Southern California is Burning

Slartibartfast wrote:   Very thoughtful post.  Here in the Georgia/Florida area we've been having drought and wildfire problems this season.  In other seasons, hurricanes.  But to my memory the wildfires around here are a recent problem.  I've lived here since '72 and this is the first year smoke from distant wildfires ever saturated the area.  They haven't effected houses to the extent that Califonia has been hit.

Hi Peter, I like your take on things, also my sympathies go to those effected. I just don't think people should take advantage of this and use it to push a pre-determined political agenda.

Edited by Easy Money - October 24 2007 at 00:55

This is nature reclaiming itself. We cannot control it forever. If we try to mess with it, it will mess with us on a far greater scale.

Um guys lived here all my life.  The fact is we have had below normal rainfall for two year straight with last year only netting 3.5 inches.  This area is surrounded by mountains as high as 8000 ft along with the accompanying foothills right up to the Ocean.  We are not flat. These hills grow scrub brush that dies out every summer even in wet years.  When the winds come it lowers humidity to less than 10%.  A spark is all you need to set these off.  You could make a case for overpopulation but really someone would be affected somewhere when these things happen.  The only difference would be the fires would burn more acres until they reached homes as they did when I was a kid.

Edited by Garion81 - October 24 2007 at 00:53

Most of these fires were started by sick individuals who get a kick out of watching the destruction they've incurred, Not by mother nature. October is always bad in California, When the warm Santa Ana winds start to blow and the humidity is low, Arson fires are to be expected. Thankfully the low pressure will be coming back in and we might have some rain by the weekend which could quell these fires. I hope they catch the degenerates who started the fires. 

this fire is all over the news in the UK,  what a tragedy, our thoughts are with the suffering, and hope it stops soon.  

I have JJ the last big one was just 4 years ago. It truley looks like a warzone.  I remember after the last one and driving by the mountains that were burnt black 

Edited by Garion81 - October 24 2007 at 18:29

Nice post.  And to add to your last remark your forest fires were probably not started by arson! 

Garion81 wrote: I have JJ the last big one was just 4 years ago. It truley looks like a warzone.  I remember after the last one and driving by the mountains that were burnt black    I was just outside a few minutes ago and it must have been 90-92 with no humidty at all.  At least the wind died down. Saw smoke coming from a new horizon just due west of where I work.

Edited by JJLehto - October 24 2007 at 22:42

The arson really is sick. If I started a fire that ended up becoming one of these, I'd probably throw myself into it... disgusting.