Rattlesnake Fire, Idaho - 2018

[Mopar1973Man]

Update...

 

It is active burning behind the house right now.

[Ironforger]

Scary man! I hope your house is untouched by this fire.  What kind of resources do you have to protect the house? Got that 4000 gal water tender?  Did you mention you have a damn filled with water and sprinklers going?  To wet down the local brush/grasses/fuels? Hang in there!

[Mopar1973Man]

So far so good. I've been cruising the ATV and running back and forth to keep a pair of eyes on the movement. Sprinklers are going behind the houses. Dam is still running strong feeding 3 homes and no issues. My neighbor lost his dam something failed and the water stop flowing. Unknown as of yet. It looks like USFS is going to keep the fire up on the ridge behind us. Now if the Good Lord allows us to keep water and nothing burns my waterline laying in the ditch behind the house. 

[JAG1]

So prevailing winds are blowing up toward the ridge not toward your home? An easterly wind is good right? 

 

Coming from the east I mean.

Edited July 25, 2018 by JAG1

[Mopar1973Man]

ESE 3 MPH currently. 92*F and 21% RH.

[JAG1]

8 hours ago, Mopar1973Man said:

ESE 3 MPH currently. 92*F and 21% RH.

That is good news as far as the wind direction. Don't know what RH means boss. 

[dripley]

3 hours ago, JAG1 said:

That is good news as far as the wind direction. Don't know what RH means boss. 

Relative humidity

[Ironforger]

How are things looking this morning? Has the fire moved away from your home?

 

[Brianh]

Praying for you guys up there. 

[Mopar1973Man]

I'm down here so MoparMom gets dialysis. Then back home to the smoke-filled valley. Fricken crazy the amount of fires burning. There is another fire down in Midvale ID that is burning across grassland down here. Smoke is not so bad down here in Ontario, OR but heading north its crazy thick in places.

[Ironforger]

Hang it there!   You must be tired. Hope you can find time to rest.

[KATOOM]

I'm sure most of you arent paying attention since its not where you live.....but northern CA is up in flames once again.  This time its horrific too.  Hwy 299 has been shut down and the city of Redding and neighboring areas are literally engulfed in what they're describing as fire tornadoes.  Whiskeytown Lake lost 40 boats that were parked at the docks.  I understand FEMA is on their way too...

[JAG1]

1 hour ago, KATOOM said:

I'm sure most of you arent paying attention since its not where you live.....but northern CA is up in flames once again.  This time its horrific too.  Hwy 299 has been shut down and the city of Redding and neighboring areas are literally engulfed in what they're describing as fire tornadoes.  Whiskeytown Lake lost 40 boats that were parked at the docks.  I understand FEMA is on their way too...

Why are the fire seasons getting worse? What is going on with that?

[KATOOM]

Good question...

Is it a combination of random accidents and arson, or spontaneous combustion?  I think its of the first two, but more leaning towards the later of both.  You cant make me believe that someone's not lighting all these fires.

[Mopar1973Man]

Update on Rattlesnake fire.

 

Seem while I was down taking care of MoparMom's dialysis USFS came through yesterday and set up sprinklers and prepped my yard for fire protection. 

 

As for sleep... 

 

Monday from 12 noon to 1am then got to bed. Tuesday from 6am to 2am.

 

Wednesday I took off MoparMom wasn't feeling good. By 5pm her potassium level jumped and end up head for the hospital. Got home again at 2am. I'm exhaust. Slept barely 4 hours. 

 

Thursday get rolling barely even human state at this point make it down to Ontario. MoparMom is getting here treatment enhanced to handle the problem. During her treatment I managed to sleep for 2.5 hours with the Cummins idling away with A/C going being it was only 103*F in Ontario, OR. Leave Ontario, OR and to find out US95 was shut down due to a wildland fire in Midvale, ID. Go turned around and headed back to Idaho 55. Get over there to be held up for an accident over there. We made it home again at 1am in the morning.

 

I got some sleep but I'm still a shell of a man at the time of typing this. I've called my fire chief and left a message saying I've got to step down till I can catch up.

Edited July 27, 2018 by Mopar1973Man

[JAG1]

Glad your both ok for now. Hoping the wind still blowing fire away from your home.

 

Been reading the news.... fires up an average 46% from ten years ago  average.

Edited July 27, 2018 by JAG1

[Royal Squire]

Some of it is due to storms that have lightning and no rain 

[Mopar1973Man]

Update with the map and my pen is pointing to home.

 

[Ironforger]

Glad the USFS prepped your yard and home with sprinklers.  Hope can get some much deserved rest.

[KATOOM]

That brings up an important issue CA is facing...  Because of the massive NAPA fire last year which wiped out most of that area and vineyards, PG&E was sued for millions because its was claimed that their infrastructure sparking was the cause of the disaster.  Was this the real cause?...I'd say no since I clearly remember officials catching a couple people they believed to have started the fires.  But money is where the blame goes so PG&E must pay up.

That said, now PG&E has a new policy whereby they shut down the grid where there's a fire and the neighboring areas so that the electrified infrastructure is no longer an issue.  But.....that means that no one can protect their homes with water since most people have wells that are powered from the grid.  This has already been an issue.....

Edited July 27, 2018 by KATOOM