Wildfires in the West

[Audrey2]

Friends, here is a thread on the wildfires devastating California, Oregon, and Washington. Please feel free to post information here. If you are affected, I hope you are safe, as well as your family and your friends.

 

 

Edited September 10, 2020 by Audrey2

[indianabones]

It's smoky here (for the first time all summer, which is kind of amazing), but otherwise we are unaffected. I hope the rest of you guys are equally as fortunate!

[Audrey2]

I just checked the Oregonian again and it sound like Detroit, on OR-22 was hit hard. That's the small town by Detroit Lake State Park, which has a nice campground and is central to a lot of great hiking in the area.

[CTRLZero]

We are getting some smoke, depending on how the wind shifts, but I am not sure of the source.  I think the closest burn is Sumner, Washington, northeast of us.  We are far enough from the foothills to be out of danger.

We have cousins vacationing in Bend, Oregon.  They are not looking forward to making their way back to Salem.  I’ve heard the air quality is especially horrendous around Eugene. 

Stay safe, everyone!

[Black Aliss]

We are okay for now, about 20 miles from the nearest fires in Western WA, and will be as long as the wind keeps blowing from the NE. This just showed up on nextdoor dot com:

Quote

It is really sad with all the fires that are going around and the fact that we are in a fire ban stage, to see people burning their debris piles out there in the open and without precaution, the smoke haze is as bad as it gets and we are adding to it, I feel I should report this but at the same time I would feel bad since we are in a no fire stage, so I would assume the ticket would be really hefty and that person may not be aware of law, so please for the person who is burning on IHR I would recommend that you put it out especially that you are on the RD and people pass you by

Seriously, WTAF?!? There has been a burn ban on since June, we are currently under a Red Flag Alert, the wind is gusting around 20 MPH, my car and plants are covered with ash from the wildfires to the east of us and there is no way in hell anyone with a pulse could not know that the fire danger is extreme. And this moron won't report it because he'd feel bad if the person were to be fined? 

 

[Audrey2]

13 minutes ago, CTRLZero said:

We are getting some smoke, depending on how the wind shifts, but I am not sure of the source.  I think the closest burn is Sumner, Washington, northeast of us.  We are far enough from the foothills to be out of danger.

We have cousins vacationing in Bend, Oregon.  They are not looking forward to making their way back to Salem.  I’ve heard the air quality is especially horrendous around Eugene. 

Stay safe, everyone!

I'm concerned for them. It sounds like US 20 is open but down to one lane. (It parallels the OR-22 I've talked about and 126, which is also burning. They may be stuck with 20, US-26, which goes just south of Mt. Hood, or OR-58, south of Bend that goes into Eugene.

[kmk]

North of Seattle and closest fire is the Sumner fire. Getting all the smoke and haze from the east side fires. News says if the wind shifts we will be getting the smoke from the OR fires to the south.    Coworkers who live near Bonney Lake were under evacuation orders and did evacuate as a precaution. Another coworker at Chief Joe Dam (near Bridgeport WA) posted a video of the fire on the hills behind the dam.  It was surreal looking. 

[SassyPants]

I am in the Santa Cruz area of CA. It’s been a rough couple of weeks with the huge fire in the Mountains. I’m coastal, so not evacuated, but the sky today was gray/black, almost like dawn,  all day. It is eerie.

[DarkAnts]

You can make a good room air filter For the smoke with a MERVE 13 air filter and a box filter. Simply tape the furnace filter to the back of the box fan. 

[Cheetah]

We are totally fine from fire but the air quality has been on and off for 3 weeks now and today was just nuts with the color of the sky.  It was very weird and unsettling and they say it will be pretty much like this again tomorrow. 

[Audrey2]

I see that Oregon City, Canby, and Sandy Oregon are now on yellow= Get Set (pack your car and get ready to leave at a moment's notice).

I should add, Canby is south of Portland and has a small town feel. Sandy is the last smallish town east of Portland before you heat up to Mt Hood on 26 (there are a few really tiny communities as you really start to gain elevation, but Sandy is bigger than both). Oregon City, though, is one of the oldest towns in Oregon and is considered the end of the Oregon Trail. I would call it the last city to the south/southeast of Portland that feels like the city.

Edited September 10, 2020 by Audrey2

[church_of_dog]

A few resources for those trying to stay updated:

For fires mostly on federal lands (Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management):

https://inciweb.nwcg.gov

 

For fires on California state lands: 

https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2020/ (other states must have similar sites but I don't know links)

 

A super busy but informative map showing current and recent fires as well as lightning incidents: 

https://www.fireweatheravalanche.org/fire/

 

A very cool map showing not only fires but smoke plumes (data heavy, can take a long time to load, but worth it):  

https://fire.airnow.gov

 

Another very cool map showing heat perceived (presumably from wildfire) -- I've seen some inconsistent data here so don't take as gospel, but still very interesting: 

https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/#d:2020-09-09..2020-09-10;l:street;@-115.4,41.6,5z

Edited September 10, 2020 by church_of_dog

[Calypso]

Im in Oregon. I've never experienced anything like these fires before. Tuesday was truly scary with how fast the fire moved and then having to quickly evacuate in the evening. The fire south of me started at 1130 in the morning and burned through populated areas with no containment all day. The two towns south of me are burned to the ground and my town is still partially evacuated.  And theres another serious fire still threatening the city from the north. First responders still too busy slowing the fires for us to get an idea of the death toll and level of devastation yet. Were surrounded by fires with new ones popping up throughout the day the last 2 days. Things are settling now but it's hard to feel safe. Especially with fire planes and emergency vehicles going by all the time it feels like a war zone. 

[EmmieJ]

20 hours ago, Black Aliss said:

We are okay for now, about 20 miles from the nearest fires in Western WA, and will be as long as the wind keeps blowing from the NE. This just showed up on nextdoor dot com:

Seriously, WTAF?!? There has been a burn ban on since June, we are currently under a Red Flag Alert, the wind is gusting around 20 MPH, my car and plants are covered with ash from the wildfires to the east of us and there is no way in hell anyone with a pulse could not know that the fire danger is extreme. And this moron won't report it because he'd feel bad if the person were to be fined? 

 

How will they feel if that trash burn turns into a raging fire, and homes (and lives!) are lost?

[EmmieJ]

This was taken yesterday near Sonoma, CA as I was driving home at 3:30 pm.  It was like dusk and cars had their headlights on.  The teeniest silver lining is that the smoke covering the sky brought the temps down.  After triple digit days, the high  today was 71 degrees.  It doesn’t smell smoky, but the air is extremely polluted and ash is everywhere.

[Audrey2]

Update on Oregon fires- Portland now has the worst air quality in the world among major cities. The fires are about a half mile from Estacada, Oregon and six miles from Molalla. Both are in Clackamas county, a very large county that is considered part of the Portland metropolitan area. Other towns have been hit hard as well- Talent and Phoenix between Medford and Ashland, and several small villages along OR-22 and OR 126, as well as Otis, a small town on a main road to the coast (OR-18). The sky is indescribable- beyond gray and is a surreal tanish orangish color. I just read an article in the Oregonian that said they have emus, llamas, and donkeys at the Clackcamas County Fairgrounds, along with the more expected pigs, goats, and horses.

Edited September 11, 2020 by Audrey2

[CTRLZero]

We have it good compared to so many others.  No fire or evacuation worries.  We are sealed up in our house and can’t see more than two blocks because of smoke.   You are all in my thoughts.  ?❤️

[Black Aliss]

Oh, it gets worse. As most folks in the Pacific NW are aware, but people elsewhere may not, once you leave the Portland city limits, if you're not in Eugene or Bend, Oregon is one of the reddest places in the country. So it's not surprising that rumors are flying thick and fast that Antifa set all these fires in Oregon. People are refusing to evacuate because they Just Know Antifa is right around the corner ready to loot their homes. Show them a recent photo of Beirut and they will swear that's downtown Portland. So they're on their front porches, "locked and loaded" and ready to shoot anyone they don't recognize, including reporters.

PSA: Friends, if you suffer from low blood pressure and are not taking medicine for your condition, go to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office Facebook page and read the comments to send your numbers soaring. Guaranteed results in 15 comments or less fewer.

Up in my neck of the woods the thick smoke has done more to keep people inside than even the governor's Stay at Home order accomplished last spring. Farmers' Markets, public gardens and such are all being closed or cancelled. I stepped outside just before dark because from my window it looked like it was raining. Nope, just ash falling from the sky.

[FiveAcres]

10 hours ago, Black Aliss said:

Oh, it gets worse. As most folks in the Pacific NW are aware, but people elsewhere may not, once you leave the Portland city limits, if you're not in Eugene or Bend, Oregon is one of the reddest places in the country. So it's not surprising that rumors are flying thick and fast that Antifa set all these fires in Oregon. People are refusing to evacuate because they Just Know Antifa is right around the corner ready to loot their homes. Show them a recent photo of Beirut and they will swear that's downtown Portland. So they're on their front porches, "locked and loaded" and ready to shoot anyone they don't recognize, including reporters.

 

Yeah, there was a persistent rumor that houses would be looted during the big fires here. So you have people on social media saying that looters should be shot on sight and other people saying they had sneaked past LEO barricades to check on their property in the evacuated area.

What could possibly go wrong?

Actually, there was very little known looting. There was a photo of a white couple who were apprehended for looting in Mountain Shadows neighborhood and looked like they belonged on a billboard of why you shouldn't use meth.

[CTRLZero]

Although we can't really smell smoke this morning, the sky is such a funny color that everything has a JillRod filter effect.  It's a cold and clammy feeling, too, from the sun being blocked, I'm guessing.

Our cousins successfully made it back to Salem from Bend, Oregon.  It took them a long time and they had to take a northern route to circle back to Salem.  They report the air quality is still very bad in the Willamette Valley.  Glad they are safely home.

[MathQueen]

Thankfully, winds have died down here at the end of the week. Mr. Math is home now, but still will respond as volunteers do, when the alarm goes off, no matter where they are. ( I’m very good at wrapping up fast food or dropping a credit card at a restaurant as we run out the door, grabbing kids, coats, and keys, etc at the speed of light after 35 years of interrupted meals, games, parties, performances when I am out with him). Still smoky, but so much better. The house fire call earlier this week resulted in a complete loss. Sadly, it was deliberately set. Last night, some idiots were setting off pyrotechnics. So, still lots of risk, but we are far closer to normal. Thanks for kind thoughts coming my way. I am keeping my prayers going for all who are in harm’s way right now.

[Black Aliss]

2 hours ago, FiveAcres said:

Actually, there was very little known looting. There was a photo of a white couple who were apprehended for looting in Mountain Shadows neighborhood and looked like they belonged on a billboard of why you shouldn't use meth.

And the six Antifa terrorists from Portland that were reportedly arrested for setting fires in Roseburg turned out to be one local, someone "well-known to law enforcement"

I have no doubt the majority of the fires along the highways in Oregon, as here, are being set. This guy, though, from a town south of here, looks a lot more like a Proud Boy than antifa.

https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/crime/article245659120.html#:~:text=On Friday%2C Pierce County prosecutors,Superior Court on Friday afternoon.

[indianabones]

The smoke here has gotten way worse. We were hoping that rain would clear it but the rain hasn't really had any effect. I've had the same headache for three days from some inhalation and I'm starting to get cabin fever. Crossing my fingers that the air quality improves soon.

[ADoyle90815]

Last night's sunset.

[MathQueen]

The smoke here has gotten way worse in the past 36 hours. It’s so bad that Mr. Math just got back from a fire call to the elementary school for a smoke detector alarm, which was set off by the smoke in the building at ten p.m.