Forest Fire
Oakie
Member Posts: 40,510 ✭✭✭✭
Burning right up the street from me. They have it 85% contained since Sunday. The Atco Raceway was right there. Seems suspicious that the fire started only two weeks after the track closed. Over 1,500 acres consumed so far. Smoke is not bad from here, as the wind has it blowing away from the house. I live in the heart of 110,000 acres of the Wharton state forest. We are totally surrounded by pine trees, Oaks, and cedar trees. Been very dry here and the pine trees burn so fast. They have been burning some back fires, trying to contain it, but the fire jumps right over them. Praying for some rain or a miracle, before it destroys any more forest. The only good news is, No houses are in danger of being burned. Very desolate area of south Jersey, but prime hunting and fishing area. Already seeing more and more deer coming through the yard today. It is amazing how the animals sense danger and find a way out. Oak
Comments
I hope they get it under control and the wind does not change to your direction !!!! Be safe
as of today, they are having a hard time getting put out. They still have all the roads around us blocked off. They are supposed to reopen by Tomorrow night. Almost 2,000 acres gone, as of this afternoon. A big Kudo's to the forestry dept. and the local firefighters. They have been here non stop since Sunday. Donna went down to see if they wanted us to get them some pizza, or even set up a grill to cook them some burgers and dogs, but they have a canteen truck on the scene. We did drop off a couple cases of water to them. It's been real humid. I remember how hot that gear gets in the summer.
Ruff,tuff, dangerous job fighting those fires. Best wishes for those that do.
When wife and I were on a local Vol. Fire Company, we went on several smaller field type wildfires, but trained for the big ones also. We learned things that we never knew or considered, like;
How a forest fire pre-heats ahead of itself and can literally explode into full flames
How a large working fire creates its own wind
Fire tornadoes
How a fire can follow a root line underground and come up in flames many feet, yards away
For you readers out there with interests in fire.
Young men and Fire by Norman Maclean.
with weather pattern and the grace of God, Western Wyoming, SE Idaho, have been spared thus far this year, but August and it’s lightning isn’t over yet. Lots of standing dead beetle kill around just waiting for an errant strike.
Mule
Years ago after HS and before Army I helped fight a forest fire behind my house. State Forrest Service gave me a tank and I squirted away. After it was over they took my name and i thought maybe it was for the news. About six months later I got a check in the mail from the Virginia State Forrest Service. What a shock that was. ---------------------------------Ray
OMG, those little fire tornado's were crazy. That is the first time I have seen one. The sound of the fire traveling , was like the sound of a freight train. Never realized how much sound a forest fire makes. Very scary!!!!