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Texas Wildfires

UKDslayer

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Minuteman
  • Jan 29, 2005
    16,462
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    Texas
    I occasionally work on wildfires in WA State, and today it appeared that all the active large airtankers were working in Texas. I also have a friend from Tennessee State Forestry working on fires in Louisiana too. LOTS of areas need rain, WA and OR included.
     

    I've been through hot summers in Texas, but this has been the driest ever in recent memory. We need rain bad!!
    Yep, our Lake Belton is down over 16 feet from normal. I can barely get our pontoon boat out of our slip. Also seeing lots of dead fish, I'm thinking due to elevated water temperatures. My Lorance fish finder is showing surface temperature of 88 degrees.
     
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    Rain is part of the equation.

    States need good fire management programs. Prescribed burning, fire lines, etc go a long ways in mitigating bad fires. Remove the fuel loads and it lessens a lot of the fire.

    Get outta here with your proactive measures. You obviously have no idea how government works.

    Are residents allowed to evacuate? If so, will they be allowed to return?
     
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    Get outta here with your proactive measures. You obviously have no idea how government works.

    Are residents allowed to evacuate? If so, will they be allowed to return?
    Actually I do, as someone who used to do this in the state of Florida, where it says you reside as well.
     
    FWIW, I made a 'cold foot' cooling system for our boat. I call it the "Ukrainian Air Conditioning" and in the past it has worked well. This year though, I thought the pump died. The fans were running, there were no leaks in the heat-exchangers, it's just that they weren't getting cold.

    We pull up the drop-leg only to find that the pump IS running, and that everything is warm. 10 feet below the surface, the water temperature of this river is nearly the same as the ambient temperature of the air.
    THAT, is something.
     
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    I've been through hot summers in Texas, but this has been the driest ever in recent memory. We need rain bad!!
    This fire is about 25ish miles from me. The other night I was driving home late at night and the sky was pitch black except for one giant column of red and orange going all the way to the sky.

    I was able to sit on my back porch and see it from that distance as well.
     
    Rain is part of the equation.

    States need good fire management programs. Prescribed burning, fire lines, etc go a long ways in mitigating bad fires. Remove the fuel loads and it lessens a lot of the fire.
    Texas is very active about this, at least in my area. At least once a year they do large sections of prescribed burns.

    This fire though is a hodge podge of various private properties and homes. This is one of those situations where what you mentioned is not feasible.

    Even if they were able to do it annually in that area the whole place is still a box of kindling. Trees that were alive 6 months ago today are not.
     
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    Texas is very active about this, at least in my area. At least once a year they do large sections of prescribed burns.

    This fire though is a hodge podge of various private properties and homes. This is one of those situations where what you mentioned is not feasible.

    Even if they were able to do it annually in that area the whole place is still a box of kindling. Trees that were alive 6 months ago today are not.
    I wouldn’t say not feasible. I know down here we have mitigation teams that go out and find ways to educate/push practices to help stuff like this from happening. 35 foot of defensive space around homes is one of them. There’s ways to make it happen.
     
    People here are not as serious about fuel breaks. We have the under brush cleared around all the trees for about 100' from the house and the trees have been thinned. I've been watering the grass and trees around the house. The property south and east of me is solid brush.
     

    I've been through hot summers in Texas, but this has been the driest ever in recent memory. We need rain bad!!
    2011 was 27 consecutive triple digits days. How are you supposed to hold the hotter than hell if it isn't hotter than hell?
     
    Asshole neighbors shooting off fireworks last night, left their shit smoldering in the dry grass and it flammed up this am. Pretty small all things considered, but I am NOT a fan of calling the FD at 7:30am on Sunday.

    Lucky we caught it when we did.
    Yeah we have dumb white trash retards doing that shit by me. I’m sure the one a couple weeks ago across the property next to me was started by some inbred asshole flicking a cigarette on the ground on his way in the trailor
     
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