BS: California Fires - Fire Behaviour

Subject: BS: California Fires - Fire Behaviour
From: Lizzie Cornish 1
Date: 09 Dec 17 - 06:33 AM

I know there are some firefighters on Mudcat....

Can you tell me if this is 'normal' fire behaviour, where entire houses are razed to the ground, but trees around them are left seemingly untouched?

Facebook page with video of fire damage

Thank you
Lizzie

Subject: RE: BS: California Fires - Fire Behaviour
From: Jack Campin
Date: 09 Dec 17 - 06:56 AM

Jesus, look at the comments. What a collection of delusional fuckwits with too much time on their hands.

Subject: RE: BS: California Fires - Fire Behaviour
From: Mr Red
Date: 09 Dec 17 - 06:56 AM

I doubt there would be enough from sprinklers to save the houses, but people and animals would have longer to get out. Especially the elderly.

And maybe they would emerge wet, which would offer personal protection for a while.

And trees have evolved to withstand a certain amount of fire, indeed some Australian trees need fire to propagate anew. Houses need humans to evolve the house, and they don't quite have the process off pat yet. Or did I mean fashion dictates?

Subject: RE: BS: California Fires - Fire Behaviour
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Dec 17 - 10:01 AM

Yes this is typical. Fire isn't just a blanket across the landscape, depending on the heat, the fuel, and the terrain it can create its own weather when it races through an area, the winds off of the fire like tendrils following up ridges. You'd probably be able to look at a topographical map of this fire's passage and see there is some small underlying ridge/valley effect going on there. Plus, the houses themselves are safer if there isn't vegetation right up to the walls; houses with tile versus composite roof materials are more resistant to sparks, and some of them may have sprinkled the roofs (literally putting a hose with a sprinkler up to the roof).

Subject: RE: BS: California Fires - Fire Behaviour
From: Rapparee
Date: 09 Dec 17 - 10:30 AM

What Acme said. She's fought wildfire and I live in that country (75,000+ acres all too close to me burned this past summer). See
https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/20130726-1652-20490-9209/fema_p_737_fs_4.pdf

Subject: RE: BS: California Fires - Fire Behaviour
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Dec 17 - 11:44 AM

There were times on wildfires when we had to all stop for a moment and look around and discuss our escape route if it spread explosively. The escape was always downhill if possible, then sideways. The final resort, one that was described in Norman MacLean's Young Men And Fire was to light a fire in front of you and let it burn away uphill, then step into the burned zone it left behind.

Subject: RE: BS: California Fires - Fire Behaviour
From: Donuel
Date: 10 Dec 17 - 09:10 AM

We all have fights of some kind but if you ask a rare breed what they are going to fight and they say they are going to fight FIRE, that person has chosen an opponent of total surprising annihilating power.
We don't hear of tornado fighters or flood fighters. There are only chasers or rescuers but fires require something higher. Lord knows it takes heroes.