My state is burning to the ground.

[Logic]

I’m stuck indoors right now to avoid smoke Inhalation, because the air quality in Portland right now is the worst of any city in the world, due to the raging wildfires through the state.
 

HALF A MILLION acres of Oregon are burning right now. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced. Towns surrounding mine are evacuating as we speak.

 

The entire west coast is on fire.

 

My living room smells like a campfire, even with the windows closed. The sky is a strange, orange color. Ash is raining from the sky like snowflakes. Everything but grocery stores and doctors is closed.

 

2020 just keeps on coming, man. What a time to be alive.

 

 

[Sherlock Holmes]

41 minutes ago, Logic said:

I’m stuck indoors right now to avoid smoke Inhalation, because the air quality in Portland right now is the worst of any city in the world, due to the raging wildfires through the state.
 

HALF A MILLION acres of Oregon are burning right now. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced. Towns surrounding mine are evacuating as we speak.

 

The entire west coast is on fire.

 

My living room smells like a campfire, even with the windows closed. The sky is a strange, orange color. Ash is raining from the sky like snowflakes. Everything but grocery stores and doctors is closed.

 

2020 just keeps on coming, man. What a time to be alive.

 

 

Read a couple articles to see what's been going on...

Stay safe man!!

 

Edited September 11, 2020 by Sherlock Holmes

[WhoTom]

I hope you and your family are staying safe, Logic.

 

 

[dpberr]

I am very sorry to hear of the dangerous situation you're doing your best to get through.  Please stay safe.  

 

I know a lot of news articles say "climate change" for the wildfires, but in my opinion, it's the western states decades of refusal for controlled burn that lets these fires grow to monster infernos.  That's the fix to this problem.  You're not going to stop people from moving into the woods and there's no stopping the pine beetle.  

 

With the drought and beetle infestations, there's so much dry dead wood that should be burnt off in controlled fire to remove the hazard. 

[Mark Vader]

4 minutes ago, dpberr said:

I am very sorry to hear of the dangerous situation you're doing your best to get through.  Please stay safe.  

 

I know a lot of news articles say "climate change" for the wildfires, but in my opinion, it's the western states decades of refusal for controlled burn that lets these fires grow to monster infernos.  That's the fix to this problem.  You're not going to stop people from moving into the woods and there's no stopping the pine beetle.  

 

With the drought and beetle infestations, there's so much dry dead wood that should be burnt off in controlled fire to remove the hazard. 

Everything you say here is true.

 

The wild fires here in California have been horrendous. This past Tuesday, I'm sure you've seen the pictures, but where I lived it looked like it was sunset all day.

 

The Climate Change crowd puts all the blame on everyone else, when the real blame goes on them. The idiot politicians in this state that refuse to clear out dead trees only continue to make it unsafe here.

[Mike in Horseheads]

I saw this earlier, just awful.

20 minutes ago, dpberr said:

I am very sorry to hear of the dangerous situation you're doing your best to get through.  Please stay safe.  

 

I know a lot of news articles say "climate change" for the wildfires, but in my opinion, it's the western states decades of refusal for controlled burn that lets these fires grow to monster infernos.  That's the fix to this problem.  You're not going to stop people from moving into the woods and there's no stopping the pine beetle.  

 

With the drought and beetle infestations, there's so much dry dead wood that should be burnt off in controlled fire to remove the hazard. 

Haven't some controlled burns ended up being disasters too?

[TheElectricCompany]

24 minutes ago, dpberr said:

I am very sorry to hear of the dangerous situation you're doing your best to get through.  Please stay safe.  

 

I know a lot of news articles say "climate change" for the wildfires, but in my opinion, it's the western states decades of refusal for controlled burn that lets these fires grow to monster infernos.  That's the fix to this problem.  You're not going to stop people from moving into the woods and there's no stopping the pine beetle.  

 

With the drought and beetle infestations, there's so much dry dead wood that should be burnt off in controlled fire to remove the hazard. 

 

Like all things, there are many factors. The big three are climate change, population growth in WUIs and forest mismanagement.

 

Creating defensive space near development is absolutely necessary, but there are millions upon millions of acres of big woods in each western state that will never see a chainsaw or controlled burn.  The terrain is simply too rough, remote or locked up in wilderness areas, and I don't think the timber companies are lining up to take down beetle kill pine or juniper in the first place.  The forests will come back in time (see Yellowstone in 1988), even when it seems they have burned catastrophically (some species, like lodgepole pine, always go BIG when they burn).

 

What is happening in CA, OR and WA with entire towns getting destroyed is reminiscent of the Big Burn of 1910.

Edited September 11, 2020 by TheElectricCompany

[BillsFan4]

Stay safe! Best wishes to you, your family and friends. 
 

I have friends in California (used to live in Santa Clara). Thankfully they aren’t really in the path of any fires. 

[RochesterRob]

  Be safe and help out where you can.

[KD in CA]

30 minutes ago, Mark Vader said:

Everything you say here is true.

 

The wild fires here in California have been horrendous. This past Tuesday, I'm sure you've seen the pictures, but where I lived it looked like it was sunset all day.

 

The Climate Change crowd puts all the blame on everyone else, when the real blame goes on them. The idiot politicians in this state that refuse to clear out dead trees only continue to make it unsafe here.

 

Ironic thing is that on Tuesday, despite the Mars-like environment, the air was fine (at least in North Bay).  But the last two days -- yikes.  Worst we've had yet on air quality.   Thankfully it's cooled off significantly so we're fine keeping everything closed up.

 

 

And yes, for those not close to this, it is entirely about forest management.   It's not PG&E.  It's not climate change.  It's a hundred years of fire suppression coming home to roost.

[shrader]

Us Buffalonians have taken so much grief over the years for snow. Seeing these stories each year and any hurricane coverage, I’ll take snow all day. 

Edited September 12, 2020 by shrader

[Hapless Bills Fan]

Stay safe, man!

 

if possible pick up an air purifier

[dpberr]

17 minutes ago, TheElectricCompany said:

 

Like all things, there are many factors. The big three are climate change, population growth in WUIs and forest mismanagement.

 

Creating defensive space near development is absolutely necessary, but there are millions upon millions of acres of big woods in each western state that will never see a chainsaw or controlled burn.  The terrain is simply too rough, remote or locked up in wilderness areas, and I don't think the timber companies are lining up to take down beetle kill pine or juniper in the first place.  The forests will come back in time (see Yellowstone in 1988), even when it seems they have burned catastrophically (some species, like lodgepole pine, always go BIG when they burn).

 

What is happening in CA, OR and WA with entire towns getting destroyed is reminiscent of the Big Burn of 1910.

 

Agreed.  I think from a practical POV, the feds and states could start with the areas they can get to.  A little something is better than the doing nothing, IMO.  I think the infernos today show the result of letting the wood stack up.    It's no different from a hoarder's house with magazines and newspapers piled to the roof.  

 

I'm not saying the forests have to be clear-cut in a timber frenzy but they have to start knocking down the firewood inventory.  It'd make a difference in short order.  

 

The whole conversation needs a reboot.  Controlled burn is a lot easier on the environment than the apocalyptic inferno that kills tens - perhaps hundreds of thousands of insects, animals and plants.  We tend to fixate on our costs in lives and property but these massive blazes kill and displace a lot of woodland life.   

[Helpmenow]

My cousins left Sonoma for Salem Oregon. It follows them. 

[TheElectricCompany]

25 minutes ago, dpberr said:

 

Agreed.  I think from a practical POV, the feds and states could start with the areas they can get to.  A little something is better than the doing nothing, IMO.  I think the infernos today show the result of letting the wood stack up.    It's no different from a hoarder's house with magazines and newspapers piled to the roof.  

 

I'm not saying the forests have to be clear-cut in a timber frenzy but they have to start knocking down the firewood inventory.  It'd make a difference in short order.  

 

The whole conversation needs a reboot.  Controlled burn is a lot easier on the environment than the apocalyptic inferno that kills tens - perhaps hundreds of thousands of insects, animals and plants.  We tend to fixate on our costs in lives and property but these massive blazes kill and displace a lot of woodland life.   

 

Selective thinning is very, very expensive and would be a drop in the bucket.

 

[Logic]

Thanks sincerely to the well wishers.

 

As to the few of you who came in to push some sort of political narrative....That's pretty damned insensitive, in my opinion.

I purposely posted this thread here rather than in PPP because political discussion wasn’t really the point. It’s hard to be motivated to do a political deep dive on this topic when 10% of my state’s residents have been displaced and the ashes of dead trees and animals are raining down in my front yard and I can’t step foot outside and people are dying and I can’t breathe well.

 

For some, it may be an abstract topic to discuss dispassionately. For me, it’s sad and dangerous and ***** scary. 
 

Im not the forum police. Discuss what you want, how you want. Please at least consider being respectful and humane, and remember that people’s homes and lives are at stake and are more than just fodder for whatever political point you want to make. 

 

 

Edited September 11, 2020 by Logic

[snafu]

2 hours ago, Logic said:

I’m stuck indoors right now to avoid smoke Inhalation, because the air quality in Portland right now is the worst of any city in the world, due to the raging wildfires through the state.
 

HALF A MILLION acres of Oregon are burning right now. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced. Towns surrounding mine are evacuating as we speak.

 

The entire west coast is on fire.

 

My living room smells like a campfire, even with the windows closed. The sky is a strange, orange color. Ash is raining from the sky like snowflakes. Everything but grocery stores and doctors is closed.

 

2020 just keeps on coming, man. What a time to be alive.

 

 

 

What a nightmare.

Best of luck to you and all your neighbors!

 

[Seasons1992]

Best wishes, Logic. Stay safe and if you even feel the slightest hint of danger coming, get the hell out. Fires don't care and they move fast.

 

My company is based in Sonoma county and every year, one eye is watching fires it seems like. 

My co-worker and best friend lives in Denver, and they're getting fires also. She had to wipe off her workspace yesterday because it had ash on it. INDOORS. 

 

Crazy.

[4BillsintheBurgh]

39 minutes ago, Logic said:

Thanks sincerely to the well wishers.

 

As to the few of you who came in to push some sort of political narrative....That's pretty damned insensitive, in my opinion.

I purposely posted this thread here rather than in PPP because political discussion wasn’t really the point. It’s hard to be motivated to do a political deep dive on this topic when 10% of my state’s residents have been displaced and the ashes of dead trees and animals are raining down in my front yard and I can’t step foot outside and people are dying and I can’t breathe well.

 

For some, it may be an abstract topic to discuss dispassionately. For me, it’s sad and dangerous and ***** scary. 
 

Im not the forum police. Discuss what you want, how you want. Please at least consider being respectful and humane, and remember that people’s homes and lives are at stake and are more than just fodder for whatever political point you want to make. 

 

 

Stay safe, don't dilly dally if it's time to leave.

 

2020 is indeed a historic year. Just a few more disaster boxes to check and we'll have filled our card.

Edited September 11, 2020 by 4BillsintheBurgh

[Uncle Joe]

2 hours ago, Logic said:

I’m stuck indoors right now to avoid smoke Inhalation, because the air quality in Portland right now is the worst of any city in the world, due to the raging wildfires through the state.
 

HALF A MILLION acres of Oregon are burning right now. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced. Towns surrounding mine are evacuating as we speak.

 

The entire west coast is on fire.

 

My living room smells like a campfire, even with the windows closed. The sky is a strange, orange color. Ash is raining from the sky like snowflakes. Everything but grocery stores and doctors is closed.

 

2020 just keeps on coming, man. What a time to be alive.

 

 

I've been dealing with the smoke in the Willamette Valley since Tuesday. The east wind has changed and has started to blow the smoke towards Portland and Bend.
Still smokey here and I can't wait for the rain to arrive.
The sports bar where I watch some Bills games on the coast survived. Some of the neighboring communities were not so lucky.