USA Huge fires break out in California Wine Country -update Napa, Bay Area, Santa Cruz & More

D

Double_A

TB Fanatic
jward said:
You might try a fine, wetted cloth over your screen to catch the smoke and particles. The added advantage is a cool cloth will help cool your room as well.

Red cross is set up with names, perhaps you can check for your friends through that clearing house? I believe I saw a link on this thread, or the twitter thread.
Please take good care of you and yours. We're keeping y'all in our prayers.
Click to expand...

Thanks.
 
H

Housecarl

On TB every waking moment





CAL FIRE SCU

@calfireSCU

#SCULightningComplex | Evacuation Warning | Alameda County 08.22.20
6:42 PM · Aug 22, 2020·Twitter Web App

75
Retweets and comments
82
Likes







Penny

@PennyATallman
·
16m

Replying to
@calfireSCU
Good job guys, thank you for the map.











Gordon Lister

@WhiskerzzFife
·
15m

Replying to
@calfireSCU
Just got the Push notification so thank you very much for posting a map! Much appreciated, stay safe Folks!












Hank Gurdjieff

@pudnubbly
·
11m

Replying to
@calfireSCU
URL to map:



SCU Lightning Complex Evacuation Viewer

nifc.maps.arcgis.com










heckabluntstho

@heckabluntstho
·
6m

this link isn't up to date.. area being evacuated isn't marked in yellow on it












Tony Nelson

@tonyjnel
·
9m

Replying to
@calfireSCU
What do the yellow and red regions represent? A legend in the map would be super helpful.











Standpipe Flow Test

@StandpipeFlows
·
6m

True; red is an evacuation order, yellow is an evacuation warning.











Rudy

@R_Gomez12
·
4m

Replying to
@calfireSCU
Misleading alert by
@Google
, shows entire city of Tracy


Image









nebulaical

@nebulaical
·
2m

Replying to
@calfireSCU
The link to the map is showing a different evacuation warning area than the screen shots posted in your tweet. I can’t tell if I’m in the evac warning area or not
 
Melodi

Melodi

Disaster Cat
www.bbc.com

California wildfires: Trump declares major disaster

One fire tearing through the state is the third largest California has ever seen.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com
California wildfires: Trump declares major disaster

Fire-fighters are working 72-hour shifts but say it is not enough to contain the blazes
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage captionFire-fighters are working 72-hour shifts but say it is not enough to contain the blazes
US President Donald Trump has declared that wildfires burning through homes and devastating precious forestry in California are a major disaster and he has released federal aid.
More than 14,000 fire-fighters are battling 585 fires that have now burnt nearly one million acres (400,000 ha).
Forecast high winds are threatening to drive flames into more populated areas as foul air blankets the state.
At least six people have died and thousands have evacuated.
Most of the destruction has been caused by three large fires complexes in mountainous and wooded rural areas.
On Saturday Governor Gavin Newsom said the SCU Lightening Complex fire south and east of San Francisco is the third-largest in California's history.
Video tweeted by the governor showed burnt tree stumps against the reddened fumes-filled sky and plumes of white smoke rising from ash-laden ground.
An evacuation order on Saturday extended to thousands of people in the Bay area near San Jose and warned others to be prepared to abandon their homes at short notice.
Skip Twitter post by @GavinNewsom

Report
End of Twitter post by @GavinNewsom
Exhausted fire-fighters continue to battle the flames, with some working 72-hour shifts in the dangerous, hot conditions reports AP news agency. "They're scrambling for bodies" to help fight the fires, an official in the city of Fresno told Reuters news agency.
In California's oldest state park, flames scorched redwood trees that began their lives more than 2,000 years ago. The historic visitor centre of Big Basin State Park was burnt to the ground and officials say some trees, which tower as high as 330ft (100 metres), have fallen as the area was "extensively damaged".
Park officials fear that redwoods, the world's tallest trees, have fallen in the fires
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage captionPark officials fear that redwoods, the world's tallest trees, have fallen in the fires
The state faces are more acute shortage of personnel than usual - the coronavirus pandemic has depleted a fire-fighting corps made up of prisoners, which has helped the state battle blazes since World War Two, due to early releases from jail.
At least 43 people including fire-fighters have been injured, and hundreds of buildings have burned down and thousands more are threatened.
After doubling in size on Friday, the fires continued to grow moderately on Saturday and fire-fighters made some progress in containing the flames.
More than 12,000 dry lightning strikes started the blazes last week during a historic heat wave in which thermometers in Death Valley National Park reached what could be the highest ever temperature reliably recorded.
Hundreds of buildings have burnt including this historic 157-year old farmhouse
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage captionHundreds of buildings have burnt including this historic 157-year old farmhouse
The largest wildfire, called the LNU Lightening complex, is in the prominent wine-growing areas of Napa and Sonoma north of San Francisco and is just 15% contained, CalFire said on Saturday.
Further south in Santa Cruz county, 115 homes have been destroyed and some residents evacuated.
"I left with my clothes ... two guitars and a dog," one evacuee in Santa Cruz told CNN affiliate KGO.
Fire-fighters dug a fireline around the University of California Santa Cruz campus as flames came within a mile of the buildings and surrounding area.
Gov Newsom has requested help from as far afield as Australia and Canada. Fire-fighters, engines and surveillance planes raced in from US states including Oregon, New Mexico and Texas.
Although California is used to wildfire, the governor called the fires unlike anything the state had seen before. "If you don't believe in climate change, come to California," he tweeted on Saturday.
Fires near a vineyard
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage captionFires have burned through parts of California's wine-producing regions
With more than 650,000 coronavirus cases, California also has the highest number of infections in the US, and some evacuees have said they are afraid to go to emergency shelters.
US agencies have updated disaster preparedness and evacuation guidance in light of Covid-19. People who may be required to flee have been to told to carry at least two face masks per person, as well as hand sanitiser, soap and disinfectant wipes.
line

Here are some key guidelines for protecting yourself against Covid-19 if you must evacuate to a shelter:
  • Wash your hands often
  • Keep six feet of distance from anyone not among your household
  • Wear a face covering when possible, and if possible, wash it regularly
  • Avoid sharing food and drinks
  • Frequently disinfect your area in the shelter (including toys and electronics)
line

Emergency shelters are enforcing social distancing rules and mask wearing, and have even given individual tents to families to self-isolate. Some counties are seeking to set up separate shelters for sick evacuees or anyone who is found to have a high temperature.
Officials say people should consider sheltering with family and friends.
Evacuation centres, including at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, must also enforce social distancing rules
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage captionEvacuation centres, including at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, must also enforce social distancing rules
Officials also advise people to remain indoors due to the poor air quality outside.
California is also facing electricity shortages, which have caused rolling blackouts for thousands of customers. Officials have appealed for residents to use less power or risk further cuts.
Satellite images show smoke blanketing nearly all of California, as well most of Nevada and southern Idaho.
 
Melodi

Melodi

Disaster Cat
www.theguardian.com

California wildfires: Trump declares major disaster as state braces for worsening conditions

Forecasters have issued a red flag warning for Sunday morning through Monday night as blazes have burned more than 900,000 acres
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com
California wildfires: Trump declares major disaster as state braces for worsening conditions
Cal Fire firefighter Anthony Quiroz defends a home in Boulder Creek, California, during the CZU Lightning Complex Fire.

Cal Fire firefighter Anthony Quiroz defends a home in Boulder Creek, California, during the CZU Lightning Complex Fire. Photograph: Stephen Lam/Reuters

Maanvi Singh and Oliver Milman
Sun 23 Aug 2020 07.29 BST


652
Donald Trump has issued a major disaster declaration as deteriorating weather conditions threaten to spark new wildfires in California, where firefighters have been battling some of the largest wildfires on record for the past week.
Trump’s declaration will release federal assistance for the state, with governor Gavin Newsom saying it declaration will also help people in counties affected by the fires with crisis counselling, housing and other social services.
California is bracing for dry lightning and gusty winds that threaten to start more fire, and stoke the existing blazes. The state has already requested help from Australia and Canada to help contain the fires , which have displaced more than 100,000 people and killed six and incinerated hundreds of homes.
The blazes were sparked by an unusual barrage of lightning and stoked by a searing, persistent heatwave last week. Although cooler, more humid weather overnight helped firefighters make ground, “we are not out of the woods,” said Cal Fire Unit chief Shana Jones on Saturday. “Upcoming predicted weather is not in our favor.”


California's wildfires explained: how did they start – and is this normal?
Read more
Newsom, said the fires, which have chewed through more than 991,000 acres over seven days, “are stretching our resources, our personnel”, requiring help from other states and countries.
Two fires, the LNU Lightning Complex and the SCU Lightning Complex, now rank as the second and third-largest on record.
“We simply haven’t seen anything like this in many, many years,” said Newsom, who has requested assistance from what he called “the world’s best wildfire-fighters” in Australia, a country that itself experienced enormous wildfires earlier this year.
Help from Canada and 10 other US states is also heading to California.
Some 560 wildfires were burning throughout the state on Saturday. Many were small and remote but the bulk of the damage was from three clusters ravaging forest and rural areas in the wine country and San Francisco Bay Area.
The LNU Lightning Complex fire is now the second largest in California’s history.

The LNU Lightning Complex fire is now the second largest in California’s history. Photograph: Noah Berger/AP
Those complexes, consisting of dozens of fires, exploded in size on Friday.
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The LNU Lightning Complex, a cluster of fires in the north of the state, had engulfed 314,207 acres across Napa, Lake, Solano and Sonoma counties, placing it behind only the Mendocino Complex fire of 2018, which scorched about 459,000 acres, in the state’s fire records dating back to 1932. The SCU Lightning Complex, another cluster encompassing parts of several Bay Area counties, is the state’s third-largest recorded, having spread across more than 291,900 acres.
“What’s remarkable is that these fires are very explosive and they’re growing so quickly,” Crystal Kolden, a fire scientist at UC Merced, told the Guardian. Fires across the state are “becoming more frequent and more extreme with climate change”, she noted.
Forecasters have warned that things could get even dicier, issuing a red flag warning for Sundaymorning through Monday night. The National Weather Service warned of the potential for dry thunderstorms, noting that “lightning and gusty, erratic winds around storms will be the main threat”. The storms could not only start new fires, but also stoke the flames already burning through the state.
More than 12,000 personnel were fighting fires around the state, aided by helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. By Friday, the state’s fire agency, Cal Fire, had called out 96% of available fire engines.
Among those beating back the flames are more than 1,300 incarcerated firefighters who have been entrusted with the backbreaking work of clearing the fire-fueling vegetation in exchange for low wages and reduced sentences. Their ranks have been diminished by devastating Covid-19 outbreaks in California prisons.
“Their labor has been exploited for decades,” Romarilyn Ralston, who leads Project Rebound, a California State University program that supports formerly incarcerated students, recently told the Guardian. “People are injured, sometimes not fully prepared for fighting a wildland fire.”
This week, the number of large fires was “staggering” and had put “tremendous strain” on resources not just in California, but throughout western states, said Sean Kavanaugh, Cal Fire incident commander. Nevada and Arizona, for example, battled sizable blazes this week as a heatwave swept the west.
In the Santa Cruz mountains south of San Francisco, about 1,000 firefighters were battling a fire 10 times the size they typically would cover, said Dan Olsen, a Cal Fire spokesman.
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An aircraft drops fire retardant on a ridge during the LNU Lightning Complex fire in Healdsburg, California.

An aircraft drops fire retardant on a ridge during the LNU Lightning Complex fire in Healdsburg, California. Photograph: Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images
Officials noted that the LNU fires were the state’s biggest priority, but whereas about 5,000 firefighters were deployed to the Mendocino complex fire in 2018, only 1,400 were available to battle the largest of the blazes currently burning California.
Three bodies were found on Thursday in a burned home in Napa county, said Henry Wofford, a sheriff’s spokesman.
A man died in neighboring Solano county, and a Pacific Gas & Electric utility worker was found dead in a vehicle in the Vacaville area. Also on Wednesday, a helicopter pilot died in a crash while dropping water on a blaze in Fresno county.

The climate crisis has already arrived. Just look to California’s abnormal wildfires
Alastair Gee
Read more
Smoke and ash billowing from the fires has fouled the air throughout the San Francisco Bay area and along California’s scenic central coast. Health officials, who have been advising residents that outdoor spaces are safer than indoors amid the coronavirus pandemic, said this week to stay inside.
Officials warned that air pollution, which has billowed all the way over to the Great Plains in the middle of the country, will render those with respiratory conditions, who face an elevated risk of complications from Covid-19, doubly vulnerable. Growing evidence also suggests that pollution might aggravate the spread of the virus, or worsen its toll.
The fires have also strained the state’s public health resources, already stretched by the struggle to contain a recent surge in coronavirus cases. And those who have been forced to flee their homes have had to weigh the risks of staying with friends and family, or at evacuation centers – where they risk exposure to the virus.
Agencies contributed reporting
 
jward

jward

passin' thru
Housecarl said:


CAL FIRE SCU
@calfireSCU

#SCULightningComplex | Evacuation Warning | Alameda County 08.22.20
6:42 PM · Aug 22, 2020·Twitter Web App

75
Retweets and comments
82
Likes




Penny
@PennyATallman
·
16m

Replying to
@calfireSCU
Good job guys, thank you for the map.








Gordon Lister
@WhiskerzzFife
·
15m

Replying to
@calfireSCU
Just got the Push notification so thank you very much for posting a map! Much appreciated, stay safe Folks!








Hank Gurdjieff
@pudnubbly
·
11m

Replying to
@calfireSCU
URL to map:

SCU Lightning Complex Evacuation Viewer
nifc.maps.arcgis.com







heckabluntstho
@heckabluntstho
·
6m

this link isn't up to date.. area being evacuated isn't marked in yellow on it








Tony Nelson
@tonyjnel
·
9m

Replying to
@calfireSCU
What do the yellow and red regions represent? A legend in the map would be super helpful.








Standpipe Flow Test
@StandpipeFlows
·
6m

True; red is an evacuation order, yellow is an evacuation warning.








Rudy
@R_Gomez12
·
4m

Replying to
@calfireSCU
Misleading alert by
@Google
, shows entire city of Tracy
Image






nebulaical
@nebulaical
·
2m

Replying to
@calfireSCU
The link to the map is showing a different evacuation warning area than the screen shots posted in your tweet. I can’t tell if I’m in the evac warning area or not
Click to expand...

Still looks like the warnings for Tracy are misleading, but Alemeda county issued an evac for the area below, effective immediately
#SCULightningComplex | Evacuation Order | Alameda County 08.23.20
1598178389377.png
 
West

West

Senior
I have to point out. In California one needs to jump through hoops even to clean up and cut down dead or dieing old growth and under brush. Environmental impact studies needs to be done, and if it's on private property if they find a yellow legged tree frog or endangered flower, forget about it, now you can't do nothing on your property.

Most of California is state, fed, or leased lands by giant companies like fruit growers, R.R., etc... and most of those lands are tied up in Californias hands and people off approach. The majority of Californias land management systems is hands off now!
Stupid IMHO!

Also the state has killed the logging industry (including replanting evergreens, that was a industry too!) To save a frigging owl that was a lie. The spotted owl does best in areas that was clear cutted then replanted!

Also to buy gas that has no corn squeezing in it to run chainsaws is $10 a gallon plus illegal polluters. On and on..

California has had bad droughts before, and the pine beetles have always been bad. Underbrush in and near Napa use to be a full time job ti keep clear and clean by the CCCs and alike in times past.

IMHO this is mostly a man made problem or at least a hands off mandated problem and now political.

It's all gotta burn now. I see more and worse fires in California and father north, and they will let it all burn.
 
SSTemplar

SSTemplar

Veteran Member
West said:
I have to point out. In California one needs to jump through hoops even to clean up and cut down dead or dieing old growth and under brush. Environmental impact studies needs to be done, and if it's on private property if they find a yellow legged tree frog or endangered flower, forget about it, now you can't do nothing on your property.

Most of California is state, fed, or leased lands by giant companies like fruit growers, R.R., etc... and most of those lands are tied up in Californias hands and people off approach. The majority of Californias land management systems is hands off now!
Stupid IMHO!

Also the state has killed the logging industry (including replanting evergreens, that was a industry too!) To save a frigging owl that was a lie. The spotted owl does best in areas that was clear cutted then replanted!

Also to buy gas that has no corn squeezing in it to run chainsaws is $10 a gallon plus illegal polluters. On and on..

California has had bad droughts before, and the pine beetles have always been bad. Underbrush in and near Napa use to be a full time job ti keep clear and clean by the CCCs and alike in times past.

IMHO this is mostly a man made problem or at least a hands off mandated problem and now political.

It's all gotta burn now. I see more and worse fires in California and father north, and they will let it all burn.
Click to expand...
Kind of a pay me now or pay me latter and latter has come around.
 
Millwright

Millwright

Knuckle Dragger
_______________
Sheriff: Looters Arrested for Targeting Homes of California Wildfire Evacuees

Five suspected looters were arrested Friday for targeting homes in Santa Cruz County, California, whose owners had evacuated due to the wildfires.
“Jose Gandarilla, Susana Luna, Crystal Araujo, Sara Loretz and Crystle Parstch-Lucchesi were all arrested on charges including looting, grand theft, conspiracy to commit crime and burglary,” according to KRON 4.
Friday night, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office posted mugshots of the suspects:

Ef_jk9TUcAAy469



“We will never stop protecting this County,” the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post, adding that the five suspects victimized community members who were already hurting:
This morning we received reports of looters in the Fall Creek Drive area. Deputies attempted to stop two cars in the area – one of the cars stopped, but the other attempted to flee and ended up in a ditch.
…
In no way are we leaving these areas unsecured, we are doing our best and will continue to do our best and if you come to victimize our community you will see that.
Click to expand...
A shelter in Santa Cruz reached capacity on Saturday as fires continued to rage, killing at least five residents and burning down hundreds of homes, according to UPI.
The report stated:
The CZU August Lightning Complex fires in San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties is the third-largest group of fires among hundreds of wildfires statewide, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. It has injured two people and burned through 63,000 acres with 5% containment. It has destroyed nearly 100 structures and forced approximately 77,000 people to evacuate.
Click to expand...
Evacuee Michael Martyn, who was staying at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, said it was nice to have somewhere to go but the unknown was what really hurt.
“It’s going to be bad … when you really get down to the nitty gritty and find out the results of this fire, it’s going to be devastating, devastating,” he commented.
Reinforcements from multiple states arrived in California on Friday as more than 12,000 firefighters along with helicopters and air tankers battled the flames, according to the Associated Press.
“We have more people but it’s not enough,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom (D). “We have more air support but it’s still not enough and that’s why we need support from our federal partners.”

www.breitbart.com

Sheriff: Looters Arrested for Targeting Homes of CA Wildfire Evacuees

Five suspected looters were arrested Friday for targeting homes in California whose owners had evacuated due to the wildfires.
www.breitbart.com www.breitbart.com
 
W

waterdog

Senior Member
Remember Smoky the bear? When I was a little kid I Knew he was full of crap. Never started a forest fire yet but he used to tell me everyday "only you can prevent forest fires" Heh Heh
 
naturallysweet

naturallysweet

Has No Life - Lives on TB
My sister lives North of San Francisco. She said that last night someone was setting fires in the Novato area on a hillside. Might have been connected to a car theft, as a diversion. Or just happened at the same time. Either way, she wasn't sleeping. She's already surrounded by fires and packing in case she has to flee.
 
jward

jward

passin' thru
naturallysweet said:
My sister lives North of San Francisco. She said that last night someone was setting fires in the Novato area on a hillside. Might have been connected to a car theft, as a diversion. Or just happened at the same time. Either way, she wasn't sleeping. She's already surrounded by fires and packing in case she has to flee.
Click to expand...

We'll add you and yours to the prayer circle. Looks like that area is relatively fire free for now, but of course that can change in an instant.
.. I feel for her, I still wake up in a panic occasionally, having dreamnt I smelled smoke and the barn was on fire : (
 
LilRose8

LilRose8

Veteran Member
LilRose8 said:
I have friends in the hills above Santa Cruz who have valiantly worked for days to clear trees and brush away from their property, but have had to finally evacuate this evening. I was fearful they would not make it out on time since there is only one road in, but the last I heard, they were leaving.
Click to expand...
Update on my friends...they left in their Jeep but had to leave their motor home behind because it had not been driven in 3 years and the tires were shot. I am sad that they will lose their home. Their boss, the owner of the property stayed behind. So far, they have not had word on his safety. The fires are raging in the hills above Santa Cruz and I fear for that mans safety.
 
T

Troke

On TB every waking moment
waterdog said:
Remember Smoky the bear? When I was a little kid I Knew he was full of crap. Never started a forest fire yet but he used to tell me everyday "only you can prevent forest fires" Heh Heh
Click to expand...
You don't think people start forest fires?

Interesting
 
jward

jward

passin' thru
..remember this is just one of a half dozen or more "complexes"- the whole of the state was advised to be prepared to evacuate..

Incidents | CAL FIRE

www.fire.ca.gov www.fire.ca.gov
CZU Complex: 70-Year-Old Man Dies in Santa Cruz County as Flames Grow to 78K Acres

By NBC Bay Area staff • Published August 23, 2020 • Updated 11 mins ago



CZU-Complex-1.jpg

The CZU Complex Fire raging through Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties turned deadly Sunday with the discovery of a 70-year-old man’s body. NBC Bay Area’s Marianne Favro has the details.
At least five fires burning in San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties have scorched at least 78,000 acres and prompted evacuation orders for more than 77,000 people, according to Cal Fire. On Sunday, Cal Fire announced that one person has died as a result of the blaze
You can view a Cal Fire map of current incidents here.
The fires, which are collectively referred to as the CZU August Lightning Complex, started last Monday night, Cal Fire said. The flames have destroyed 231 structures and threaten 24,323 more.
As of Monday morning, the flames were 13% contained, Cal Fire said. Officials also said four people have been reported missing.
On Sunday evening, authorities said the body of a 70-year-old man was recovered at the end of Last Chance Road in Santa Cruz County. A spokesperson for Cal Fire said that it took a helicopter to recover the body from the heavily fire-damaged area. The identity of the man is being withheld pending notification of family members.

brush fires 12 hours ago
Live Blog: Wildfires Continue to Rage, Evacuations Mount in Bay Area

california wildfires 11 hours ago
LNU Complex: Wildfires in Napa, Sonoma, Solano Counties Burn Over 347K Acres
More than 350 firefighters are working to stop the spread as San Mateo Sheriff’s deputies went door to door evacuating several communities. Three out of the 350 firefighters were transported to a local hospital with injuries, but are expected to be OK.
Cal Fire urged people to not enter the evacuation zones as it takes firefighters away from battling the blaze.
California State Parks announced Sunday it's closing all campgrounds at state parks and beaches in Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties due to safety concerns as the CZU Complex Fire continues to burn through the region. Closures will go into effect Monday and are expected to last until August 31. Reservation holders will be given a full refund.
CZU-AUG23.jpg

In Boulder Creek on Friday, resident Eric Sharping is one of the last holdouts. He set up his lawn sprinkler to continuously soak his home, as well as his neighbor's house.
"We've been for the last three days watching the sky and looking for embers," Sharping said.
Firefighters from many different agencies have been trying to stop the progress of the oncoming flames, but hot spots continue to pop up.
"I'm terrified," Boulder Creek resident Lyle Wollert said. "I haven't slept in three nights."
On Thursday night, three people who had not evacuated had to be rescued, fire officials said.
It potentially could be weeks before residents are allowed back to their homes, Cal Fire said.




4:03
Firefighters Gain Containment as CZU Complex Fire Grows to 57K Acres
Fire crews are making progress Friday night on the CZU Lightning Complex Fire in the Santa Cruz mountains with some containment, but unfortunately more homes have been lost. Sergio Quintana reports.
The ongoing fires are something new to some residents of the area like Marianne Conner who said she never had to evacuate before.
“We’ve been here almost 50 years, and we've never had to do it."
Lisa Saum was camping in Butano State Park when other campers told her she had to evacuate.
“I took about an hour to pack everything up,” she said.
One big issue is that many homeowners couldn’t see the smoke. Trudy Heirst, who lives in Butano, only noticed when she went to town.
“I said, ‘wait a minute, that’s over by where I live.’ When I went back I said, ‘oh my gosh, it’s there,” she said. “We’re so deep in the redwoods that you can’t really see the smoke that much. You can see up but you can’t really see across.”
As the fires continue to grow, residents have been ordered to evacuate and consider going to a family member or friend's house before making the decision to go to an evacuation center.
For some people, however, that's not an option.
"I'm not going to no big center with a bunch of people," a Scotts Valley resident said. "I'll stay hanging out here at the parking lot in my car before doing that."
The view of the fires in San Mateo/Santa Cruz counties from the evacuation center at Pescadero High School. #CalFire ⁦@CALFIRECZU⁩ pic.twitter.com/YEIM5xjCOs
— Ian Cull (@NBCian) August 19, 2020
Click to expand...
Authorities tweeted road closures are in place at the following locations:
  • State Route 35 from State Route 84 to State Route 9
  • State Route 84 from State Route 35 to State Route 1
  • State Route 1 from Tunitas Creek Road to Shaffer Road
  • Pescadeo Creeo Road between Alpine & Cloverdale Rd
  • Colverdale Rd between Pescadero Creek Road & Gazos Creek
  • Alpine Road between Pescadero Creek Road & Skyline
  • Whitehouse Canyon Road at Highway 1
  • Portola Heights Road at Skyline
ROAD CLOSURES:
•Pescadero Creek Road btwn Alpine & Cloverdale Rd
•Cloverdale Rd btwn Pescadero Creek Road & Gazos Creek
•Alpine Road btwn Pescadero Creek Road & Skyline
•Whitehouse Canyon Road at Highway 1
•Portola Heights Road at Skyline #CZUAugustLightningComplex
— County of San Mateo (@sanmateoco) August 19, 2020
Click to expand...
Animals have begun to be evacuated as well due to the fires. Here's a breakdown by officials:
So far 1,000+ people evacuated due to #SanMateoCounty #CZUAugustLightningComplex including:
26 horses
4 mules
2 mini horses
24 goats
1 Scottish highland cow
300 turkeys
100 pigs
Need help w/ large animal evacuation? Call HMB Feed & Fuel: 650-450-0520,650-450-0516 or 650-773-8780 https://t.co/imvuhoHuEh
— County of San Mateo (@sanmateoco) August 19, 2020
Click to expand...
If you need assistance with your pets, you can contact the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA.
We are providing assistance to pet owners affected by the fires & evacuations in San Mateo County. Evacuated pet owners who need sheltering for their animals can bring them to our shelter at 12 Airport Blvd in San Mateo. Please call us at 650-340-7022 for questions. pic.twitter.com/y6SXcpQz9F
— PHS/SPCA (@PeninsulaHumane) August 19, 2020
Click to expand...
www.nbcbayarea.com

CZU Complex: Wildfire in San Mateo, Santa Cruz Counties 100% Contained

Multiple fires burning in San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties scorched 86,509 acres and were 100% contained Tuesday, according to Cal Fire.
www.nbcbayarea.com www.nbcbayarea.com
 
jward

jward

passin' thru

https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2020/8/18/scu-lightning-complex/
..again, this is just one of the many "complexes". The www.fire.ca.gov is the most up to date aggregater of fire details for all of them, and includes all the info on warnings, evacs, road closures, etc..



CAL FIRE
@CAL_FIRE
25m

#SCULightningComplexin Santa Clara County, Alameda County, Contra Costa County, San Joaquin County, and Stanislaus County is 347,196 acres and 10% contained.
@calfireSCU
https://fire.ca.gov/incidents/2020
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1297901535427301376
View: https://twitter.com/CAL_FIRE/status/1297901535427301376?s=20
 
marsh

marsh

On TB every waking moment
fires.jpg (Does not include southern CA fires, I heard that they are letting the fire burn into Susanville in the upper NE corner as there are no forces left to fight it.
 
dioptase

dioptase

Veteran Member
Thank God that the expected dry lightning didn't occur yesterday/today. But so much damage, and not much progress thus far containing the fires. I did read on another forum (posted by a Santa Cruz resident) that they now have a fire break to the west of Santa Cruz and UC Santa Cruz, so that's something.
 
West

West

Senior
marsh said:
View attachment 216456 (Does not include southern CA fires, I heard that they are letting the fire burn into Susanville in the upper NE corner as there are no forces left to fight it.
Click to expand...

Oh my goodness, that's awful! But its gotta burn, or decompose.

To bad politicians think trees and underbrush never dies and old growth lives forever.
 
Melodi

Melodi

Disaster Cat
At least I have heard several reports now that the redwood grove that burned survived (Oldest California State Park), under "natural" conditions the trees use fire as one of their two means of reproduction but the worry was that with these super-hot firestorms the trees sometimes burn to the ground.

Then the only hope is to plant new redwoods and wait a few decades, the ones we planted 16 years ago now look good, but probably need a least 20 more years before they are in any way "majestic" rather than "cute."
 
West

West

Senior
Here is a old piece that speaks many truths, and yet California has done nothing to bring back the industry it destroyed.

www.cnbc.com

California timber industry may be a 'piece of the puzzle' to help reduce state's raging wildfires

As California wildfires rage, politicians, timber companies and environmentalists are debating whether to thin overly dense forest lands that fuel the state's deadly infernos.
www.cnbc.com www.cnbc.com

The money quote...

"It estimates there was an average of 40 trees per acre in the Sierras roughly 150 years ago but puts that number today at hundreds of trees per acre"

Clear cutting is selective cutting BTW. And slightly terracing the land scape before replanting, then the greenhouses that grow seedlings is also a industry, then thining and using thrash to make bio diesel to fuel the mills (another industry), on and on...

Surprised they printed the above truths.
 
dioptase

dioptase

Veteran Member
Some slight creeping progress in the containment overnight: Bay Area wildfire updates: Weather helps crews get a handle on blazes Monday night

Apparently not all is lost for the REDWOODS California fires: Burned redwoods at Big Basin, other parks will recover soon, experts say , but many of the trees lost in these fires are not redwoods, but native CA oaks. Big Basin SP, for example, and many of the trees in the Santa Cruz mountains would predominately be redwoods, iirc. (I've only been to Big Basin once.) Further inland and up north, however, the predominate trees would be the oaks, and THOSE won't be recovering from the fire. :(
 
G

gillmanNSF

Veteran Member
The Woodward fire at Pt Reyes on the coast north of San Francisco was 93% contained today. It's been the source of most smoke in Marin county and east as well as south in San Francisco. It's been a brutal weekend. Temps in the City up to 100 degrees, no one has AC and depending on what part of the City you live in, the windows are closed to keep out the smoke. Inside is hotter than outside and more humid. It's like being locked up in a hot box. Hazardous air quality outside, hot box inside.

Saturday night was the worst when the AQI suddenly shot upwards of 200 starting in the middle of the City, right where we live, and stayed high all night long. Sleep was not good. Tonight, it's the opposite. AQI in the middle of the City, under 90, is lower than the rest of the city. Temp is still at around 81 degrees at 10:30 pm.

Covid, lock down, riots, curfew, hazardous smoke and extreme heat, make me think we are under chastisement and testing for the Faithful. My parish has been having 4 outdoor Masses per scheduled Mass times each weekend, with the Church open for 24-hour Adoration, personal prayer, and the Sacrament of Reconciliation even through the lightning, rain, smoke and heat, while many parish churches have remained shuttered all summer long. Please remember there is a remnant in this City that is actively caring for the less fortunate just as there probably is in every big city across America.
 
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jward

jward

passin' thru
I'm sorry to hear it continues to be so rough in your area, gillman. Wonderful to learn how dedicated your church is to providing care and comfort through out this ordeal, though.
I'll be adding you and your area to the prayers streaming upward!
 
hiwall

hiwall

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Over 700,000 acres have burned in Arizona this year and it never gets mentioned. AZ is still burning.
Colorado is burning with almost countless fires.
 
Melodi

Melodi

Disaster Cat
This was on Leslie's public Facebook page so I decided it could go here (I almost put it in the bomb shelter) - Leslie lived many years in the Bay Area before moving to the Southwest. I take her seriously when she posts something like this (and yep this is the musician and songwriter).

I mean we kind of already knew this here on the board, but another confirmation is interesting and important.

Leslie Fish
is
xxc5bSoUYYn.png
feeling scared.
1ftShposnslored ·

Scary thought relayed to me by a California fire-fighter who prefers to remain anonymous; the biggest public secret in CA right now is the number of fires that were *deliberately set* by human agencies. Motives are matters of speculation, including the state's insistence on secrecy.

Her other observation in the same thread, which I also found to be true (and so do my friends who spent more than my 6 years there, some of whom lived in Northern Ca their entire lives: (Melodi)

Leslie Fish
I used to live in the Bay Area. In fact, I was there for the great Berkeley Hills Fire. Drought was always a problem, but spreads like this were indeed rare. Lightning strikes in three or more different areas at the same time are decidedly peculiar.
 
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