Paradise CA fire escape vids

We have friends from Paradise. They left Cali for here, his job was relocated back out to Cali so they moved back. The husband was gone during the evac; the wife got a call telling her she had "15 minutes" to evacuate. She packed up her kids, grabbed everything she could, and drove to Sacramento. Their house has been destroyed.
 
Chuckman said:
We have friends from Paradise. They left Cali for here, his job was relocated back out to Cali so they moved back. The husband was gone during the evac; the wife got a call telling her she had "15 minutes" to evacuate. She packed up her kids, grabbed everything she could, and drove to Sacramento. Their house has been destroyed.
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Man that sucks! I have friends there. They are OK, but lost other friends, and know many people have lost everything.
 
I've never lived in an area that could be threatened like that. How do you get yourself in that situation? Is it like the fire is several miles away, then suddenly, embers jump it to where you are? Or is it like the hurricanes, where traffic is backed up for hours, and you just can't get out?

The first one, parents were almost hysterical and didn't do much to help their kids. Second one, dad was outwardly cool and that kept the kids from panicking. He showed remarkable composure in those circumstances.
 
MostWanted said:
I've never lived in an area that could be threatened like that. How do you get yourself in that situation? Is it like the fire is several miles away, then suddenly, embers jump it to where you are? Or is it like the hurricanes, where traffic is backed up for hours, and you just can't get out?

The first one, parents were almost hysterical and didn't do much to help their kids. Second one, dad was outwardly cool and that kept the kids from panicking. He showed remarkable composure in those circumstances.
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Both. Those fires are wind controlled. Dry tinder and high winds is a recipe for disaster.


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Lousy land management. Stupid laws reduced the amount of forest thinning and controlled burns that used to keep wildland from becoming a danger to people and property.

From the Wall Street Journal: “One problem for landowners is disposing of deadwood. Dozens of biomass facilities that burn tree parts that can’t be used for lumber have closed due to emissions regulations and competition from subsidized renewables and cheap natural gas.

Horrible for the people that are suffering because of government interference - governor moonbeam blaming climate change.

Interesting point from former California Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, who now lives in Texas,.
https://twitter.com/ChuckDeVore/sta...gement-is-leading-to-bigger-california-fires/
 
MostWanted said:
I've never lived in an area that could be threatened like that. How do you get yourself in that situation? Is it like the fire is several miles away, then suddenly, embers jump it to where you are? Or is it like the hurricanes, where traffic is backed up for hours, and you just can't get out?

The first one, parents were almost hysterical and didn't do much to help their kids. Second one, dad was outwardly cool and that kept the kids from panicking. He showed remarkable composure in those circumstances.
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Its actually amazing how fast they can go. So, you see something 10 miles away. You know it's another place that would take you 45 mins/hour minutes to drive to. Its a LONG way away. All you see is some smoke. Go take a shower. Come out and make some coffee. Look out the window and it's now 1 mile away and one ridge over. It's can go down that hill quickly and come up your hill at 60mph+ (or even more). It travels as the bird flies and many people think in terms of driving/roads.

By the time fall hits CA, it sometimes hasn't rained in maybe a 6-10 months. Those "Golden Hills" are just starched dry grass and old dried fallen oak and timber. Coupled with the fact that a lot of these communities are way out in the country and small twisty roads, etc.

It's surprising how fast they can move!
 
CA has about legislated themselves into a box canyon. You can't burn any underbrush that would keep these fires from becoming so big so they reap the result, HUGH fking fires every year. Nobody in CA can figure out how to stop them because they created the laws that kept the fires burning bright.

I gotta be honest here, I'm getting more than a little sick and tired of paying inflated insurance premiums because of the GD tree hugger's in CA and their constant fires and then the idiots along the east coast that MUST have their beach front second homes that get wiped out with every damned hurricane so they can collect the insurance and rebuild, over and over and over..... Not learning from history are you???
I'll be happy when insurance is no longer available for these people that keep rebuilding in dangerous areas that keep getting hit year after year. They have to learn somehow, let's make it the hard way.....
 
They found Colleen's grandma at the local fairgrounds in her robe and slippers a couple days ago. She managed to grab her purse and wander out the door just in time to watch her home burn to the ground... Scary shite...
 
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I can remember my hunting buddy back in the 80's going out there to fight the big fires back then. He said if they don't change their management practices, the places that didn't burn were going to be crazy.... he called them Nuke fires, cause the fire would just ride the wind like the slow motion of the nuclear blasts....

He was right....
 
CNN 10 showed stuff about this yesterday, I paused it to show them some of these...incredible footage. Scary and also amazing to see. I cant imagine driving and there being fire on both sides of the road, cars on the side engulfed etc

My thoughts go out to those folks who lost it all
 
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Also, godspeed all those first responders out there!
 
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MostWanted said:
I've never lived in an area that could be threatened like that. How do you get yourself in that situation? Is it like the fire is several miles away, then suddenly, embers jump it to where you are? Or is it like the hurricanes, where traffic is backed up for hours, and you just can't get out?

The first one, parents were almost hysterical and didn't do much to help their kids. Second one, dad was outwardly cool and that kept the kids from panicking. He showed remarkable composure in those circumstances.
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Basically all the thoughts I had also
 
PG&E is being blamed for the Camp Fire, but as noted in this thread, between the dry weather, regulations and forestry management practices, CA has created a powder keg waiting for a match. If it wasn't PG&E, some other match would have come along.
 
PG&E will get sued and then turn around and recover the settlements by raising their rates on everyone in CA.
 
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When one house is lost, homeowner or his insurance pays for it. But when a lot of houses are lost to fire/flood/earthquake, President flies over the town and throws out big piles of borrowed money. All so he can be seen on the news as engaged, or caring. It's not right.
 
And to make matters more interesting PG&E stock plummeted more than 60% since the wildfires began the morning of November 8
 
12151791 said:
And to make matters more interesting PG&E stock plummeted more than 60% since the wildfires began the morning of November 8
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Because everyone is anticipating the wave of lawsuits, some of which have already been filed. The company fully drew down its revolving loan facilities this week, which further spooked the market.

That said, something may have happened in the last hour, as the stock has bounced.
 
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This guys story might be the most guttural and viscerally infuriating thing I have ever heard. If it were me, the trooper would have had two options. Move or shoot me. My God, my wife is my responsibility and no man would keep me from that while I was still breathing. You have to listen to the audio. Its gut wrenching.


https://www.npr.org/2018/11/17/6687...re-man-launches-wrenching-search-for-his-wife



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NKD said:
Its actually amazing how fast they can go. So, you see something 10 miles away. You know it's another place that would take you 45 mins/hour minutes to drive to. Its a LONG way away. All you see is some smoke. Go take a shower. Come out and make some coffee. Look out the window and it's now 1 mile away and one ridge over. It's can go down that hill quickly and come up your hill at 60mph+ (or even more). It travels as the bird flies and many people think in terms of driving/roads.

By the time fall hits CA, it sometimes hasn't rained in maybe a 6-10 months. Those "Golden Hills" are just starched dry grass and old dried fallen oak and timber. Coupled with the fact that a lot of these communities are way out in the country and small twisty roads, etc.

It's surprising how fast they can move!
Click to expand...
Superheated wood goes fast. Reminds me of this disaster :
 
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chiefjason said:
This guys story might be the most guttural and viscerally infuriating thing I have ever heard. If it were me, the trooper would have had two options. Move or shoot me. My God, my wife is my responsibility and no man would keep me from that while I was still breathing. You have to listen to the audio. Its gut wrenching.


https://www.npr.org/2018/11/17/6687...re-man-launches-wrenching-search-for-his-wife



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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As I frequently joke about...but this time it would have been for real; I’d have been on the news that night, and it wouldn’t have been in interview form.

The dude should have used that 3500lb motorized battering ram, post haste. If they pursue him up the hill, great. He’ll need emergency help when he gets there.

I feel for the guy—horrible end to the story. But damn it man, grow a pair and take control of the situation when shit is on the line like that.
 
The woman in that first video is not helping her kids stay calm. She is freaking out, which is somewhat understandable, but she just needed to stay quiet.

Only forest fire that I have been close to evacuating for was the fire in Botetourt County, VA when I was in high school. The fire was on the backside of the mountain we lived on and you could the crews at the top of the ridge fighting it from a utility road. You don’t ever forget your mom telling you to come home and pack some stuff in case y’all have to bolt. My dad was one of the first two volunteer firefighters responding to the fire. It looked like it was snowing the ash was so thick. I can’t imagine what those blazes look like up close.
 
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