Fires

[Parts]

Where do you put a half million people that have been evacuated in California?  This is inconceivable to me I can understand hurricanes, tornadoes  and such but this I just don't understand how does so much burn.  Anybody out that way can you explain to someone on the East Coast how this happens

[Calandale]

Bad logging practices.

[Parts]

Bad logging practices.

Got to be more than that

[Peter]

It starts off with an ecosystem that has regular fires.  Because it's arid, dead organic matter won't rot, so it just sits around until it catches fire from lightning or whatever, and then it burns up, clearing the land, releasing nutrients, stimulating heat-activated seeds etc,  and all the fluffy little armadillos are happy and well fed as a result.  Then some people come along, build a town or 10, get terribly concerned about the fires and start creating fire-breaks and building fleets of fire-fighting aircraft and the like, which prevents the regular cycle of burning and renewal from taking place, so the organic matter just keeps building up until eventually there's so much of it that when it catches fire, it completely overwhelms the fire defences and burns up the towns.  Afterwards, people blame it on arsonists and rebuild their wood-frame houses, so it happens again and again.  They just completely fail to deal with the reality that they've been complete retards in building highly flammable buildings in the middle of a fire-driven ecosystem.

That's my take on it, at least.

[Parts]

It starts off with an ecosystem that has regular fires.  Because it's arid, dead organic matter won't rot, so it just sits around until it catches fire from lightning or whatever, and then it burns up, clearing the land, releasing nutrients, stimulating heat-activated seeds etc,  and all the fluffy little armadillos are happy and well fed as a result.  Then some people come along, build a town or 10, get terribly concerned about the fires and start creating fire-breaks and building fleets of fire-fighting aircraft and the like, which prevents the regular cycle of burning and renewal from taking place, so the organic matter just keeps building up until eventually there's so much of it that when it catches fire, it completely overwhelms the fire defences and burns up the towns.  Afterwards, people blame it on arsonists and rebuild their wood-frame houses, so it happens again and again.  They just completely fail to deal with the reality that they've been complete retards in building highly flammable buildings in the middle of a fire-driven ecosystem.

That's my take on it, at least.

I get that part but just how can you get a population density where a half a million have to be evacuated thats a lot of complete retards to move about and where do you put them?

[Callaway]

It starts off with an ecosystem that has regular fires.  Because it's arid, dead organic matter won't rot, so it just sits around until it catches fire from lightning or whatever, and then it burns up, clearing the land, releasing nutrients, stimulating heat-activated seeds etc,  and all the fluffy little armadillos are happy and well fed as a result.  Then some people come along, build a town or 10, get terribly concerned about the fires and start creating fire-breaks and building fleets of fire-fighting aircraft and the like, which prevents the regular cycle of burning and renewal from taking place, so the organic matter just keeps building up until eventually there's so much of it that when it catches fire, it completely overwhelms the fire defences and burns up the towns.  Afterwards, people blame it on arsonists and rebuild their wood-frame houses, so it happens again and again.  They just completely fail to deal with the reality that they've been complete retards in building highly flammable buildings in the middle of a fire-driven ecosystem.

That's my take on it, at least.

I get that part but just how can you get a population density where a half a million have to be evacuated thats a lot of complete retards to move about and where do you put them?

I agree with Peter, to a point, but the Forestry Service does controlled burns in national forests to eliminate some of the dry organic matter and renew the forests in California and the rest of the Western US.  I think they found that sequoias need to have a fire clear the undergrowth in the forest for their seeds to germinate.

When an area is evacuated, different people go to different places, Parts.  We have people in Colorado who came all the way here from New Orleans to get away from hurricane Katrina.  I know that Baton Rouge's population greatly increased from so many New Orleans residents moving there as well.  I read that 8000 evacuees from the fires went to Qualcomm stadium.

Some 8,000 people, including senior citizens from nursing homes, went to the Qualcomm stadium, where the San Diego Chargers football team plays, or to the Del Mar Fairgrounds, famed for its horse racing track. Thousands of horses and family pets were also accommodated.

People who sought shelter at Qualcomm said the operation was well organized and clean, in contrast to the chaos at New Orleans' Superdome, which was used as a refuge after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

[richard]

california is always burning. im tired of it

[Parts]

To me it's just the shear logistics of all of this it's just daunting.  I understand the biology behind the fires  I went to school for it but never understood the how this can happen in a suburban environment.  Where I live about a half a block from a salt mash it burns every few years but the town doesn't go with it.   But I have never been out west  to see how close things are 

[Calandale]

Bad logging practices.

Got to be more than that

A lot of it has to do with allowing the
timber companies to come in and harvest
after a fire. Also, the clear cutting
and replanting causes a greater preponderance
of undergrowth.

[Parts]

Now fire tornadoes if the weren't so dangerous they,d be cool 

[Parts]

Arnold is on TV why don't they make it a movie then he could take it on himself

[duncvis]

They need to call out MECHA-STREISAND!!!11one

[enronh]

It was probably McJ playing with matches again! 

[Parts]

It was probably McJ playing with matches again! 

You have a good avatar for someone talking about fire

[purposefulinsanity]

Forest Fire:

No junk food, just earthly goods
I ate weird berries in the woods
Now I'm seeing colors,
I'm getting higher
I think I'll start a forest fire
There's a forest fire climbin' the hill
Burnin' wealthy California homes
Better run run run run run
From the fire
But some of us stay and watch
And we think of your insurance cost
And we laugh laugh laugh laugh laugh laugh
At your lives
Windows covered with bars
Security guards
Is that a house or a fortress
Against the world
Windows covered with bars
Security guards
Is that a house or a prison
How you gonna get out?
Electric bull and your tennis courts
Pink sports cars and your boat
Getting fried fried fried fried fried fried
By the fire
Windows covered by bars
Floodlights for the yard
It's a pleasure to watch you
Watch it all melt
But hey!
What about the cocaine
Stockpiled in the basement
Be a hero and save it
You know you're gonna need it
Where's your brand new pretty wife
She might still be inside
Either save her or your cocaine from the fire
But the gates and doors are locked
Cause the burglar alarms went off
Ever wonder why we laugh laugh
At your lives
Windows covered with bars
Fences spiked with barbed wire
Never looked so helpless
Engulfed in flames
Cameras watchin' the walls
Don't forget the dogs
Now you're trapped in your prison
How you gonna get out
See the gerbil
Run run run run run run run run
Run run run run run run run run
Run run run run run run run run
From the fire