Wild fires

[d_kendal]

I couldn't find the photo I was looking for, but I did find another one from near Glenwood springs. looks scary!!

- David

[DJ Dubovsky]

I would hate to be those people in that town seeing that coming over the hills.
I agree with Chiquitita that the firefighters are unsung heros. It seems like once a month they are having some type of awards on tv for celebrities when the awards should be going to professions like this.
DJ

[fugitive]

Originally posted by d_kendal
I couldn't find the photo I was looking for, but I did find another one from near Glenwood springs. looks scary!!

- David

I did myself a challenge on your pic.

[jeaniesa]

Yikes! I hadn't seen any photos of the Coal Seam fire (Glenwood). But, I just went looking for some on the web. There are a bunch at the 9 News site. Go about hafway down the page on the left (just under the Coal Seam Fire heading) and you should see a link for "Wildfires Slide Show" and "Coal Seam Slide Show".
Jeanie

[T Paul]

A friend of mine just moved to Colorado and today I received an email with some pictures of the fires near his house. Here is a picture of the Hayman Fire taken from right beside his house. I hear that it is the largest wildfire in Colorado history.

-T

[Ed_L]

The fires look real bad on TV. It was really hard to believe that someone from the Nat'l. Parks/Forest division would be the one to start something like that. I saw on TV where a firefighting plane went down, killing all three people on board. That's a shame.

Ed

[DJ Dubovsky]

I heard on the news today that a woman Forest Ranger claimed responsibility for starting the largest fire. I guess she was buning a letter from her X and it got out of control. That's one for the books. Who would figure a Forest Ranger would do something that senseless. Don't know what they are going to do with her. Guess we will see.
DJ

[Jakaleena]

Originally posted by chiquitita
Mann Gulch fire in Montana in 1949 which took the lives of 13 smoke jumpers.

I was completely fascinated by your short description and had to look it up myself. I found THIS excellent article on it, and also discovered that there was a book written about it called Young Men and Fire by Norman Maclean

Thanks for mentioning that.

[jeaniesa]

T, the fire is definitely the largest in CO history - it's up to 136,000 acres now and still only 40% contained (adjusted down from the 47% contained estimate yesterday because the fire jumped some of the fire lines which had been created. )

The past three days have been so incredibly hot and dry and WINDY - the worst kind of weather for fighting fires. It was 100 degrees (F) yesterday where I live. I heard a description on the news about how fire fighters describe how dry the wood is (unfortunately I can't remember the term - Tom, do you know? - something about 100 hours or 1000 hours or something.) Anyway, one of the comparisons that was used to describe how dry everything is was that the amount of moisture in fire wood which you would buy to use in a fire place is about 12%. The "fuel" which is feeding the fire near Denver is at 3-4% moisture!!

Luckily we've got a major storm front that's supposed to be bringing moisture tonight and over the next couple of days. We've had some severe thunderstorms this afternoon with some rain, but lots of lightning, which of course is NOT good. I really hope we get a lot more moisture and a lot less lightning!

The fire down near Durango is at 44,000 acres - which used to sound like a big fire to me. (BTW, does anyone remember how big the fire in Yellowstone was about 10 years ago?)

I wondered why I didn't hear the C-130's droning overhead yesterday afternoon and today. Turns out they've grounded all slurry planes because of the accident in CA. Prior to that, there seemed to be a constant highway above my house. I'm not sure where they were based, but I'm guessing somewhere in Wyoming, because there's nowhere up here in northern Colorado for them to land. Between those planes and the fire-scouting helicopters in the air on Monday, there is a constant reminder that the fire is still raging.

Luckily, the wind changed direction again this afternoon and the fire has once again turned back on itself. Hopefully the predicted moisture will actually materialize and help get the fire under control!

As far as the forest service employee starting the fire, it's just beyond my comprehension. And now they're saying that perhaps there's evidence that it wasn't even a letter from her ex - but that she deliberately set it?! Incomprehensible!!

Jeanie

[thomasgeorge]

The terms the Forest fire crews use are different than the ones used in the Urban type Fire service, but what I think you are refering to is simply a measure of combustability, and it sounds like things down your way are not just combustable..with that low a moisture content they are positively explosive!
We just got about 1/2 a years worth of rain in the last 5 days...hope this system drops right down the East Front and gives you folks a good soaking as well...
If its proven that the Forest Service employee deliberately started that fire and is found guilty, I sure hope the Judge down there throws the book at her. I cant abide arson or arsonists...its one of the lowest, most cowardly crimes there is....and those convicted of it should be locked up for life...having been injured in an arson fire and having fought more than a few, I am totally opposed to any "mercy" for those types...Anyone who trys to play the "sympathy" card on behalf of an arsonist should go down your way and talk to the people who have been victimized by this wanton act of terrorism. Good luck and I hope it rains like the dickens on you!!! Tom

[jeaniesa]

it sounds like things down your way are not just combustable..with that low a moisture content they are positively explosive!

Yes, that is exactly the point they were trying to make!!

We just got about 1/2 a years worth of rain in the last 5 days...hope this system drops right down the East Front and gives you folks a good soaking as well...

Oh - that would be SOOO wonderful - as long as it doesn't cause any flash floods (which they are really worried about also - and mudslides in the fire areas). Any flooding up your way?

I am totally opposed to any "mercy" for those types...

I don't think this woman is getting much "mercy" around here. She's locked up without bail "for her own safety."

Jeanie

[thomasgeorge]

Things were so dry around here that most of the rain soaked into the ground as fast as it fell! Further West the combination of heavy rain and melting snow did result in increased stream flow, but no flooding...
With all the ground cover burned off, flooding and mudslides are inevitable...sort of a "no-win" situation...the very rain that stops the fire starts the floods...pretty grim...Hope folks down there are holding up O.K....its got be one horrible nightmare...Tom

[jeaniesa]

Originally posted by thomasgeorge
Hope folks down there are holding up O.K....its got be one horrible nightmare...Tom

I'm not in direct contact with anyone directly affected, but it has got to be awful. The paper today said that 7500 people have been evacuated (that's just for the fire near Denver - I know that a bunch have been evacuated from the fire near Durango too). 2000 of those people were called at 10:00pm Tuesday evening and told to evacuate immediately. I don't know how many of those evacuated have livestock, but I know when we had the fire up here two years ago, there was a very large traffic-jam of trailers from ranchers all around the area trying to help move the livestock out of the way of the fire. There's got to be similar issues down there for this fire as well. "Stressful" doesn't begin to describe the situation.

Logging off for the night - another big thunderstorm is rolling through...

Jeanie

[BigAl]

I heard on our radio news that Arizona is now burning. Anyone affected?? CJ??

[jeaniesa]

Yes, CJ, I've been wondering about you too! That fire sounds much worse than the ones here in CO. Is it anywhere near you?

Jeanie