California burning-again

[Dino Suegiù]

Originally Posted by Louis

This won't help folks with existing homes, but are people starting to build houses that are less likely to burn to the ground?

I suppose that drives up the initial cost, but would presumably lower your insurance rates.

Not "starting" at all; this kind of construction has been going on and evolving for millennia.

But, yes, in "modern" terms there is a significant sector that by necessity addresses these issues. One beautiful example among many is the house/studio the Canadian architect Barton Myers built for himself in the Santa Barbara, California fire zone. He has built many similar houses in that area, all beautiful.

1997:
Steel and concrete structure/cladding (no wood).
The house/studio/guest are separated into separate pavilions.
Rolling steel fire-doors completely cocoon/protect the structure when residents are away.
Rainwater collection pools on roofs and cisterns to cool/provide firefighting water.
External pools provide more water and cooling.
Surrounding landscape is responsibly maintained.
Access/egress routes are always clear.
This project has survived several events, relatively unscathed.

It's just responsible design, really.
If people insist on building all-wood Swiss chalet replicas in historical fire zones, with a forest of pine trees ten feet away, those structures are going to burn.


http://www.bartonmyers.com/toro_01.htm

Good video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L33we8YJWpQ

[m4rk540]

If building codes required those types of structures, then places like Paradise would have 1/20th the population. For better or worse.

Composite roofing has probably saved thousands of homes in California over the last 30 years.

[Tony]

Originally Posted by Louis

This won't help folks with existing homes, but are people starting to build houses that are less likely to burn to the ground?

I suppose that drives up the initial cost, but would presumably lower your insurance rates.

I have the same question. Lots of these homes have wood siding. Ember resistant exterior like stucco, brick, or metal siding...much better. I've seen many homes with spanish style roofs, these can be real bad, cracks and openings in the tile make it easy for the wind to drive embers inside the attic. Fire rated roofing materials should be a must in areas at risk of fire.

[MikeD]

Originally Posted by m4rk540

If building codes required those types of structures, then places like Paradise would have 1/20th the population. For better or worse.



Composite roofing has probably saved thousands of homes in California over the last 30 years.

I'm still befuddled and disturbed as to how Coffey Park in Santa Rosa (an urban housing development) burned down last year, being far from any significant combustible vegetation. An article I just read partly blamed building codes because the more stringent wildland fire codes were not applied. Coffey Park was not designated as within an at risk fire area (it is now). The article said that something as simple as screens over attic vents could keep blowing embers out of a house and prevent a fire.

[pdmtong]

Originally Posted by MikeD

I'm still befuddled and disturbed as to how Coffey Park in Santa Rosa (an urban housing development) burned down last year, being far from any significant combustible vegetation. An article I just read partly blamed building codes because the more stringent wildland fire codes were not applied. Coffey Park was not designated as within an at risk fire area (it is now). The article said that something as simple as screens over attic vents could keep blowing embers out of a house and prevent a fire.

the windspeed was off the chart and blew embers further and faster than anyone could imagine. the fire leapt across six lanes of 101
I drive up 101 a few weeks after - it was so strange to see on both sides of the freeway some pockets of burned out nothing and other pockets intact no impact. it must have been hell that night - super heated air, embers blowing wildly. it wasnt a slow crawl fire consuming things as it got to the next fuel - it had the wind accelerating the fire in the air to places it should never have reached if left to solely advancing on the ground.

[srcarter]

Originally Posted by MattTuck

I'm not sure if you've been to Rhode Island, but this statement is not that impressive.

That said, this is tragic, regardless of the size of the burned area.

Rhode island, if perfectly square, would be about 35 miles on a side. If you drove 35 miles through a fire-ravaged landscape, I think it would be very impressive. Driving through some past burn areas in CA that are far smaller has been pretty shocking. That is a massive area to burn.

[MattTuck]

Originally Posted by srcarter

Rhode island, if perfectly square, would be about 35 miles on a side. If you drove 35 miles through a fire-ravaged landscape, I think it would be very impressive. Driving through some past burn areas in CA that are far smaller has been pretty shocking. That is a massive area to burn.

To me, the proximity to population is the remarkable thing about these fires. For a state as big as California, with a predisposition toward drought, losing less than 1% to fire is not a surprise. More than 1% of Montana's land area burned last year, but got much less coverage than the CA fires.

If a state the size of Massachusetts lost an area the size of Rhode Island to fire, then yes, that would be crazy as a percentage of the total.

In any event, PG&E looks to have dodged a bullet with regards to liability... atleast for the time being.

[fiamme red]

Originally Posted by Clean39T

Has stopped accepting donations after reaching the $10K mark. Wow - went to chip in a few and was really surprised to see that - but also not - bike peeps are good peeps..

I saw Paul Components' post on IG today. Thinking about buying some gift-cards or something just to roll some cash their way too.

Now reopened: https://www.gofundme.com/keep-mitch-rolling.

**UPDATE**

After reaching our personal goal for Mitch of $10,000 we were still getting overwhelmed with requests to continue support. All donations raised from 10k on will go directly to Camp Fire relief organizations Mitch knows in his area and deems worthy. More details on the specific organizations to follow.

[Dino Suegiù]

It is truly sad and surreal that some here are arguing over "not that impressive" comparative-size burn areas, proportions, and other inane statistics, when the only truly meaningful numbers are, as of November 16, 2018:

• The missing persons count from the Camp fire alone currently stands at over 600, and is rising.
• The novovirus, etc. count in Butte County alone currently stands at 145, and is rising.
• The statewide death toll currently stands at 66, and is rising.
• Photographs now show coroners as much as they do fire-fighters.

[joosttx]

Dynaplug is selling their racer plug with a special design where $40 of the $45 it costs will go to fire victims of the Camp Fire....

http://www.dynaplug.com/californialove
___________

[Peter B]

Originally Posted by Dino Suegiù

It is truly sad and surreal that some here are arguing over "not that impressive" comparative-size burn areas, proportions, and other inane statistics, when the only truly meaningful numbers are, as of November 16, 2018:

• The missing persons count from the Camp fire alone currently stands at over 600, and is rising.
• The novovirus, etc. count in Butte County alone currently stands at 145, and is rising.
• The statewide death toll currently stands at 66, and is rising.
• Photographs now show coroners as much as they do fire-fighters.

The relevant statistics tonight:

71 souls deceased
1,011 missing persons
149,511 acres scorched
5,596 personnel fighting the fire
9,700 single family homes destroyed
336 commercial structures destroyed
Tens of thousands now homeless with winter upon us in a county with effectively 0% vacancy rate BEFORE this fire

As we head into the Thanksgiving holiday please consider offering some support for all those who's lives have been uprooted by this disaster.

Here's a list of local agencies working to help folks affected:

https://www.redding.com/story/news/l...ms/1942862002/

[marciero]

Originally Posted by Dino Suegiù

It is truly sad and surreal that some here are arguing... ]

As has been said, we are all just processing, trying to grasp the magnitude and gravity.

Originally Posted by Peter B

The relevant statistics tonight:

71 souls deceased
1,011 missing persons
149,511 acres scorched
5,596 personnel fighting the fire
9,700 single family homes destroyed
336 commercial structures destroyed
Tens of thousands now homeless with winter upon us in a county with effectively 0% vacancy rate BEFORE this fire

Hard not to assume the worst for most of the missing. Staggering and tragic.

[joosttx]

Originally Posted by marciero

As has been said, we are all just processing, trying to grasp the magnitude and gravity.



Hard not to assume the worst for most of the missing. Staggering and tragic.

On a positive note (if any). The agency in charge of creating the mssing persons list admitted that they grossly err’ed on the side of false positives. They did this because they wanted the lists out instead holding them to get them more accurate. So, hopefully the number will be less.

[Peter B]

Sorry for the smoke...

A poem Krystalynn Martin wrote the other night while grieving the loss of her hometown of Paradise:


I'm sorry – Please excuse the smoke.
It's just the dreams and hopes of 27 thousand yesterdays.
It's just the minuscule evidence of
That one baby picture,
That painting of the sea captain by my brother,
And those family portraits of the past 40 years.
It's just the piano from my grandmother who passed away years ago that my brother just brought back from Iowa.

Excuse the hazardous air quality.
It's just the thousands of saved kid's drawings and crafts, books, children's toys from years gone by that had been unpacked for grandchildren, wedding certificates, diaries, the favorite pillows, that favorite teddy bear from baby years, the 1960s records and the VHS tapes of birthday parties and graduations.

It's just the houses of my childhood friends where we would play in the late summer evenings and spend nights dreaming of what our grownup years would bring. Not knowing that our futures would all hold this moment in time as our collective yesterdays ascend to the sky.

Please excuse the falling ash.
It's just the church where I grew up attending with all the children's songs, VBS programs and the baptismal where I chose to dedicate my life to God. It's just the aisle where I stood and looked at the man on the day that I said "I Do".

The falling ash – It's just Paradise.
A little non-destination town that's not on the way to anything important. It's just that end-of-the-road town where people settle and know each other and roots run deep. It's just a place where the biggest news was that Taco Bell came to town 20 years ago – until Starbucks finally made it 4 months ago.

Paradise – it's just the place where everyone is your neighbor, as backyards are shared and simple icons are known and loved. Icons that are now ashes falling around you (sorry about that).
Icons like Fosters Freeze.
Gold Nugget Days.
Honey Run Road Covered Bridge.
That one antique store, just to name a few.
Icons like Kalico Kitchen where my dad and I had breakfast on the day of my wedding, just the two of us.
Icons like Darlene's Frozen Yogurt and Round Table Pizza where many birthday parties growing up took place, not to mention the take home pizzas to mom and dad on weekends we would visit.
Personal icons like the Lucas's house where many days and nights were spent as we grew up from toddlers, to grade school, to junior high, taking care of animals, watching movies, going trick-r-treating, and discovering our first crushes together.
Icons like the Muth house, where we made brownies and talked about boys and got ready for banquets and wrote songs, and led out in different high school student leadership opportunities.
Icons like the youth room at the church where we discovered so many amazing things together and planned mission trips and prayer conferences and learned what it meant to be used by God right here and right now.
Icons like Rincon Way house where we would watch different phases of our family's life every year as we gathered for potlucks, game nights or just hear some good music.
Or Country Club where huge gatherings would take place like the 4th of July party for the neighborhood, or just coming together for brunch, or talking about religion and politics.
Or Peterson's house where we would eat the most delicious Swedish treats and have a visit from Santa.
Or all the houses around town that we lived in since age 2, (that are now all gone) and finally settling on what would become home: Boquest Blvd. Boquest, where breakfast was late, like nights, and eras of my life passed within those 4 walls – from preteen, to high school, and as the walls of my room changed their decor as they held my changing eras like a quiet, constant friend. The early mornings getting ready for school, the late nights studying or dreaming of tomorrows that are now todays. The Christmas eves and mornings where my brother would wake me up to go open our stockings. The night I spent in that room with my sister before the day of my wedding, our conversations waning into the early morning. The years and eras fleeting now in hindsight, as most recently these four walls had been a refuge for my aging parents. And not knowing that 1 month ago would be my final farewell to my constant silent friend – my room – where I spent a few nights with my infant son as we cherished time with family.
Icons like Billie Park where I would go on hikes with my friends as a preteen and teen, and then later take my hubby as we dreamt of the future, and then most recently would take my own 2 children to play and romp and just be...in Paradise.

... And not to mention all the lives that were lost: mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, grandparents, beloved pets ...

But please, once again, excuse our smoke.

It's just what's left of what was one of the most unique little settlements in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains: what was Paradise.

[Drmojo]

Thanks for this Pete. It had me in tears.
Puts this devastion in perspective.
Unimaginable tragedy