Fires in Paradise, CA

[Uncle Jesse]

Well folks, my parents house burned to the ground yesterday. They barely made it out with their lives, some medicine, their dog and some clothes. That's how little warning they had for such a fast moving fire.

Driving out of town they passed burning cars, fires on either side of the road, and exploding propane tanks. Not the 5 gallon BBQ kind either, the "I heat my house during snowstorms" kind.

They live near a junction of the two major roads. The one they took worked, the other one had people abandon their cars to flee the fire and attempt to make it on foot. As I understand a lot of these folks didn't make it.

So far all of my friends and loved ones made it out, but many didn't. A tragic day for a beautiful mountain community which I really love.

Paradise was named "Pair O Dice" as it had so many gambling joints during the gold rush era. People there are proud, stubborn and kind and I know they will take care of each other while they rebuild.

[MoonBreath]

Ohh man, Jesse my heart just dropped readn that..
Very thankfully they're alive and uninjured.
I will say a prayer now and later.

[just sayin]

Glad to hear your love one made it out, Uncle Jesse! I saw pictures of that fire from space this morning. Your parent lost home, pictures and treasures but if they have each other they are blessed!

[BlackStrap]

Very Sorry to hear that Jesse, You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.

[JellybeanCorncob]

The smoke is so thick down here in the Bay Area that if I didn’t know the fire was 230 miles away I’d think our mountains were on fire. A friend of mine has parents that live in Paradise. They barely made it out also. Glad your folks are safe.

[Bushman]

We passed through on our way to Hollywood hours before the fire broke out. Sorry to hear about your family but thankful they are alive.

[BoisBlancBoy]

As a firefighter it’s great to hear your loved ones are ok. There’s nothing worse then the ones that aren’t ok in these situations. My heart and best wishes go out to all of those involved!

[acfixer69]

Jesse,
Sorry to here your families loss. Glad for all your folks made it out alive. Fire is Hell's weather and no one is ready when it comes.

[HDNB]

glad to hear your folks made it out. snooping the news on Paradise it looks like they were damn lucky to survive.

[LWTCS]

Oh for heaven's sake!!
That sounds really harrowing.

All the best wishes sent.

[fizzix]

They made it out safely and for that you can be eternally grateful.
I am so sad for them and hope for a new, better home to push this behind.
Damn wildfires. Here in the Midwest we can only watch aghast.

[Blarney Stoned]

Heartfelt prayers sent.

[Bigbob]

Sorry to hear about your parents place Jesse, we also have friends that lost their places too. That fire sure took off.

[thecroweater]

Not sure how I missed this post but so to read this. I live I a high fire risk district and we are coming in to the high risk season right now with a barrage of warnings in the media on how bad this season could be.

[hellbilly007]

Glad to hear your folks made it out alive and safe. I'm sure making it out with the dog helps them feel a little better about the situation.

[Coyote]

Jesse, So glad your folks made it out, buildings will be replaced, lives never can be.
The piss poor fire management in the west simply has to change. Far too many losses
in every category. We see it hear the Oregon when 2 or 3 days go by before the fire teams
react, Clean up the forest floor, remove the brush, controlled burns, short grass planting

Prayers and God bless to your kin

Coyote

[Twisted Brick]

The piss poor fire management in the west simply has to change.

I've lived for 60+ years in southern California, which has suffered major fires in virtually every single one of those years. Given our climate, there is a reason we call it "fire season" and learn to live with them along with devastating earthquakes. It is especially unfathomable when there is loss of life and property as a result of arson (2017 Cranston fire) or carelessness.

It makes no sense to point fingers or place blame when this year's fires (no. and so. cal) were (and continue to be) whipped by insanely strong winds that no size of firefighter army nor immaculate fire management/response system could have handled. Our focus should be on the victims/survivors.

Godspeed to your parents in their recovery, Jesse.

[Tater]

Glad all are safe boss .

[thecroweater]

I came from a moderately high fire risk area to an extreme fire risk area and we've had a few already but the real fire season hasn't started yet. There are loads of causes but lightning is the biggest culprit. The last really big large scale one in this State (Victoria) is called black Saturday was in 2009. The main factors were an unusually dry season finish, extreme hot weather coupled with low humidity and strong winds this resulted in multiple fires with 180 deaths over 400 burns victim injuries and over 5,000 buildings lost. The blame game started even before the fires were extinguished firstly by the media and then politicians, heads of emergency services were the main scapegoats long with park management. The way I saw it was they worked with the system they had, things could have been done better but the conditions were such that containment of such vast fires nears impossible until weather conditions allow. Having seen some pretty savage bush/wild fires first hand up close you get a glimpse at the terrifying nature of them and the speed they can leap frog over any containment line. Hell I remember the last Grampians fire we were under constant ember and ask attack 80 kilometres away in Horsham and the air was so choking we drove a further 50 kms to stay with relatives. Even at that distance we had to use windscreen wipers to keep the ash off the windscreen and that was far from a statewide inferno. Sure after the blame game settled down some good lessons were learned and good initiatives were put in place regarding early text warnings, quick access to maps and information and ultra quick emergency service reactions to fire containment. Parks and wildlife got a freer hand on fuel reduction containment lines water access tracks and other fire mitigation measures, while the enviro-nazis were forced to face reality. The difference is quite evident in the currant fire response and an example is just a few days back where a fleet of fire trucks whizzed past me to get on top of a grass fire before it could reach and forrests. Last fire season saw one start in the forest behind me and in no time there were planes and choppers water bombing it. I'm not sure playing the blame game is of any real use but a full investigation in to cause will identify ways to reduce the risk. A fire on the scale of the black Saturday fire with those same conditions would I'm sure still be unavoidable but the terrible loss of life can be.

[TDick]

Lot of terrible pictures to see and stories to hear.

[The Baker]

I live not that far from Croweater. Not an area with lots of trees but a few years ago we had a grass fire of, maybe it was 14,000 hectares.
Really bad.

As well as what he said there has been an important change in culture.
Lot's of promotion of,'If there is danger leave BEFORE it gets real bad'. (Like, the day before).
And we have had a lot less fatalities.

Thinking of you all.

Geoff

[Coyote]

It makes no sense to point fingers or place blame when this year's fires (no. and so. cal) were (and continue to be) whipped by insanely strong winds that no size of firefighter army nor immaculate fire management/response system could have handled. Our focus should be on the victims/survivors.

Don't get me wrong Twisted Brick, I feel for the victims, what a horrific thing to live through and worse not to live though. My prayers are to everyone
in the areas and I do have relatives in the both areas.
I have lived for nearly 60 years (57)in the mountains & timber country of Eastern Oregon.
I have been on the front lines of massive wildfires. I am an hunter, a farmer, what you might call an outdoor enthusiast.
I have run cattle on timbered range, and personally seen the decline of forest and range management practices.

When the fire is burning across a stubble field ( grain field after harvesting) it moves fast and is a scary, scary thing to see or
be in the middle of. When it involves a building or home you naturally add a whole different realm of what is available in the way of fuels.
Toss in a car or pickup and well kaboom! If the fuels on the forest floor are removed fallen branches, pine needles, Volvo's - Then a fire, while fast moving,
does not do near the damage. Winds or not.

When you plug off the access roads, allow the fuels on the forest floor to accumulate until you can't walk through the area,
allow dead standing trees to number in the 100's of thousands and then toss in a couple of thousand homes that were not there 60 years ago.
I agree we need to protect the Spotted Owl, ect, but at what cost? We saved the owls and so far have lost 40 people in these fires?

Middle ground. Save both the spotted owl and the logger, the cattlemen.

Lord hear my prayers for all those suffering in the California fires, Bless them and keep them safe and strong. Amen


Coyote

[ShineonCrazyDiamond]

Friends,

I wanted to pass along some information, becuase I think it's only fair to give this family at least the opportunity to to know they can help someone in this world.

As you know, Uncle Jesse's parents lost everything in the fires in California. Home, memories, and their normal life. Uj's mother, in all that devastation, only thought of how she could help others. Even though she insisted they were fine, with their friends and insurance to help recover, her friends and family still insisted. Emulating her selflessness, they set up a fund me to donate as much as could be raised to the children that she thought of at the worst moment in her life.

Please read the donation page, at least. I will be matching my annual donation to the site, to this cause. The UJ family has given so much to us, and to those around them in all aspects of their life. I am honored to be able to help.

https://www.gofundme.com/gifts-for-camp ... ld-victims" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Thanks,

SCD

[Uncle Jesse]

Thanks, SCD. It' means a lot to me and to my family.

[Coyote]

Dave I added a bit of good tidings - I hope it helps

Merry Christmas

Coyote & Wifey

[HDNB]

bump

step it up guys. Christmas is coming and kids need toys. a lot of these folks lost everything. Kids deserve a happy Christmas.

don't have to empty the bank, every (even a) little bit helps.

[MoonBreath]

bumped alittle.