In the Line of Fire

We live in a very small town in far Northern California, right next to Redwood National and State Parks, in Del Norte County.

Last week, a huge lightning storm came through, setting many, many fires.  Since we had lower than normal rainfall and the terrain is very rugged, these fires spread quickly, totaling over 30,000 acres at this point.

The next town east of us, Gasquet, has been evacuated.  Hwy 199, that connects the coast to the Grants Pass / Medford Oregon area, is closed indefinitely.  The only power transmission line that services our county goes through the middle of the fire area; lines were de-energized 4 days ago.

There are over 1000 firefighters working the fire as of this morning.  Wildfire firetrucks and equipment from all over the west are arriving.  Hotshot teams are being brought in.  We had a several DC-10 / 737 size jets flying retardant drops on the fire today, flying out of Medford.  I have heard there were 3 or 4 loading, dropping, then back to base to reload and do it again all day.

Hoping that all goes well and that all our first responders stay safe.

Good luck brother.

Yikes! Stay safe, Man.

In reply to CJ :

So you're out of power now?  Better to get out early than late.

Good luck and stay safe. Stuff is replaceable, people aren't. Get out if you need to. 

OES has evacuated the entire east half of the county.  Fire is over 47,000 acres, but good news (at least for us) is most of the spread yesterday went north toward Oregon.

Heavy smoke this morning, which is stopping all air tanker drops. Still at 0% containment.

The amazing thing in all of this is that our power company, Pacific Power & Light, is bringing in huge propane powered generators (semi-trailer size), which they are setting up at substations to power the grid.  Pacific Gas & Electric, which operates south of us, is lending their generators to the cause.  They are supposed to have all of Crescent City powered by tonight.  More rural areas will follow - our area, Hiouchi, is supposed to up on Friday evening.

We have all of the essentials, medications, and documents packed, ready to load into the truck and motor home and head out.  Just waiting now.

Best of circumstances to you, CJ.

I feel for you. My family was forced to evacuate for the CZU fires in the Santa Cruz Mountains a few years ago. We were away for almost a month. We stayed in 5 different locations in that timeperiod.  It was a hell of a learning experience. Living in earthquake territory, we had a plan. That plan wasn't robust enough. Granted you have more time to act for a fire than you do with an earthquake. We know that now.

Our earthquake plan had us ready in a few areas. When do you leave? What should you take? What should you leave behind?

We keep an external harddrive on the top of the desk and ready to grab quickly. On it are all our records and photos, and we religiously back it up. We have a single folder in the front of the filing cabinet for important hard copies, titles, passports, birth certificates, etc. After those items we noticed our earthquake plan wasn't enough. If there is space to take other items...what do you take? Clothing of course, then what? Oh E36 M3, we have long range walkie-talkies. Where are they? Crap, my military items. Weapons and ammunition....crap! Wife wanted her wedding dress. Family heirlooms! E36 M3 where are all of them and which ones have a higher priority? What's the best way to move all the vehicles out of the area? How do you prepare the house and property for this? Shut off power, water, and gas? When the car / van / truck is packed with stuff you notice that there is a small tiny weirdly shaped empty space in the corner of the trunk, so you run into the house to find something that fits in that spot. Right before the final loadout we went into the house and took pics of everything. EVERYTHING. Prepare for the insurance claim should it happen. Opened every cabinet, drawer, closet, etc. to take pics.

You're not alone. Ask for help when you need it, and when you're not sure. People will help. Good people show up to help. So do E36 M3ty people. One guy waited for the firefighters to leave their camp then went in a stole E36 M3. Others go from house to house doing the same.

We tried to keep our 7 year old calm and occupied while we packed up. Just as we were about ready to drive away, she asked if she could bring something too. It hit us like a ton of bricks. We told her yes and she went back into the house. She returned with three things that she felt she needed. A special bell, a picture of her and her mother, and a picture of her and I. My wife and I damn near lost it. Tears were streaming!

I took this pic as she came down the stairs.

Sort of good news is that the south and central of the state is pretty fire free (just got a lot of rain), so the resources available (CA just got a bunch of new firefighting aircraft) to fight these fires should be pretty massive. 

Another site to watch: https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents

Well, this morning was very smokey, coming down the river valley to the west.  Fire expanded to 56,191 acres by early this morning, with 0% containment. Over 1500 personnel are engaged fighting the fire and it is presently the highest priority blaze in the nation.

So far, only one injury - a very experienced hotshot crew broke his ankle.   Took many hours to get him out since the helos were grounded by smoke.  They did get him to treatment and he is OK.

The town of Gasquet is still standing.  Firefighters are hardening the town, creating breaks and clearing / chipping vegetation near homes.  From what I have heard, there are many engines strategically placed throughout the area.

The forecast for tonight is for a 20% chance of storm cells with possible rain and lightning passing over the fire zone.  Hoping that doesn't happen.

Many here are using a site called Watch Duty.  This site & apps are run by a non-profit who aggregates maps, notices, and other information for distribution.

In reply to CJ :

How many ways out do you have?  Remember everyone else will be heading out at the same time.

About a mile west of us, we can go due west to Hwy 101 N or southwest to Hwy 101 S.

We continue to be on Level 1 evacuation status.  There are only about 700 who live in Hiouchi, and there is no one to our east remaining.

If we go to Level 2, our plan is to get out immediately.

The town of Gasquet is still standing.  The fire is now 76,857 acres and is 7% contained. There are nearly 2,500 personnel fighting the blaze at this point. 

We have been very fortunate that the weather has been much cooler and the humidity higher than normal, allowing firefighters to establish more breaks and fallback positions more safely.

A test of all of the line work is coming tonight with winds estimated to be 30 - 35 mph at peaks and ridges from the east. 

This could push the fire toward Gasquet and toward us.  This is supposed to be a short-term event, followed by a large depression from the north, possibly bringing some rain.

Fingers crossed.

In reply to CJ :

Still here hoping for you.

Just was listening to this morning's update - we have more than 3,500 firefighters on the Smith River Fire Complex now.

Wow.  Just wow.

In reply to CJ :

Glad to hear that you are hanging on. Hopefully conditions stay favorable!

Here's hoping things stay manageable and they get it under control. Stay safe.

For those not familiar with the region, fire danger is no joke in that part of the country, and this time of year is when it gets especially bad. I grew up in Trinity County and still have family there and in Redding. Had a lot of fire scares and a couple of evacuations down there in recent years, and one scare here (Holiday Farm fire) a few years back that was way too close for comfort.

It's absolutely terrifying.

Looks like the Happy Camp fire is 40% contained, so they are probably re-tasking some of the assets from there.

I may know someone who is up there. I heard he went north to fight a fire, and I am pretty sure he is not back yet.  My sister lives in a pretty active area (near Placerville, north east of Sacramento) and she has been threatened number of times, it always sucks.

It really can be super random how they develop.  As you note, I think the weather is turning in your favor though.

Keep us up to date.  It's not in the news at all in Southern California.

We finished building our home in November, 2000.

In the summer of 2002, the Biscuit Fire Complex broke out - ended up burning 500,000 acres in Northern California and Southern Oregon.  The largest wildfire in the nation that year.

We were on a 30 minute evacuation for a while.  Glowing embers were falling on the house and deck. Rainbirds going constantly to keep things damp.

Firefighters were heroic in saving as many structures as they did.  It wasn't actually out until the rains came in October.  Don't expect this one will be either.

I love where I live, but the fires seem a high price at times, but maybe no different than hurricanes in the south or scorching heat in other places; just the price of doing business in a forest.

How are things looking at the moment?

Internet says it may be raining there now, and likely to rain more tomorrow (with possible lightning, of course) and some on Saturday.

Light rain right now.  The fire lines held last night and based on that, as well as forecast weather, the residents of Gasquet were allowed to to return to their homes at noon today.

For tomorrow, more rain and possible thunder storms in the afternoon. 

CJ  said. Rainbirds going constantly to keep the rain birds going.....

How did you set up the rain birds ? On poles above the house or ?

My friend has a house up in the mountains that almost caught on fire last year , the fir e stopped 2 blocks away.

CJ said:

Light rain right now.  The fire lines held last night and based on that, as well as forecast weather, the residents of Gasquet were allowed to to return to their homes at noon today.

For tomorrow, more rain and possible thunder storms in the afternoon. 

Alright. There is some good news out there after all. Hopefully it continues to get better. Thanks for the update.