California WildFires 2017

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There are economic consequences to the Redwood Valley Fire that have so far gone unmentioned. Mendocino County has its fair share of wineries that are bound to be affected. Additionally, the county's economy has been dependent for decades on pot growing. Salon takes a look at the fire's effect on marijuana cultivation: https://www.salon.com/2017/10/12/california-wildfires-weed-farms/

Personally, I find myself wondering whether the fire may--in a stroke of irony--actually help the county. Before the fires broke out, it was estimated that there was five times as much pot being raised in California as could be consumed there. Prices had fallen steeply, to about $500 per pound. With many plantations literally going up in smoke, and others now being contaminated by smoke and ash, the supply of pot will definitely be diminished. Will this push the price back up?
 
burblestein said:
There are economic consequences to the Redwood Valley Fire that have so far gone unmentioned. Mendocino County has its fair share of wineries that are bound to be affected. Additionally, the county's economy has been dependent for decades on pot growing. Salon takes a look at the fire's effect on marijuana cultivation: https://www.salon.com/2017/10/12/california-wildfires-weed-farms/

Personally, I find myself wondering whether the fire may--in a stroke of irony--actually help the county. Before the fires broke out, it was estimated that there was five times as much pot being raised in California as could be consumed there. Prices had fallen steeply, to about $500 per pound. With many plantations literally going up in smoke, and others now being contaminated by smoke and ash, the supply of pot will definitely be diminished. Will this push the price back up?
Click to expand...

Actually both wine and pot have been mentioned in relations to the fires.
 
Live updates: Death toll at 41 in Northern Calif. fires; 88 still missing in Sonoma County
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Live-updates-Last-missing-person-in-Yuba-County-12282065.php
*photos of some of the fire victims at the above link
:rose:

"8:06 p.m. Progress made on containment: Cal Fire released new containment and acreage numbers for the fires burning in Northern California. The Tubbs fire is at 36,432 acres and 75 percent contained. The Nuns fire is 51,512 acres and 53 percent contained, while the Atlas fire is at 51,064 acres and 70 percent contained."
 
For California’s Vintners, Fires Couldn’t Have Come at a Worse Time
https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/w...s-fires-couldn-t-have-come-worse-time-n811336

"This is the middle of harvest, which is the busiest time of year and the last time you'd ever want something like this to happen," he said, standing in front of what used to be the tasting room and hospitality hub."

Snip

"And it's those barrels that Hayes and his crew have come to tend. While they had already harvested all their grapes, juice from one fermentation tank must be drained to another — something usually done with an electric pump. But with the property smoldering and power lines down, water and electricity are out of the question.

"We are usually taking care of these wines with our hands all day, every day, and we've basically been out of town for five days," Hayes said, saying they'll be forced to use gravity and hoses to move the juice without power.

"So we've got to really be sure that the wines are stable and sound, and that's what we're doing right now," he said as his colleague opened a fermentation tank with just the dim light of his headlamp."
 
"At least 20 wineries in Napa sustained damage to their winery, outbuildings or vineyards, according to Napa Valley Vintners, the region's trade association. With evacuation orders still in place, many are just now assessing the damage.

And for those wineries with grapes yet to pick, the biggest concern is "smoke taint" — smoke residue that can accumulate in grape skins and pulp. Enterprise Vineyards, a premier wine grape grower, still has 30 percent of its fruit to pick, spanning close to 100 acres.

"The jury is still out" as to whether the grapes will be tainted by the acrid smoke that has hung in the air since Monday, said Sam Coturri of Enterprise Vineyards. As a precaution, they have been washing grapes on their sorting tables before sending them to be crushed."

https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/w...s-fires-couldn-t-have-come-worse-time-n811336
 
"Public health officials urged residents to call in state clean-up crews free of charge when they can return to clear their property of any ash or burned materials, all of which are toxic."

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"The fire spread at up to 200 feet a second, Biermann said."

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"Rep. Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena) reassured residents and workers in the country illegally that immigration officers would continue avoiding enforcement in the area while the emergency is underway. The exception is for known criminals already targeted by the agency."

After an agonizing week on edge, good news for some Napa County residents
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-napa-fires-20171016-story.html
 
( O/T, re: the latest in Spain and Portugal:

"(CNN)At least 39 people have been killed by wildfires in Portugal and Spain, officials from both countries said Monday.

In Portugal, where 36 people are confirmed dead, more than 4,000 firefighters were at work battling around 150 fires, the Portuguese National Authority for Civil Protection (ANPC) said Monday."

Snip

"In a statement, the Portuguese government declared three days of national mourning starting on Tuesday."

www.cnn.com/2017/10/16/europe/portugal-spain-wildfires/index.html )
 
As Wine Country fires slow, firefighters take a more strategic tack
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/...refighters-take-a-12282890.php#photo-14320165

"The most important weapons in building containment lines are the bulldozers that carve the main gashes in the earth, going back and forth as need be. Some are from local fire crews, while Cal Fire has 85 assigned throughout the state. When demand outstrips official supply, calls go out to private companies certified to provide equipment and operators on demand."

Snip

"Smith said the only consideration that goes into deciding which crew to send where is whether the firefighters typically tackle city or wilderness burns."
 
iliketotalk15 said:
Very sad. I hope the powers that be will pay closer attention to the health and well being of their people, such as firefighters, police, etc. We don't want mistakes created by fatigue and exhaustion to kill more people.
Click to expand...

Here’s more than anyone wants to know about potential roll-over accidents, but I got to googling and couldn’t stop! For anyone interested it explains why water tankers/tenders are vulnerable to accidents.

Yes, fatigue can certainly be a factor in these tragic accidents. The trouble is, during a wildfire, health and well-being of all involved in fighting it probably take second place to the job at hand. Fatigue is a given.

Water tankers/tenders are in a disproportionate number of accidents compared to other fire-fighting vehicles, according to this report. This article lists safety precautions that should be taken by the driver, in part because driving a water truck is tricky and inherently dangerous as the italicized quote from the next article quoted points out.
https://www.firerescue1.com/fire-pr...-tips-to-improving-fire-tanker-tender-safety/

Water in motion directly impacts how the vehicle handles.
One gallon of water weighs slightly more than eight pounds. So, tankers/tenders compliant with NFPA 1901 will carry approximately 8,340 pounds of water. With that much extra water weight-weight that is in motion-operating the apparatus is impacted. "It doesn't matter if you're in a commercial two-door with 3,000 gallons of water or a big four-door custom eight-person cab with 2,500 gallons of water," says Mike Wilbur, president, Emergency Vehicle Response. "The laws of physics dictate that if you don't drive them conservatively at a slower speed and pay attention, you will flip them over. The laws of physics are very unforgiving."
http://www.fireapparatusmagazine.co...ankers-tenders-keep-them-on-their-wheels.html

But these accounts are talking mainly about regular fires, not forest fires, which occur in even more dangerous terrain. Many water trucks used in fighting forest fires are privately owned and contracted by the government. So the safety of the truck and experience of the driver may not always be regulated according to government standards during these fast-moving emergencies.

At Wildfire Today there are over three dozen articles tagged “rollover”.
Our hope is that the agencies that respond to wildfires will place more emphasis on training drivers and acquire vehicles that are less likely to rollover and that have a cab strong enough to protect the occupants during a crash.
http://wildfiretoday.com/2017/09/29/water-tender-rollover-jolly-mountain-fire-in-washington/

There is a lot of money to be made operating a water tender. See page 17. That can provide a temptation to cut safety corners.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprd3854220.pdf

A tragic case here in Oregon in 2013 involved a 19 year old water truck driver who was killed when his truck rolled. It was overloaded, it only had rear brakes, speed was a factor and he was newly licensed on his first run. :(
http://www.capitalpress.com/Oregon/20140523/fire-report-brakes-weight-factors-in-fatal-crash

So even though fatigue appears to be the likely cause of the latest rollover, there are a multitude of factors that could also be at play. Now you know more about water trucks than you ever wanted to know.
 
( Driving through the killer inferno: Terrifying moment motorist escapes wildfires blamed on 'terrorist arsonists' that have claimed dozens of lives in Portugal and Spain
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4984498/Arsonists-blamed-fires-Spain-Portugal.html

"Investigations were also focusing on human and criminal causes, with political leaders accusing 'terrorist arsonists' of starting the blazes."

Snip

"In Spain, more than 500 military personnel and 350 brigades are fighting the fires."

Snip

"The weekend fires come only three months after a wildfire in Portugal killed 64 people in Pedrogao Grande in early summer - 47 of them on one road while trying to flee the flames in cars."

Snip

"He has described those responsible as 'terrorist arsonists', and warned: 'They are playing with lives.'*

A number of people are said to be 'under suspicion' but no arrests have yet been made.*

Feijoo said that 15 fires are posing a risk to towns. He added that 90 percent of forest fires each year in Galicia are intentional."

Snip

"Claiming firefighters had been tackling 'homicide incendiary activity' in the worst possible weather conditions, the Galician leader said: 'We are dealing with deliberately-started fires by people who know what to burn, how to burn it and the places to pick.'"

*many photos at above link )
 
I could be wrong, but this is how I interpreted the map: Fires that are active will have a red symbol. If you zoom in, you can see basically where the fire has burned, in red. Fire that are out will have a blue symbol. If there is no symbol, that area did not have a fire associated with it.
 
Oh, Portugal and Spain.... :(
 
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