Our air was only "unhealthy" during these two days. Quite an improvement!
A little smoky in the evenings through the early mornings but then it almost cleared up... We even saw a few stars! I was wondering if they were still there!
Thursday morning I sat out in the front yard enjoying the sunshine and re-reading (Digital Fortress) for a couple hours... glorious...
Late Thursday afternoon I took a long soak in my hot tub enveloped by the clean air and steaming water... Ah yes... its the little things that gives life its joys...
But Friday morning I again needed to wear an air mask for a few hours and it stayed pretty smokey all day, but not so bad... Inside I mainly didn't need a mask....
Friday night the smell of smoke found its way in through the closed windows and the masks went back on again....
Saturday I wore a mask all day and stayed indoors because the smoke was bad. MY eyes were slightly burning and even with the mask my lungs began to ache again.
Today, Sunday, its almost as bad as its been since the fire began... My eyes are stinging, my lungs hurting, visibility is down to a yards...
Remember the parable of the Rich man and Lazarus? If I were Lazarus there'd be no way I could see the rich man to have that commonly misunderstood conversation!
Urg!
According to the fire reports the fires near our house are completely controlled and almost out... So where is this smoke coming from?
Southern California is burning and most of the beleaguered fire fighters have turned their attention to Santa Barbara...
What a Spring!
And its not over yet
-----------------------------------------
Check out this... (Source: http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2008/06/26/91361.htm)
Following nearly 8,000 lightning strikes that set more than 800 wildfires across Northern California, a meterologist is predicting much worse conditions throughout the rest of the fire season.
"This doesn't bode well for the fire season,'' said Ken Clark, a meteorologist in Southern California with AccuWeather.com. "We're not even into the meat of the fire season at this point, and the brush is extremely dry. It's not going to get any better, it's going to get worse.''
-----------------------------------------And again: (Source: http://www.fireengineering.com/display_news/163779/25/none/CA_fire_season_may_worsen
CA fire season may worsen
The Sacramento Bee, Calif. (June 29, 2008)Middle
Jun. 29--The early and hyperactive start of Northern California's fire season portends a hellacious July through September.
Fire forecasters expect the weather to continue getting hotter and the already record-dry vegetation still drier, making for an extraordinarily dangerous, busy and lengthy fire season.
"We anticipate fatigue being one of the issues we are going to have to manage very closely," said Susie Russell, California emergency operations coordinator for the U.S. Forest Service.
Firefighters will be busy enough for weeks or months dealing with more than 1,000 wildfires caused by a rare blitzkrieg of lightning that strafed the northern state June 20-21, according to the Forest Service's fire outlook report for July though October.
And yet the lightning season hasn't peaked.
-----------------------------------------Hellacious!
Have you EVER seen that printed as a forecast in a widely respected news paper?
October is coming. Be ready. Get ready. I hope to God we are wrong!
Thank God for all these men and women who are willing to put everything on the line and battle these thousand plus fires and other emergencies!
Not to mention the vital services they perform year round!
May God bless them!
Not to mention the vital services they perform year round!
May God bless them!
The figures as of now:
Statewide Fire Overview - Lightning Series
Current Situation: Although fires continue to burn, over fourteen hundred fires have been contained by the relentless work of firefighters from California and throughout the nation. California National Guard troops continue their classroom firefighter training at McClellan Air Park in Sacramento. Military fixed wing assets, also based at McClellan, have flown approximately 160 missions and dropped close to 425,000 gallons of fire retardant since the beginning of the fire siege. The priority of firefighting is for the protection of life, property and natural resources.
Download the latest fact sheet. (Updated 7/5 at 9 p.m.)
Statewide Fire Statistics
Total Fires at Peak: 1,783
Total Fires Contained: 1,451
Total Active Fires: 332
Total Acres Burned: 549,155
These numbers are total fires and acres that have occurred from state, local and federal firefighting agencies beginning June 20, 2008.
CAL FIRE Statistics
Total Fires at Peak: 1,005
Fires Contained: 807
Active Fires: 61
These numbers are total fires and acres that have occurred ONLY in CAL FIRE jurisdiction since June 20, 2008.
The number of contained and active fires will not equal the total due to some fires merging together.
Statewide Resources Committed
Personnel Committed: 21,111
Fire Engines: 1,612
Hand Crews: 500
Dozers: 339
Water Tenders: 472
Helicopters: 114
Items of Interest :
Highway closures: State highways, county and local roads are closed throughout California due to wildfire activities. Closures and delays remain in place for State Highways 1 (Big Sur Area), 32 and 70. Travelers are advised to seek current information from local law enforcement.
Evacuations: Areas of Monterey, Santa Barbara and Shasta counties are under evacuation orders at this time. Precautionary evacuation orders currently exist in areas in Butte, Kern, Mendocino, Monterey and Plumas counties. Residents are advised to monitor their local fire situation, check with local law enforcement agencies for information, and be prepared to evacuate when necessary.
Structures:
Threatened: 10,554 residences, 420 commercial, 3,017 outbuildings.
Destroyed: 34 residences, 1 commercial, 50 outbuildings.
CAL FIRE Summary of Fires by County
Butte [We we live]: The Butte Lightning Complex has burned 21,170 acres and is 45% contained. The Butte Fire Information Number is (530) 538-7826. Click Here for more information.
Mendocino: The Mendocino Lightning Complex has burned 41,200 acres and is 40% contained. The Mendocino Fire Information Number is (707)-467-6426. Click Here for more information.
Shasta & Trinity: The Shasta and Trinity Lightning has burned 53,600 acres and is 50% contained. The Shasta-Trinity Unit Information Number is (530) 225-2510. Click Here for more information.
Lassen, Modoc: The Corral Fire has burned 12,500 acres and is 70% contained. The Lassen-Modoc Fire Information Number is (530) 257-9553. Click Here for more information.
Humboldt: The Humboldt Complex has burned 1,275 acres and is 75% contained. The fires are burning throughout Humboldt County, with the largest fire, the Paradise Fire, north of Shelter Cove and is 925 acres and 75% contained. The Humboldt-Del Norte Fire Information Number is (707) 726-1225.
Mariposa: The Oliver Fire is located in the Ponderosa Basin and is 2,789 acres and 100% contained. The Oliver Fire Information Number is (209) 966-4784. Click Here for more information.
Lake: The Walker Fire burned 14,500 acres and is now 100% contained. Click Here for more information.
Napa & Solano: The Wild Fire burned 40,000 acres and is now 100% contained. Click Here for more information.
Santa Clara: The Whitehurst and Hummingbird Fires burned a combined 994 acres and are both now 100% contained. Click Here for more information.
Tehama & Glenn: The Tehama-Glenn Lightning Complex burned 22,907 acres and is now 100% contained.
Major Federal and Local Incidents
For information on major federal incidents click here.
Kern County: The Piute Fire has burned 18,203 acres and is 18% contained. Click Here for more information.
Maps and Links
For incident maps, resources available to fire victims or to volunteer, visit our Maps and Links page.
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