Smoke smoke everywhere

[angusparker]

The direct impact is terrible or course, but the indirect impact of the smoke on the health of vulnerable communities is probably just as great. Fires are now creating a material reduction in the quality of life of just about every Californian. In San Francisco, we can now count on about two weeks a year of debilitating, worst in the world level, air quality. I’m so sick of it on top of everything else.

[tgtaylor]

Here's a useful suggestion I received this morning:

If that pyrocumulonimbus cloud moves over you and ash starts raining down, it could be too late to outhike the fire and I would be looking for the closest lake, or the most direct path above treeline. If you see embers, you need to move like your life depends on it because you will soon be surrounded by spotfires.


Thomas

[Drew Wiley]

John - what remains of some of the old SJ&E bldgs across the little road from my old place is now a makeshift evacuee center, with everything either uphill from there or down in the canyon on high alert. The immediate area burned decades ago and is now relatively defensible grass rangeland, but they're requesting evacuation anyway, clear down to Squaw Leap at the head of Millerton Lk. Regarding certain other comments, these communities began either as logging operations in the 1880's or in relation to the very largest engineering projects in human history up to that point related to hydroelectric development. The particular power plant currently offline due to the fire once provided nearly all of LA's electricity. Resorts for those seeking cooler summer weather also began in the 1800's along what is now the Hwy 168 corridor. Those towns are still essential to the Forest Service and power generation companies, but mainly rely on an outdoor recreation economy, including skiers in winter. The nature of the terrain simply does not allow developer-style suburban sprawl like the Paradise fire area. Most of the region is uninhabited, especially past the ski resort. But one distinct problem with resort properties is that they tend to often involve time shares or seasonal occupants who are relatively naive about forest fire risks. Through the grapevine last night, I heard from locals that a number of new very expensive resort homes around Huntington Lake have burned. Further downhill in the brushier areas even more at risk you've got scattered little ranches and native American plots that have been around for not only multiple generations but potentially millennia. Cancel their fire insurance and where will they go? - nowhere! These kinds of folks are tied to the land and have already survived numerous catastrophic fires. And are all their cattle somehow going to get instantly rounded up and squeezed into some animal shelter? Again, this is very sparsely populated country. I had to walk 9 miles to visit the nearest friend my own age growing up. But those rugged areas in the Canyon are ripe with fuel which could easily ignite and almost instantly wipe out any resort communities at mid-elevation above. Chaparral brush burns on almost predictable 40 year cycles. What has dramatically changed in this case isn't suburban sprawl into brush like some Calif hotspots, but the massive global-warming related pine dieoff at mid elevations. But I'm not going to complain if a bunch of meth labs and pot or opium poppy plots get incinerated around North Fork.

[John Kasaian]

Word just came in that Inyo County shut down. Saddlebag Lake Resort closed for the season.

[tgtaylor]

Most of the national forests in the area will close at 5pm today: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/inyo/...d=FSEPRD799165; There are reports of ash falling on Donahue Pass this morning, and this is the current conditions from Muir Trail Ranch:

“We may soon be under evacuation orders here, and that would shut down our season for sure. We don't have a good projection about what this situation will look like in one or two weeks' time. With heavy smoke conditions here and our only road based exit closed, we are NOT recommending that people hike in to this area if they have any other options." MTR is a major resupply station on the JMT about a day south of Reds Meadow.

Thomas

[Vaughn]

My son is coming home today after a couple weeks of straight work for CalFire -- in the camps, not on the line. It will be good to see him.

[revdoc]

Watch out for the smoke! It's a much greater hazard then most people think. The smoke from the recent fires here in Australia probably killed far more people than the fire itself.

[Drew Wiley]

Tom - the Muir Trail Ranch is owned by a gal I grew up with. As teenagers, she and her sister spent their entire summers on horseback in the high country, catching trout, while their parents ran the dude ranch and lake ferry. Their winter ranch was right over the hill from us - a mere 2000 ft climb with a 300 vertical cliff at the top. You must have been one helluva hiker if you factor Blayney Mdws (JMT Ranch) just a day from Red's Mdw. Three high passes in between. I never have been able to figure out JMT speed hikers so zombified trying to clock time that they don't see or remember a darn thing. I always preferred the "scenic route" instead. The JMT/PCT is a freeway.

[Darren Kruger]

Press release today from the US Forest service "Forest Service Temporarily Closes Southern California National Forests, Adds Prohibitions in Others": https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r5/ne...d=FSEPRD799162

Most of California remains under the threat of unprecedented and dangerous fire conditions with a combination of extreme heat, significant wind events, dry conditions, and firefighting resources that are stretched to the limit. Due to these conditions, the USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region is announcing the following temporary closures and fire restrictions to provide for public safety and reduce the potential for human caused fire starts. They will go into effect at 5:00 pm Pacific Standard Time on Monday, September 7, 2020, and will be re-evaluated daily as conditions change.

1. Closure of the following National Forests
   
   • Stanislaus National Forest
   • Sierra National Forest
   • Sequoia National Forest
   • Inyo National Forest
   • Los Padres National Forest
   • Angeles National Forest
   • San Bernardino National Forest
   • Cleveland National Forest
2. Prohibition of the use of any ignition source on all National Forest System lands (campfires, gas stoves, etc.) throughout California.
3. Closure of all developed campgrounds and day-use sites on National Forests in California.

[John Kasaian]

The fire is now burning West Village in Shaver Lake.