The West is on Fire
Over 90 LARGE wildfires are burning in the WEST
*California
1.1 million acres have burned in California.
12,000 lightning strikes
585 fires started by lightning.
13,000 firefighters
Currently, 2 of the 3 largest wildfires in California history are happening right now.
A call has gone out to Australia and Canada for firefighter help.
Arizona, Nevada and Texas have sent crews.
There is an additional shortage of firefighters because Covid-19 has decreased the prison population therefore prison wildfire crews are limited.
Firefighters are working 24 hours straight.
Bay Area air quality is "dismal or worse"
*Colorado
!-70 has been closed since August 10th due to the Grizzly Creek Fire In Glenwood Canyon which has threatened the critical water shed area which feeds into the Colorado River. Rail service has also stopped causing major disruption of commerce from the west through to Denver .
The Pine Gulch Fire is near Grand Junction and only 19% contained and is huge.
It has been burning since July 31 and has nearly 1,000 firefighters fighting it
Nearly 130,000 acres.
*Arizona
There are 12 fires of note burning including many in the Apache and Tonto national forests which were lightning caused and have forced evacuations.
*Oregon
14 large fires are burning throughout Oregon.
Poor air quality throughout the state
@lovendures
Thanks for starting this thread. I searched and searched through topics for our previous Wildfires thread under Earth Changes, but alas our old easy search button no longer works and plowing through pages and pages of topics on my phone was too challenging.
But yes, here are again. My extended family members of cousins (two sets of families) are once again faced with keeping an eye out daily for where the fires have spread and if and when they might they be close enough to require evacuation.
When you have animals especially larger ones like horses, goats, pigs or cows it becomes a far bigger project and there's always dogs and cats and so on as well.
Here in Oregon our beautiful Hood River Area of the Gorge once again has lost a number of houses with multiple evacuations. Fire crews have finally gotten much of them under control but little ones can start up again spontaneously from winds blowing embers so their work is so constant everywhere they are prevalent in many states.
And for us even more connected our Opal Creek Ancient Foeststry Center (which is only accessible by foot) so fire trucks and personnel can not even reach the incredibly historic area with its many creeks and pools and hiking trails learning plus an old mining camp and a science center and classroom plus small lodging cabins for school age students.
It is one thing to worry about the loss of natural areas of beauty or habitat by human damage of overuse or abuse but to know that the carelessness of human campfires are almost always the cause of wildfires in the Pacific Northwest is not only heartbreaking but could have been preventable.
We also have fires in Central Oregon that threaten local areas and friends in the Sisters area. So yes, we are watching news and checking fire maps with thoughts and prayers for both Oregon and California and always think of the farther south states of Arizona and Texas as well.
Last night we had a 45 minute reprieve where the purple air went yellow and rather than smelling like burned tires it was more like a campfire. Of course it didn't last. I can usually see across the bay, but not now. We are expecting dry lightening strikes again Sunday and Monday. Let it Rain. The fires were the last straw for many I know. Barely holding it together with covid and postal service turning dismal, the fires brought tears to many. We are safe from fires I believe but the air quality may send us out of town. We have relatives here that are vulnerable, so that is always the worry.
T told our governor that we had not done as he said so he would not expedite assistance. Meaning we did not rack the forest floor enough for him. The golf course is the closest thing to nature this man knows.
@lovendures, @michele-b, @dolphinspirit I am watching news about the wildfires in the US with bated breath. Their destructive power is enormous.
Here in Australia, the poor air quality affected many (we are still feeling the effects now, although the fires are long gone). If it is any help, air purifiers were worthwhile, and masks essential even if you lived well away. Although we had been through many bushfire seasons, 2019/20 was the first time we had to pay attention to those things.
I hope you and your loved ones stay safe, and that the fires can be contained. It is a difficult time.
Love to you all.
Rescuers in military helicopters airlifted 207 people to safety over the weekend after an explosive wildfire trapped them in a popular camping area in California’s Sierra National Forest, one of dozens of fires burning amid record-breaking temperatures that strained the state’s electrical grid and for a time threatened power outages for millions.
The California Office of Emergency Services said Black Hawk and Chinook helicopters were used for the rescues that began late Saturday and continued into Sunday morning at Mammoth Pool Reservoir. At least two people were severely injured and 10 more suffered moderate injuries. Two campers refused rescue and stayed behind, the Madera County Sheriff’s Office said, and there was no immediate word on their fates.
Oregon is on fire. My own families have evacuated under a level 3 evacuation order. Friends and family from the Santiam Canyon headed North and several families are staying here in our house and even makeshift beds in our garage. Cats and dogs too
Up all night too tired getting beds ready to find links, info etc. Making do with what we have and happy we can fit them all in.
Little kids finally fell asleep but dogs are worried and pacing Smoke scented cats scared and meowing.
These are posts that got lost in the recent glitch. I don't always have the authors.
RE: Wildfires 10:56 am est Laura f
Holding you in a COOL GREEN light. May the danger end swiftly and safely.
Here in CA, we're bracing for 50mph winds and rolling blackouts...
RE: Wildfires by Jeanne Mayell
@michele-b Dear Michele, we are holding you and all of the people there in our loving arms. We are there with you, dear women.
Holding my state, and California too, in prayers for rain and prayers for safety. My heart is breaking.
We are fine here in Bend except for some smoke, but various family members and friends in other parts of the state are evacuating or preparing to evacuate. It is horrific out there!
I imagine you are like a lighthouse in a storm for everyone, only it is a fire and you are a light worker who is a beacon of safety.
We all love you and will keep you and everyone you are sheltering and nurturing in prayer and meditation.
Here’s video of Stanton, OR about 11 a.m. today: https://twitter.com/bonniesilkman/status/1303404959870849024?s=21
May God and the angels watch over all of you and keep you safe through and beyond this horror. I can’t imagine what you all are going through!
@Michele-bq
Indeed, it's Mars here in Oregon. People kept leaving work today to go pack up their homes.
Michelle, we have cots, sleeping bags, clothes, etc. 925-286-5637.
9.8.20. 3:49 pm EST
It’s almost 1PM and the street lights are on. The sky is gray orange. The smoke is above the marine layer. It’s disorienting.
I hold all of of those in evacuation and fear in loving light. May peace be with you, and your insight clear.
RE: Wildfires 9.8.20 4:46 pm
My heart is so breaking for all of the humans and animals in the path of these fires.....it strikes me these fires are symbolic of the dangers America is facing from its own government....raging like a fire out of control... denying and lying the whole time instead of the actions needed to save our country, our people..our planet. As a child my younger brother caught himself on fire and was burned over 1/3 of his body.. months followed of pain, agony and daily debriding and wrapping/redressing his burns and skin grafts and more. As the oldest daughter I had to help many times in scrubbing those burns while he soaked in a tub of solution while he screamed and begged for me to stop that it hurt too much. In my career I helped with many animals burned in house fires, wildfires. It's a horrible thing to have to go through. I have been praying and praying for all concerned and continue to do so. Holding you, loving you, praying for all.
RE: Wildfires: 9.8.20. 6:39 pm
I live a 5 hour drive away from the nearest wildfire, around 350 miles way across the boarder to California.
It smells like a strong campfire in my back yard and is hazy. The smoke is from California, not Arizona.
That is CRAZY!
I also just read that a wildfire is threatening the town of Paradise in CA. That is the town which was 90% burnt to the ground nearly 2 years ago. The place where I kept reporting about animal rescues months after the fire tore threw the town.
Hang in there everyone everyone.
This is a great read!
There are 90 MAJOR fires burning in the western United States right now.
Despite heavy coverage in the mainstream media, however, few outlets are highlighting the link between the blazes and the accelerating climate crisis.
“The fact is that TV news is completely abdicating its responsibility when it comes to telling the truth of what the West is dealing with right now,” says Leah Stokes, assistant professor of political science at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a researcher on climate and energy policy. “This is climate change. It’s not rocket science. And when will the media start calling it that?”
So much information discussed here including the fact that the Cares Act enabled a
massive fossil fuel bailout to fossil fuel companies. .
An update on fires in Oregon.
Just unbelievable.
https://www.opb.org/article/2020/09/10/live-updates-oregon-northwest-wildfires/
My heart aches for wildlife, trees, and the families trying to flee. So devastating. ? I hope there is relief soon! The pictures and video coming out of those areas are just horrifyingly sad. It makes me spitting mad that humans have caused this, yet I just want to cry for the Earth.
@avon, I hear you. I feel nausea every time I see snippets of news about it. The stories of people are horrifying, but the wild life... haven't animals suffered enough? It's enough to cry rivers.
Sending my best to you and your family. I'm in Portland and the last few days have had me on edge. We are okay here, but the air quality is literally the worst in the world. And the closest level 2 be ready to evacuate is only 17 miles away. My heart has been heavy with grief for our beautiful state and coast, the animals, the people and the land.
I always appreciate how on top of things you are.
One update to the stats here in Oregon, there are 500k who have either evacuated or are on stand by to potentially evacuate. They haven't all actually evacuated.
Nonetheless, we are on edge here and it is beyond words.
Thanks
I just read that the Gov. of Oregon announced a correction to the 500,000 as also including "on standby" to evacuate. That is a huge difference. Thanks for correcting that number here.
I can't imagine all that you guys are going through. I have been following Cowboy/Cowgirl 911 in Oregon as they attempt to rescue livestock and find places willing to house them. The Paradise CA version of that group was amazing during those fires 2 years ago. They are saving many animals during the fires and gathering up the ones who survive.
I had to share this story.
One of the fires swept through Ashland, Oregon on Tuesday leaving a lot of destruction in its wake. A young man posted this amazing video. He is a musician ( percussionist) and had spent months building his new music studio next to his home. The fire roared through and destroyed all of his neighbors and friends homes. It also destroyed his music studio and the instruments inside. He had been told his home was gone as well, but when he arrived he saw it still standing. Firefighters had dug a fire line 15 feet from his bedroom and it saved his home.
From the ashes he managed to find his vibraphone and mullet bag largely intact. I just watched him playing the vibes surrounded by smokey haze and charred ash of his studio, instruments and once beautiful landscape.
Absolutely surreal. It was sad, yet I sensed some hope too.
His name is Collin Braley and the video can be found on Facebook.
Western Washington is blanketed with smoke from the fires in Oregon and we have hazardous air quality. Everyone is staying inside. We have our own fires burning in Washington, but our hearts are breaking for Oregon, one of the most beautiful of states. We lived in Oregon and can not believe what is happening there. May our higher powers protect the people in harms way in all the West. Pray for rain.