Fire season has started in the West

We get one or two, too. . . https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-44634023

Looks bad, and not easy to fight without being able to call on the air tankers, retardant drops, and other wildland fire resources that are available here :frowning:

Dry peat means you can beat it out on the surface but it burns away invisibly and springs up again when the wind changes. . . you have to get a lot of water on it.

The current big one going in California is the Pawnee Fire.

Acres Burned - Containment: 13,700 acres - 30% contained
Structures Threatened: 600
Structures Destroyed: 22

http://www.fire.ca.gov/current_incidents/incidentdetails/Index/2080

I agree that peat fires are almost impossible to extinguish, the same as coal in bing heaps, without the help of weather. However, it is so rare in the UK that they do not have the equipment or personnel training. This country has 2 or 3 fixed-wing tanker aircraft (small, not Canadairs) and 3 helicopters, as well as ground staff and equipment for brush and forest. The aim is to start ground intervention within 20-30 min, so most fires are contained rapidly with maybe only a hectare or two destroyed. We’ve had one big one this year with large-scale destruction (several km

Today’s newspaper report just 2 hours after the start of the brush fire with major fighting facilities:

[quote]A large fire broke out in Ypsonas close to Limassol general hospital just after 1pm on Saturday.

The Fire Service spokesperson Andreas Kettis said that the

The approach has changed here in recent years, used to be send an engine and see what happens, now it’s an immediate full on response.

I was wondering where all the smoke was coming from yesterday and today. Firefighters are battling a 32,500 acre fire about 60 miles north of me and the smoke and ash is drifting down into the bay area. We went to San Francisco today and after being parked in a lot for about an hour, we came out and noticed a light layer of ash all over the cars.

http://abc7news.com/smoke-advisory-issued-for-bay-area-due-to-wildfires/3687125/

http://www.fire.ca.gov/current_incidents/incidentdetails/Index/2101

That “County” fire is a scarily fast one, 1,000 acres/400 ha per hour 8O

Up to 60,000 acres already and only 5% contained. Not good.

I wish the rain patterns were different and all that rain we had Saturday night went your way. We have flooding in our home, sewers backed up and loss of a lot of stuff. Ankeny had 10 inches in one hour, we had 5 in 45 minutes. ARGHHHHHHHHHH only 1 death too many

July 4th tomorrow :usa Stand by for fires started by fireworks :roll:

With all the fireworks (legal and illegal) and fires we get around here on the 4th, it will be interesting to see what the AQI numbers from the PurpleAir sensor will be.

All fireworks are illegal in the county, but that doesn’t seem to stop anyone. It’ll be like WWIII tomorrow night…

And that’s the way it is around here every year. I just heard a couple of M80’s go off close by a few minutes ago. The city allows only safe and sane fireworks here and they put up signs that say they have a Zero Tolerance Policy for illegal fireworks which is a joke. They might as well put up a sign saying, “All illegal fireworks welcome”. I don’t have to go anywhere to watch an aerial fireworks show, I can just step outside and look in any direction.

I was going to mention M80’s :lol:

Same over here, niko. Currently >40 fires in the W and tonight will certainly bring more compliments of those who think the laws and common sense don’t apply to them.

The wind direction has changed and here’s the smoke from the County fire (82,700 acres).

Luckily, the marine layer kept the smoke high around 4,000 feet so we only some moderate pollution off and on. However, here is the graph that shows what our air quality was like when they started shooting off all those illegal fireworks. From about 21:00 to 22:30, the AQI here was well over 160. Other sensors around the bay area were showing the same thing and one in particular somewhere around Pacifica was well over 280.


aqichart0704.gif

L.A. Times article about the same July 4th air pollution in the southland. (Use incognito mode in Chrome if paywalled :wink: )