wildfires.
One theory says you should not react too quickly, too often, as that allows fuel to accumulate that would have been burnt off in the lesser fire.

And they do have a sledgehammer to deal with a biggie:

Here in Oz, the focus is on managing the understorey (which is the fuel source) by regular reduction burns. However, government at all three levels will not fund it properly. Not only that, but we are steadily returning to drought conditions since the last major rainfall 7 or 8 years back. That produced lots of fresh growth which is now tinder dry. Lack of rain makes it difficult to make a controlled reduction burn, and we have seen a few of those get out of control in recent years. Inaccessibility is also a big problem. On top of that 50% of all bushfires are considered 'suspect' and that includes the 30% known to have been deliberately set.

Hearses on standby!

https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/hea ... 1589819693

What a nightmare!

Paul.

Bit sensationalist, that... hearses are ALWAYS on standby, think about it!
But the residents of Thousand Oaks must be pondering their lot: 13 dead in shooting, fire wiped out the town... what next: Locust plague??

emfrat wrote:... the 30% known to have been deliberately set.

Absolutely beggars belief.
People do stupid things, like shine laser pointers at airliners, but you could excuse them as Not Thinking.
Setting a fire has malice and often amounts to murder.
Public floggings might be the right approach there.

Charl wrote:... hearses are ALWAYS on standby, think about it!.

I remember a job advert from years ago: "Class C driver wanted for late night removals. Apply H.Parsons & Co, Funeral Directors."

...and it's on-going!...>>>

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-46190118

All that remains in....Paradise!...>>>

https://www.kron4.com/news/california/m ... 1592342031

Paul.

... and while I am grizzing (not that my intended audience is listening, but I need to give vent, here):

The fire has now surpassed the 1933 Griffith Park disaster that killed 31

Can the world's media please stop treating a calamitous death toll like a Little League baseball score??
And get over trotting out stuff like:
"The death toll is 42 and expected to rise"
WTH guys, you expected someone to come alive and so the death toll might fall??

Sheesh... it's all about news cycles.

Before and afterwards...>>>

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-46193429

I really feel for all these people!

Paul.

A slightly rambling clip of the Big Tankers at the McClellan turnaround base.
These guys must be exhausted by now, you hope they have built up a reserve for crew rostering.
Repetitive though the work may be, there is little room for error.



Interesting they have a pathfinder aircraft which determines whether it is safe for the the Big One to enter the drop area.

A car ride through Hell!

https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/man ... mNjA%24%24

I follow this Kron4 news every day, and its a nightmare!

Paul.