Posted on 09/01/2021 5:30:10 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — They sent thousands of firefighters, 25 helicopters and an arsenal of more than 400 fire engines and 70 water trucks. Yet the fire still advanced.
They dropped retardant chemicals through an ash-filled sky and bulldozed trees and brush to slow the march of the flames through the steep and rugged terrain of the Sierra Nevada. Yet the fire still advanced.
Bursting across a granite ridge into the Lake Tahoe basin, the Caldor fire now threatens tens of thousands of homes and hotels that ring the lake.
On Tuesday, the smoke-choked streets of South Lake Tahoe, the most populous city on the lake, were deserted, save for police patrol cars and an occasional convoy of fire vehicles. Thousands of residents and tourists had been evacuated the day before.
The lake, renowned for its bright blue hues and the evergreen forests that surround it, was smothered in a slate of sickly orange-gray haze.
Fire specialists say some firefighting tools are appropriate on a smaller scale but outmatched by the huge fires of recent years.
In the hills and gullies where the Caldor fire has burned 190,000 acres over the past two weeks, helicopters dropped large buckets of water — thousands of gallons at a time — but they hardly seemed a match.
“That’s great for protecting a neighborhood, but when you think about the size of a 750,000-acre fire, that’s nothing,” North, the U.S. Forest Service expert, said of dropping water or retardant in large swaths of forest.
He and others added that the Sisyphean task of fire containment pointed to a desperate need for better mitigation.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
The smoke was so bad here (N. Sacramento Valley) Saturday, my fire alarm went off in my house, it doesn’t have an accessible battery so I had to put it in my refrigerator to stop it from going off. I was literally looking at maps trying to determine where to scram off to if it should get worse. The air quality was at 178.
In a related matter, I got my recall ballot week before last and filled it out ‘Yes’ to recall of Newson.. and selected Larry Elder to replace.
I’m thinking of moving to Kentucky.
At least California was able to keep the forests filled with dead trees to help the houses burn. Removing those trees would have made the forests look so artificial and might have saved the city.
We don’t want any of that happening.
Coming soon... pelosiville.
Yahoo's Orwellian double-think. "Safe and engaging" environment for users, therefor no user comments allowed.
Revive the CCC Camps.
Do I really need a sarcasm tag here?
How about yearly clearing of underbrush, removal of some trees, creating firebreaks, and having some controlled burns?...
“The air quality was at 178.”
I don’t have a clue what that means.
What’s “perfect” and what’s “you’re gonna die”?
After last years fires you would think they would have put a huge effort into clearing dead trees and thinning the forests at least around places where people live. Instead Newsom spgave money to illegals. Remember that when you vote for his recall.
Yeah, “global warming“, that’s it. Didn’t they get the memo? “Global warming” is so 2008. It’s “climate change” now, and it’s still a bunch of b.s.
We were stationed at NAS Fallon Nevada. We would go up to Fallen Leaf Lake a lot for a long weekend. It was beautiful. This is so sad. Wonder if this was started on purpose?
Too bad Hurricane Ida couldn’t have been steered towards California.
0-50 is good... 100-200 is unhealthy 301+ is ‘we’re all going to die.’
https://www.airnow.gov/aqi/aqi-basics/
Your money would go farther. I like the New River Valley of Virginia. Except for Blacksburg, we act like Richmond doesn't exist. 
My in laws have been displaced for over a week with no idea of when they can return home or what they will find when they get there.
L
I love Virginia.. I lived in Hampton Roads when a kid. Still have the taste of that blue crab in my head...
Good idea to have a plan. Sorry to hear things are worsening for you guys. When do they think there will be a weather break?
Texas went through a horrible drought about 10 years ago, The Attoyak River river was so dry they were having bike races in the bed. Texas is pretty aggressive about forestry management though so no real problem. They even go through nature conservancy land and burn out the undergrowth periodically. Makes all the difference.
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