Thread starter
Best wishes to any Californian forum member and their family who may be affected by the wildfires ravaging parts of your state. Stay safe.
California Wildfires
- Thread starter Cormanus
- Start date
peterbaron
Road warrior
Keep my fingers crossed for you/family safety.
the Ferret
Road warrior
yep those are some pretty bad fires. Surely with all the Cali members we have, someone is affected
GoldOxide_imp
Road warrior
The loss is quite dramatic. It is yet another reminder that our "stuff" is never really protected, and often you cannot "take it with you".
Optimistically, most times one can only grab their family and the clothes on the back and go.
Optimistically, most times one can only grab their family and the clothes on the back and go.
the Ferret
Road warrior
I actually thought of that while watching the news last night. if I had 2 hours notice to pack up and get out, knowing that what I left behind would be destroyed, what would I take? Interesting to think about and hope to never have to make that decision.
GoldOxide_imp
Road warrior
Indeed. Fires, floods, hurricanes and tornadoes ... and earthquakes. At least with the first three you have some margin of warning. I reckon most would take: Photo albums NOT yet in the cloud, wallets, phones, kid(s), pet(s). And the partner, ... the bike, ... the partner, ... the bike, ... the partner, ... the bike, ... the partner riding the bike, ah, the partner taking the family and you riding the bike. (glad that is determined ahead of time).
I took a ride on the CB1100 a few weeks ago up there, where another recent fire had devastated the entire region. The main road out of Bucks Lake down to Oroville was closed due to fire damage, forcing me to take my decidedly not-designed-for-offroading, chromed-out ballroom dancer of a motorcycle onto a seemingly never-ending dirt trail. Rutted, rocky, uneven, with deep ditches everywhere, it was a rather perilous run. I was white-knuckling it the entire way. It's a good thing the CB's 15 mph 1st-gear fueling and throttle response is so amazingly excellent, otherwise that ride would have been a much more harrowing experience.
Anyway, one of the towns that I ended up riding through that day, the aptly named Paradise, is now...gone. As in, completely vanished. A thriving, medium-sized town with a population of over twenty-six thousand that was there only a month ago is burnt to the ground.
Anyway, one of the towns that I ended up riding through that day, the aptly named Paradise, is now...gone. As in, completely vanished. A thriving, medium-sized town with a population of over twenty-six thousand that was there only a month ago is burnt to the ground.
peterbaron
Road warrior
Latest wildfires death-toll: 25 people, very tragic.
GoldOxide_imp
Road warrior
Heart-wrenching. Fire looks fierce, and some forget the smoke creeps silently up on you too.
LongRanger_imp
Road warrior
I have a good friend on the F800Riders forum who lives in Paradise, CA. I've e-mailed him several times and... nothing. Truly hope he and his family escaped.
Here in Dayton we are surrounded by orchards and feel quite safe, though the fire burned southwest from the foothills in our direction. As you know, Paradise was destroyed as well as several smaller mountain towns and scattered residences, displacing 35 to 50k people. Everyone around here knows someone who is directly affected.
My little hour long loop up through Paradise will not be the same.
A good reminder to live, love, laugh while we can, and try to be prepared for the unexpected. I know, if it's unexpected, how can you be prepared for it?
Hope your friend turns up unscathed, LR!
Ben
My little hour long loop up through Paradise will not be the same.
A good reminder to live, love, laugh while we can, and try to be prepared for the unexpected. I know, if it's unexpected, how can you be prepared for it?
Hope your friend turns up unscathed, LR!
Ben
Randy B
Road warrior
I'm sort of in the middle away from the fires, but the smoke around here is so thick you can cut it with a chainsaw.
I was thinking yesterday what I would do if there were a fire about take out San Jose, what would I grab...
If I had a couple of hours I could get quite a lot. The only real issue I would have is that I would have to leave motorcycle behind. I can pack my truck with the important stuff, clothes, money, my fire safe ( I know...removing a fire safe from a fire area...ironic), computers and what radio equipment I can grab. I'm a HAM and CBer and I have a ton of stuff. What can I say...priorities.
It wouldn't take me that long to grab and go, so if I had even an hours warning, I think I could get out all that I want to.
I was thinking yesterday what I would do if there were a fire about take out San Jose, what would I grab...
If I had a couple of hours I could get quite a lot. The only real issue I would have is that I would have to leave motorcycle behind. I can pack my truck with the important stuff, clothes, money, my fire safe ( I know...removing a fire safe from a fire area...ironic), computers and what radio equipment I can grab. I'm a HAM and CBer and I have a ton of stuff. What can I say...priorities.
It wouldn't take me that long to grab and go, so if I had even an hours warning, I think I could get out all that I want to.
pekingduck
Road warrior
That was so sad. The roads in the area are narrow and winding, and you don't know what's around the corner or if it's blocked a mile down Sometimes when there is so much dry vegetation as fuel, and the fire is so intense, oxygen is just sucked out of the air, toward the fire, out of the engine and out of the passenger compartment.
These are bad fires, going to get a lot worse before they're controlled.
These are bad fires, going to get a lot worse before they're controlled.
MaFiHa_imp
Running like a top
Oh man 
Please stay safe!!!
#crossfingers#
Prayers send from Europe!
Please stay safe!!!
#crossfingers#
Prayers send from Europe!
egleaves_imp
Running like a top
I live in the foothills about 70 miles south of Paradise....no danger of being in the fire's path, but the smoke is another story. People I know had smoke in their homes for a good chunk of Saturday. Sunday was better, but still hazy. The cities of San Francisco and Sacramento are both being choked out by the smoke. It sucks, but I have a hard time feeling sorry for myself when thinking about where the smoke is coming from.
The Camp fire has grown to either tie, or surpass another fire as the states most destructive. I believe from the standpoint of structures and lives lost. We've had larger fires but rarely does one take out an entire town. Californians have had a lot of practice at battling wildfires...I dare say we're good at it...but all that practice can't prepare you for the sudden and tragic loss of life and home that these most recent fires have wrought.
The good news is that even here in the Sacramento region, 100 miles away, you can literally see communities rallying to provide support for the people and pets displaced by the fire.
The Camp fire has grown to either tie, or surpass another fire as the states most destructive. I believe from the standpoint of structures and lives lost. We've had larger fires but rarely does one take out an entire town. Californians have had a lot of practice at battling wildfires...I dare say we're good at it...but all that practice can't prepare you for the sudden and tragic loss of life and home that these most recent fires have wrought.
The good news is that even here in the Sacramento region, 100 miles away, you can literally see communities rallying to provide support for the people and pets displaced by the fire.
