Fires in Napa and Sonoma California

[TOADS]

I just hope that these fire were not intentionally set.

Here in the east some of the reports are pointing that way because of the fact that some of the fires erupted simultaneously.

I am having a hard time getting my mind wrapped around the reports that hundreds are still missing....

 

[Vagabond]

It's 3:00 a.m., and I think the smell of smoke woke me up.

The current AQI for San Francisco is 150 and expected to rise to 180 today.

Air quality around San Francisco Bay Area expected to deteriorate in coming days

Red flag warning issued for Berkeley; air quality showing as ‘unhealthy’

The “red flag” warning has been issued through Thursday at 5 p.m. as northerly winds are expected to “combine with dry fuels to produce critical fire weather conditions.” The Berkeley Hills are particularly vulnerable, and the city has posted wildfire evacuation information online.

 

[UMBS Go Blue]

Why is it so bad this year? I know there is a natural cyclical nature to this but the seems beyond that?

We had several years of severe drought followed by torrential drought-ending rains last winter, which led to lots of regrowth of trees and vegetation that have now become kindling after our usual dry summers.

Here in the east some of the reports are pointing that way because of the fact that some of the fires erupted simultaneously.

I am having a hard time getting my mind wrapped around the reports that hundreds are still missing....

Initial reports out here indicate that there were lots of downed lines and transformer explosions between 9.30-10pm local time Sunday night which may have coincided with high winds. These winds were the result of a huge pressure gradient between high pressure over Northern Nevada and low pressure in the Pacific to the west. Still, there may be substantial liability on PG&E's end if it is shown that they did not maintain lines properly, or that they did not maintain adequate clearance around lines.

Of course, we can't rule out arson or random things like, say, campfires or grills getting out of control in such high winds.

Edited to add the link to the articles I was referring to:
http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/10/10/pge-power-lines-linked-to-wine-country-fires/
http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/10/...adequately-maintain-power-lines-before-fires/

Also here's something on the pressure gradients which cause Diablo / Santa Ana winds:
https://nyti.ms/2yZhYZs

Hoping that those missing will be found (there's little cell service up there because the fires burned down lots of cell towers, so it's hard to reach people) and/or that it's double counting.

It's 3:00 a.m., and I think the smell of smoke woke me up.

Same here; now have my internal AC running as a filter of sorts. But those of us down here in Oakland, San Francisco, and points further south have it nowhere near as bad as those up there in the fire zones. A politician I know whose husband is a volunteer firefighter shared his story of driving up to completely dark skies up there.

Also edited to add: ways folks from anywhere can help.
http://www.sfgate.com/local/article/how-to-help-north-bay-fires-napa-santa-rosa-12264095.php
http://www.refinery29.com/2017/10/176002/how-to-help-victims-wildfire-northern-california

 

[Vagabond]

Bright red sun rising now.

 

[AxelAnnie]

I am afraid to get out of bed! I have a rather new home that is energy efficient or something...but it keeps the air quality fairly good.

 

[AxelAnnie]

Someone mentioned downed power lines for sparking fires. Certainly hard to tell at this point. But they will figure it out. Here is what happened in the Butte County (CA) Fire. Cal Fire's investigation puts the blame for that fire which caused 2 deaths, and burned under 100 structures, on PG&E's poor maintenance of a power line.

n addition to the $90 million that CAL FIRE is seeking from PG&E, 17 law firms are representing 1,800 people who expect to be reimbursed for damages.

PG&E will most likely have to pay a lot...........and that cost will be passed along to its customers. I am thinking Wyoming might be a good place to live.

There are reports of people who refuse to leave their homes. I get it. However, it then causes police or fire personnel to go back and try to get them out. And that endangers lives and disperses resources.

 

[Vagabond]

PG&E will most likely have to pay a lot...........and that cost will be passed along to its customers.

PG&E had to swallow the costs associated with the San Bruno disaster, so it might have to do so this time too.

https://patch.com/california/pacifica/cpuc-head-wants-pge-fine-san-bruno-upped-16-billion-0

 

[AxelAnnie]

The Charles Schultz Museum was inside the evacuation area. The arena is near the museum. I can't find any information about it being in danger or burned. And, I am sure losing that ice arena would be HUGE news in these parts. Santa Rosa has Snoopy Character statues all over Santa Rosa. You just sort of come upon those happy creatures as you go around town. The local airport is named for Schultz.

As to re-building.....IMO it would be re-built in a heartbeat. The Shulzes are not without resources

 

[skatfan]

I'm glad to report that my cousin who is in the middle of two of the Santa Rosa fires is ok and they got their power back tonight. Still not out of the woods for so many.

 

[Twizzler]

The Charles Schultz Museum was inside the evacuation area. The arena is near the museum. I can't find any information about it being in danger or burned. And, I am sure losing that ice arena would be HUGE news in these parts. Santa Rosa has Snoopy Character statues all over Santa Rosa. You just sort of come upon those happy creatures as you go around town. The local airport is named for Schultz.

As to re-building.....IMO it would be re-built in a heartbeat. The Shulzes are not without resources

Report that Charles Schulz’s house has burned down. His widow got out safely. No reports about the rink yet.

http://m.sfgate.com/news/article/Wi...or-Charles-12274218.php?cmpid=twitter-desktop

 

[HeatherC]

Report that Charles Schulz’s house has burned down. His widow got out safely. No reports about the rink yet.

http://m.sfgate.com/news/article/Wi...or-Charles-12274218.php?cmpid=twitter-desktop

The Museum escaped damage according to this article: http://www.startribune.com/wildfire-burns-home-of-peanuts-creator-charles-schulz/450687093/

Here's another article about it but I can't find anything about the rink: http://ew.com/news/2017/10/12/peanu...l&xid=socialflow_facebook_entertainmentweekly

This news hit me hard since I've loved Peanuts since I was three years old and Charles Schulz was a huge hero of mine. He died about three months after my grandmother did during my senior year of college which made that time period really hard for me. I'm SO glad Jean got out safely but how sad that they lost so many personal mementos of their life together.

I hope and pray that they can get these fires out soon. It's breaking my heart seeing all the news reports of missing people and watching so many people lose everything. Please stay safe FSUers in the area! Sending you lots of love and prayers.

 

[AxelAnnie]

Report that Charles Schulz’s house has burned down. His widow got out safely. No reports about the rink yet.

http://m.sfgate.com/news/article/Wi...or-Charles-12274218.php?cmpid=twitter-desktop

That is too sad for words. She is such a nice lady

 

[MacMadame]

The rink is still okay but closed. It was reported earlier in the news.

 

[Vagabond]

California fires: PG&E power lines fell in winds that weren’t ‘hurricane strength’

The heavy winds that downed power lines Sunday night at the start of the deadly wildfires raging across Northern California were far from “hurricane strength,” as PG&E has claimed, according to a review of weather station readings....

“This is classic PG&E — trying to spin things without first taking a look at the hard facts,” said Burlingame attorney Frank Pitre. “The winds were well within the threshold of design standards. If they failed, this was a failure in their system.”

Someone should save some live coals from the Tubbs Fire so that PG&E can be dragged over them.

 

[skatesindreams]

Very sad reality of the fires:
http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/13/us/california-fires-updates/index.html

 

[MacMadame]

It hasn't been established yet that the downed power lines caused the fires but it seems the most likely cause. At least of some of them. I do think, once some started, that pyromaniacs got excited and set some other ones.

 

[AxelAnnie]

California fires: PG&E power lines fell in winds that weren’t ‘hurricane strength’

Someone should save some live coals from the Tubbs Fire so that PG&E can be dragged over them.

It is a little soon to lay blame.

I looked up the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale


Category Sustained Winds Types of Damage Due to Hurricane Winds Category 1
74-95 mph 64-82 kt 119-153 km/h

Very dangerous winds will produce some damage: Well-constructed frame homes could have damage to roof, shingles, vinyl siding and gutters. Large branches of trees will snap and shallowly rooted trees may be toppled. Extensive damage to power lines and poles likely will result in power outages that could last a few to several days

The fires began with low winds which picked up to 70-80 MPH as the fire swept through the area. It is too early to try to piece together whether the winds and fire caused the poles to go down, or whether the downed power lines caused the fires.

Also, as structures burn and collapse they can take the power lines down. This was a catastrophic event.

One of the firemen said they were finding poles (that the page wires sit on] burned at the bottom, leaving a tiny diameter of pole left to hold up the whole shebang.

And, never fear....................EVERYONE with deep pockets will be sued. And there are enough coals to rake everyone over.

On another note. Just listened to a health official speak at this morning's Napa County briefing. They are allowing people back into some areas. She cautioned that if you go back in, know that you are entering a toxic area. Wear boots, gloves, protective eye wear and a mask. Do not touch anything....it is toxic. If you have food in you house do not eat it. It is toxic. I hadn't considered all the house cleaning products, heaven knows what would be in the air and dispersed all over.

And, another plea for people to NOT fly drones. Everyone wants to see whats going on............but Cal Fire and the other fire fighting crews can't then use planes in the area.

People seem to think rules apply to everyone but them.

 

[Tinami Amori]

Mountain Home Ranch Hotel Cottages in Calistoga, which is a hotel and a farm animal retreat, has completely burned down. I spoke with the owner. He said they were able to evacuate ALL animals, and pets.

They are insured, and plan to rebuild. That was such a great place.... and the owners are such great people..
http://files.ctctcdn.com/3341c5ec001/8990994c-5e90-4a82-9304-6bba12acf74d.jpg
https://www.afristay.com/media/thum...s-and-Tyche.jpg.1366x768_q85_crop_upscale.jpg
http://www.mountainhomeranch.com/

 

[TOADS]

Another system will bring strong winds to the region from later today through Sunday

Low humidity and winds gusting 50mph is not going to help the fire fighting effort.....

 

[skatfan]

I'm glad to report that my cousin who is in the middle of two of the Santa Rosa fires is ok and they got their power back tonight. Still not out of the woods for so many.

Well, things changed - they are now evacuated. Now it's a waiting game.

 

[skatesindreams]

Latest update:
California Wildfires: New Blaze Prompts More Evacuations, $1.2 Billion in Damage in Santa Rosa Alone, Mayor Says | The Weather Channel https://weather.com/news/news/2017-10-14-california-fires via @weatherchannel

 

[AxelAnnie]

OH man. 5700 homes & buildings lost. over 300 sq. miles burned. And it just keeps on burning.
They are fighting to keep the fire away from several wineries including Ledson which is the winery my sister works for.

The horrific damage not only affects the main industry in Sonoma and Napa - wine and touristy - and the homes of people who have lost everything..........but so many jobs will be lost.

I am watching the fire evacuation line which is at 5 city blocks (not the long end, but the short end - from my friend's home.

This is a nightmare.

 

[AxelAnnie]

We need an option other than LIKE for bad situations. Lol

Looks like they are going to be able to save the Buena Vista winery
..the oldest commercial winery in CA.

 

[skatesindreams]

A double trauma for this woman:
http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/14/us/woman-escapes-las-vegas-shooting-california-fires/index.html

 

[MacMadame]

The air quality is improving here south of the main fires. My pool opened back up and all my groups have stopped canceling workouts. Some of the fires are out and some are starting to be contained too. OTOH, there is a new fire. Great. And it's still predicted to be windy off and on.

When it comes to the evacuations, I don't think it's gone as well as it could. It's true that most of the deaths happened early on when fires suddenly swept through areas in the night without a lot of warning. But one city had signed up for a federal system where they could send everyone a message on their cell phone if there was an emergency. That city didn't lose anyone. Other cities didn't sign up and are using other means and there are reports that sometimes some people get the messages but their neighbors did not and that the messages aren't always clear if the should evacuate or not. That kind of stuff always frustrates me.

 

[skatesindreams]

I fear that there will be more stories such as this:
http://www.latimes.com/local/abcarian/la-me-abcarian-shepherd-family-20171014-story.html

 

[AxelAnnie]

I fear there will be many stories like this.

 

[MacMadame]

Even though they are still devoting pretty much all of each local newscast to this story, it's still hard to get accurate information. Last night they said on Channel 2 that there were 16 fires, which is 2 more than earlier in the week even though at one point the news was reporting "a dozen" and talking about some that were put out.

But they are starting to get them contained. They showed us the fire break lines they had created and said today they are going to reinforce them. Also, the air down here is much better, though still compromised. It's not as windy as it has been either. There is also a chance of rain on Thursday which will help.

 

[skatfan]

My cousin is still evacuated, plenty of folks still in the same situation. Small but steady progress at this time.

 

[MacMadame]

On the news tonight they said the bigger fires are 40-70% contained and that Napa (the city) and all of Sonoma County have lifted their voluntary evacuation orders. All the CalFire people sounded so much more cheerful than they have up until now.

Oh and our air quality down south should be better, they said. Or not. (Depends on what the winds do tonight, they said.) I was thinking of riding my bike to work but will probably skip it for now. There's still a Spare the Air day in effect as, in addition to the fires, it's going to be hot. Still a chance of rain on Thursday.

These fires have been raging for a week! That seems inconceivable to me but I am aware of wildfires in forest areas that last that long or longer. I think it just seems unreal to me because so many of the fires are in residential areas.

More reports of downed powerlines before fires swept through neighborhoods. Still no official cause.