Wildfire Season

[CodeRedR51]

This was as of yesterday:

We went on a drive up north today and I can confirm that everything is closed and roped off to keep people from hiking down trails. Cars parked on the side of the road that didn't listen had tickets put on their windows. It was super hazy most of the time which, as bad as it sounds, was nice because along with the clouds it blocked the sun and made it a bit cooler.

 

[Joey D]

View attachment 1063879

Picture of the Sparks lake fire about 40 minutes away from my place . Also it is still 90 f at midnight here .

So this prompted me to change the title of this thread. But looking up the Sparks Lake Fire, it appears to be over 2,300 acres now whereas yesterday it was just 250 acres. That's an extremely quick growth which is clearly not being helped by the hot, dry temps.

 

[Novalee]

Someone wrote an article on what we just went through in last 24 hours here .

710,117 lightning strikes hit western Canada in 15 hours

One expert called the weather 'really horrifying.'

www.sfgate.com

 

[UKMikey]

 

[Joey D]

We're getting all the smoke from those fires settling down in the Salt Lake valley. The air here is gross and everything is a weird shade of orange. Normally the mountains are completely visible from my apartment, but this is what it looks like today:

 

[Keef]

That's insane. I just watched a video the other night about the biggest fire in CA that grew over 20,000 acres in a single day.

The Beckwourth Complex fire at 6:50:

 

[Joey D]

I really hope the Mariposa Grove doesn't get too much damage. I was there years ago it really is one of the most incredible places.

Yosemite wildfire is latest threat to giant sequoia trees

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — The largest grove of giant sequoias in Yosemite National Park was closed Friday as a wildfire burning through dense forest became the latest in recent years to threaten the world’s largest trees.

apnews.com

 

[Joey D]

This is burning fairly close to where I (and pretty much 95% of Utah) live. My wife is at a party west of where we live and said it looks like it's snowing with the ash falling down.

Campers evacuated due to Jacob City Fire in Tooele County

Firefighters were on the scene of a wildfire in Tooele County on Saturday that forced evacuations of campers in the Middle Canyon area.

kutv.com

 

[Dotini]

Alaska has surpassed two million acres burned this year.

Alaska surpasses 2M acres burned

Alaska has officially surpassed 2 million acres burned in wildfires already this season.

www.alaskasnewssource.com

 

[Joey D]

Not looking good in Western Europe at the moment.

Wildfires scorch parts of Europe amid extreme heat wave

Firefighters from Portugal and Spain to southern France and Croatia are battling a spate of wildfires scorching Europe amid an unusual heat wave that authorities link to climate change.

apnews.com

 

[Dotini]

Not looking good in Western Europe at the moment.

Wildfires scorch parts of Europe amid extreme heat wave

Firefighters from Portugal and Spain to southern France and Croatia are battling a spate of wildfires scorching Europe amid an unusual heat wave that authorities link to climate change.

apnews.com

IMHO this is an extra bad development, as it comes on top of other European crises concerning energy and food, not to mention an alarming war. And curiously, the Euro has broken below par with dollar.

 

[Joey D]

Some seriously destructive and deadly fires going on in Maui at the moment.

At least 36 killed on Maui as fires burn through Hawaii and thousands race to escape

Wildfires, whipped by strong winds from Hurricane Dora passing far to the south, took the island of Maui by surprise, leaving behind burned-out cars on once busy streets and smoking piles of rubble where historic buildings had stood.

apnews.com

 

[Joey D]

Massive fires still burning in West Texas at the moment.

Texas firefighters battle flames stoked by strong winds as warnings are issued across the region

Strong winds have spread flames and prompted at least one evacuation while airplanes dropped fire retardant over the northern Texas Panhandle as firefighters worked to stop the largest wildfire in state history.

apnews.com

 

[Joey D]

Looks like the 2025 wildfire season is getting off to an early start:

What to know about thousands of evacuations and homes burned in Los Angeles area fires

At least five people are dead and nearly 2,000 structures have been destroyed as fierce wildfires raged in the Los Angeles area.

apnews.com

We have friends who live in Marina del Ray and they said it's awful with just how bad the smoke is.

 

[Dennisch]

The insurance companies will probably go out of business after this.

 

[Famine]

The insurance companies will probably go out of business after this.

Probably not:

17,000 Liberty Mutual customers in CA to lose fire insurance policy: Here's what you need to know

It's another blow to homeowners across the state. Liberty Mutual fire insurance company is the latest company ending fire insurance in California. "It just saddens me that these companies are just fleeing from California for different reasons."

abc7news.com

 

[Dennisch]

Of course they do it like that. What was I thinking.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

I lost my fire insurance last year and had a really hard time finding a new provider. Luckily I did, but was forced to upgrade my electrical panel to the tune of $7,000 or they too would cancel coverage. The state has made some tweaks to the insurance market laws that will hopefully make it a more attractive market for insurers, albeit with the caveat that it will probably drive up prices. Whatever the case, I think we're going to see a historic property loss number here....

 

[Dennisch]

And a bunch of vultures flying in to scoop up the remains.

 

[McLaren]

Of course they do it like that. What was I thinking.

They did the same thing in Florida with hurricanes, actively pulling out of the state whilst the natural event was going on.

Absolutely vile.

 

[Joey D]

It sounds like Florida is doing something similar to California and working to change the insurance laws.

It kind of makes sense. If you build a home in an area where natural disasters occur regularly, then you should have to pay more for insurance since the likelihood of your home being destroyed is higher. There's not much you can do to protect your home against wildfires, but there is a bunch you can do to protect your home against hurricanes. Swapping asphalt roofs for metal roofs, adding storm shutters, and building elevated homes all can contribute to reduce the risk of your home sustaining major damage.

Honestly, all this is going to continue to get worse too due to climate change.