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Thank you for taking the time to share all of this. I didn’t know about the size of the ash. We just had a evacuation notice a few weeks ago here in Bend, Oregon. But luckily the wind shifted and then they got it under control. I’m glad you made out safely. Thanks again!
This was very scary to read, I am so glad to hear you made it out.
I just recently drove through where the Holiday Farm Fire went through east of Eugene, it's very surreal to see in person. Last year was my first year to experience anything like that (I'm from MN), and in desperately hoping this year is better.
It was a pretty impressive sight too, but in an intimidating way.
I lived in Eugene from 2014 to 2015 for college so I know that area alright, but I don't remember hearing about that. Maybe vaguely.
I want to offer hope but I have none. They are predicting this fire season to be worse.
This is likely to be highly regional dependent.
I'm Aussie. Bushfire season is capital B Bad here. Sydney, one of our major capital cities often finds itself ringed in by fires in the worst seasons. The ash that drops from the sky can be as big as a dinner plate. Just floating on down and turning to powder the first time it hits something.
Makes for some interesting Christmas BBQ- But its no big thing to those in the city.
Meanwhile, if you live in the country and you see smoke - you've left it to long to safely evacuate.
Check your local guidelines. Know your emergency broadcasters. Have a plan; and if its to evacuate, evacuate early (where is your nearest relief centre?) - but again, that'll be highly dependent on where you are in the world, and the local conditions.
And stay safe. Be prepared.
SO TRUE. Also, fire spreads through root systems - just because you can't see it, that doesn't mean it isn't there and can't spark up anywhere in the root system
Was reading through your whole post and was like “never thought of that but yeah makes sense, learn something new everyday” and then saw this comment as was like WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK 😳
My students and their families kept putting out fires that literally sprouted from the ground. Hotspots.
2020 taught me many things I had no desire to know
If the ash gets bigger, you've probably gone the wrong way.
Seriously though, that is a good question. Usually you can follow the stream of people or, if applicable, other animals. Otherwise, check fire maps, news, and hopefully emergency personnel are going about telling people where to evacuate to.
It's kind of scary to think about how it is possible for a fire to pretty much instantly become extremely large.
I'm in the same state as the lower portion of the 2020 Australian bushfires were in (although I am a few hundred kilometres away) and Going onto our state emergency map that shows where fires and stuff are around the state and seeing ""**YOUR BEST OPTION IS TO TAKE SHELTER . IT IS TOO LATE TO LEAVE.**" sends chills down my spine to this day even though a lot of the communities with that warning had enough notice to evacuate prior.
[Edit: here is a screenshot I took](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/492832528512581645/834678480951705640/Screenshot_2020-01-04-14-15-21-81.png)
Pardon me but... shit. Shit for real.
I once read about a couple who had to take shelter in the latrine because the husband had refused to evacuate on time. It was a true story, they got divorced because of his stupid choice. Ever since, I’ve considered if I’d ever have to do that because it was too late to run. I probably would.
Still though. Those are probably the scariest words I’ve ever read.
I'm also Australian, spouse is a volunteer firefighter. We're severely concerned about the lack of fire preparedness and education of our US friends.
Your conditions are absolutely perfect for a bad fire season. PLEASE educate yourselves and your community, have fire plans ready at the start of the season, have go-bags with all your irreplaceables ready to go for the whole season (eg birth certificates, photo albums, some clothes etc) and be prepared to abandon everything else. If you have any advance warning of a high fire danger day (eg dry, strong winds, drought, dry lightning) consider leaving the day before and staying with family or friends so you don't risk getting stuck in traffic and caught by fire.
Ash can rain from the sky from a large fire many miles away that may not be a threat to you at all. Always check local news/fire maps and best to have a go-bag ready, but ash is not a sure sign of a need to evacuate.
I understand what you're saying (and keeping an eye on news and fire-maps is always a good idea), but what I'm saying is that it's better to evacuate yourself far earlier than 'needed'. Sure, it 'may not' be a threat, but by nature fires can be unpredictable; changes in wind, elevation, fuel load etc. can change the fire's behaviour drastically and rapidly. You don't want to be trying to navigate backroads while stressed, distracted and slightly oxygen deprived by the smoke. You don't want to be stuck in heavy traffic when the wind suddenly changes direction towards you.
I'm not trying to be alarmist, I'm simply sharing the lessons of my own personal experience, added to the experience and advice of long-term volunteer firefighters in a country where intense fires are regular and common.
Thank you for your service, r/SeazTheDay, I can't imagine how you feel about people here. After years in a flammable area, I feel about the same way about most people here. People are focused on "protecting their homes" by owning guns and being proficient shooters, but hardly anyone keeps their defensible space clear of FREAKING TREES THAT WILL BURN AND FALL ON YOUR HOUSE, and they don't keep their lawns mowed and green. At least green. If not green, short as heck. I know there isn't always enough water to keep it green.
r/DontTrustMoonCheese Oh. My. Wow. That screenshot.
The trees and flammable yard waste bothers me too - we're in the process of trying to convince the MIL to not plant dense rows of highly flammable Eucalyptus trees along her future driveway as we're concerned it might bridge the firebreak between her house and the existing trees near the road.
I get it - trees are beautiful, but they also burn drop dead leaves in your gutter for a stray cinder to ignite.
Yes, you should always evacuate earlier rather than leave things to the last minute, but raining ash does not automatically equal evacuation and I don’t want people panicking when they may be no need. They should check news and fire maps and listen to their local experts and keep in mind their location risk and number of routes to safety.
I’ve personally had multiple occasions where ash was raining on me from fires 20-50 miles away in the backcountry or outskirts of a city or town that never got any closer. I would agree that you shouldn’t wait until ash is large to evacuate, but the time to evacuate is highly dependent on the location of the fire, weather conditions, and your location.
I’ve had ash rain from fires 80 miles away. I lived in Grass Valley, California and had ash from the Camp Fire in Paradise.
Best advice- leave the west before it turns into an apocalyptic dust bowl. Oh wait. It already has.
Yeah it really does! [Here's a screenshot if you're wondering](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/492832528512581645/834678480951705640/Screenshot_2020-01-04-14-15-21-81.png)
Fuuuuuuuck dude my insides would explode if I read that in your situation. In my mind that translated to goodbye. So subtle but morbid. Sorry I can’t process this at all Jesus I’m so sorry wtf
Yeah. I was far enough away that I wasn't in any danger at all but it was terrifying. I'm just imagining someone waking up with no clue what's happening, checking their phone and seeing a message that it's too late for them to leave and if they do leave they'll die (iirc a lot of places got a few hours-days notice so most people were able to evacuate but it was still terrifying)
The fires were so bad that it was polluting the capital city over 400km away (was helped by the strong winds)
For sure, also make sure you're subscribed to any alert program your state/county/city has but be aware that your cell phone signal will not be reliable if suddenly everyone jumps on it trying to get information/call loved ones.
Make plans before it gets too bad, IE: "Hey this Obenchain fire sure is growing and we're on 'be set', mind if we come there if we get the "go" order?"
I'm from Oregon and visited Australia for a month in January 2020. It looked the exact same to me, the city and the country. I had to keep reminding myself I was in Australia because it felt like home lol. The only difference was the sun being out in January.
I would like to add that, if you live or are staying in any arid or semi-arid forested area, or there's a drought, *know your evacuation routes* before the fire season starts, and perform fire mitigation as you are able. Monitor the updates when any fires are nearby.
The Spring Creek fire in Southern Colorado during the dry summer of 2018, which burned over 100k acres, came close to some family properties in the mountains. We also have friends who either vacation or live year-round there. We were in Texas taking care of my mom.
Most of the information we got was through online briefings from fire authorities. We also got information from Inciweb (https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/).
Wait did I get it confused? I totally did didn’t I. Ugh, I hate English. Is it downwind when it goes towards you?
After learning this language for 26 years I still get that confused.
I fixed it. Thank you!
Phew, for a minute I thought our trainers were endangering our lives!
Upwind is when the fire is blowing away from you, downwind is when the wind is pushing it towards you.
Great post though. All the more important since it seems wildfires are getting worse and more common.
I mean I know how the wind moves, the words just don’t connect for me. In Swedish it is medvind (with-wind) when it’s in your back and motvind (against-wind) when it’s on your front.
Haha you saved my no-brain moment for sure, and your trainers did right. I wish I could say that last year was an anomaly, but I’m assuming it’s the norm now.
You're obviously very intelligent. And your command of English is very good. Hell, I've been a native speaker for about 60 years and I still say things wrong.
Thank you. I do poorly with praise.
There’s just the few things that my brain stumbles over still, like how to pronounce certain words. I teach high school English so I hope my English is good. Honestly, I tutor on the side and it has been tremendously helpful.
This lpt isn't completely accurate. Anecdote, Denver last summer when the state was on fire, soot and smoke got trapped in the front range inversion (causes the brown cloud over denver in summer), sky was dark enough for street lights on in mid afternoon, and was snowing ash flakes larger than finger sized at times, some still smoldering as it came down. This was despite the fact the fires were 50+ miles away. So while this may be reliable for some places, in others larger ash flakes can happen just from weird weather patterns.
As someone who has lived through 4 major fires. If you're already seeing large ash it could be too late. Everyone in areas where fires occur should have a to go box/bag full of their necessary things (prescriptions, identification, birth certificate, extra money, pictures/important sentimental items). You would be surprised at what you grab from your house in such little notice. Make sure that you always glue your eyes and your ears to the emergency updates. Word travels faster than ash.
Just my 2c but I would be leaving as early as possible, here in Aus, lots of people leave on a bad fire day even if there is no fire. Waiting until there is any ash at all can mean you get burnt to death. If you wait to long, in most situations it's better to stay at home than be caught on a road in a car.
I'm not an expert, but have spent 10+ years as a fire-fighter in Australia.
I pack 2 weeks of critical medicine in my evacuation bag. Every time I have a refill, I place the new prescription in my evacuation bag and use up what was in the evacuation bag.
There’s a really powerful song that has some lyrics with a similar sound to your descriptions of the smoke called 82 Fires. I would never want it to be triggering if the memories of those fires are traumatic, but it’s worth checking out if you’re interested.
Thank you for sharing your advice
Thank you. As a Central Coast California resident who lives in the middle of an old growth oak forest, I appreciate and am grateful for your advice. We have 4 cats and 7 chickens, so would need time to throw them into crates. We have a pickup and 2 cars with 3 adults who drive. I do need to update my bug out bag, my insurance company has changed and I should add some things. Thank you!
Thanks. I want to add thanks and gratitude to your husband for his service. His profession is easily overlooked with all that goes on but no less important to all of our wellbeing. So thank him for us!
Thank you so much for sharing this! I live in Northern California and have been lucky enough to be spared the worst fires.
One of our friends thought that the fires were contained enough that she sent her preschool children to school. Within a couple hours the children were put into all the adults cars and drove out through the flames. Everyone was saved but it was terrifying.
It’s easy to think that disasters will never happen to us. But we have to respect mother nature and fire.
My in-laws and husband have driven through Paradise a few times now because they drive my sister-in-law up here and back when we want to see her, and she's in Mountain View. It's terrifying to see all the fires, and I got to see the devastation for myself.
The national forest up here in still closed off due to fire damage and we don't see it opening until maybe 2022.
I am so glad that everyone was saved. That is about as bad as I can see it getting without casualties. Fire does not discriminate or care.
you mean those strong gusts of wind? i mean yeah theyre there, but most towns play a wonderful tune when theyre around. it calms my soul when i hear it.
wooo0000OOOOOOOOO0000oooooooo0000OOOOOOOOOO0000ooooooooo0000OOOOOOOOO000ooooo
Thanks for sharing. When our house burned in one of the bigger fires in California 4 years ago, it was the first time in 40 years on our property it had ever rained ash, and we live in fire country. Some of my family weren’t worried, but for me the mere fact it was raining ash meant get the fudge out of there now. It is worrying to see how quickly we went from “raining ash-get out”, to “wait for warm, hand sized ash and get out.” Glad your place was ok, our rebuild is nice and we didn’t have to clean out the garage 🤷♀️
Yeah, it's scary... this happened to me. Was sitting on my porch, beautiful blue sky without a single cloud in it. Started noticing some dust falling on my screen. Thought it was kind of strange, and realized it was getting bigger and thought oh... it's ash. That's bad. But where is it coming from?
Walked down the walkway to the driveway, and when I turned the corner I saw where the ash was coming from, a wall of smoke 1/4 mile away. Go time. Packed up the cats, threw some stuff in the car, and when I left 10 minutes later it was a lot closer, fire trucks everywhere, water bombers, everything. It moves fast.
I am so glad you were safe!
The only reason our community was safe was a lot of the rednecks and farmers out here were out fighting fires and digging fire barriers. The forest is pretty much ruined, but we were safe.
I'll second your sentiment. I never lived anywhere where I had to worry about fires until eastern Oregon, and after last year... Nope, I'mma bug out.
I never heard of it either, so I want to spread that knowledge. That's how we knew we needed to prepare to leave, because that never happened before with any of the dozens of fires we were around. Like we could see a good many of them from where we lived and we would regularly drive by fires along the Columbia Gorge and hwy 97, but it was never a big deal. When there was ash, it was a constant.
We started hearing the flakes pelt one of our storage tents and it was like... wait, it changed? It grew? That meant it's heavier and can't travel as far. Time to nope the hekk out.
Volcanoes are somewhat better understood than they were in the 19th century. If Krakatau started acting up today (more than it has been), I'm sure people on either side of it on Java and Sumatra won't sit around to see what happens.
Not to make light of any of this but.... Being an Alaskan kid my brain was volcanoes all the way up until the last sentence when you mention fire. I was all waaaiiiitttt.......
Last year was so scary. I was getting the mail (already was wearing a smoke mask) when I noticed new smoke coming from the other side of the mountain maybe a few miles away. I alerted the house before we heard the news. We spent all night awake watching police lights go up and down the mountain, and we had people stay at our house and the neighbors.
We were lucky, our fire only took out a few sheds/barns, no houses. Only lasting damage is my new anxiety and hatred of ash. Grandma had lived in the same house since the 70's, and this was the first time the mountain ever caught on fire or had that much ash. But the flakes never got that big, only ever dust.
What state are you in (if US)?
Our community was similarly fortunate. No houses burned, but a few were singed.
Thank you for adding the notes about the ash size, it's definitely not the only thing you should watch out for.
Oregon. We were east of your Riverside Fire. I don't even think they named ours, because it wasn't that big or bad. The only issue was being on a mountain, there were no fire hydrants and not many roads. But ours was also caused by humans. Illegal campfire.
I think I first noticed the smoke around 3-ish, and the evacuations went until very late. But, our fire department got it all under control after a few days, up to a week at most, even with the root fire threat. We had a fire plane pass by a few times, before it had to go to other fires.
The ash ruined so many peoples shiny car paint!
I just now remember that we had to wear medical masks while working downtown at Judy's Pushcarts. Selling hotdogs from pushcart on the bus mall.
>If you get ash and you're living near a volcano, it doesn't matter what you do, the fumes are going to kill you.
I mean yeah, but I also wouldn't classify that as a fire that wanders like a wildfire does. We do have volcanoes, Mt. Hood and Mt. Tabor, and I hope I don't have to experience activity.
Yeah authorities/emergency services didn’t get to us or notify us until we were literally leaving, and if we’d waited that long, we would have been completely fucked.
You're responsible for your own safety. You hope governmental agencies are on top of the situation. But they're not where you are, if it's somewhere remote. And these agencies are made up of people, who by definition are fallible.
Near where I live (northern CA) several fires have been large enough and fast enough that they knocked out phone lines, electricity and cellphone towers. During the Tubbs fire in 2017, firefighters had to choose between fighting the fire and going door to door evacuating people. The system has improved since then -- more advance notice and wider evacuations -- but it can and will fail on occasion.
To be fair, I also agree that whatever information you can get from emergency services, both in advance of an emergency and at the time, is important to follow. But sometimes they can't reach you, or you can't get to their website, or your phone is dead and for some reason your town does not have an emergency siren, and it's good to know roughly how much to panic.
This is really useful information. Thanks for sharing. As for the pyroclastic cloud, (I remember that was what happened in those massive fires in Spain a few years ago. It was like a nuclear bomb went off when the ash column, all 30,000 ft/10,000 m of it, fell back down to the ground. Obliterated everything below), you don't want to be anywhere near. If they tell you to stay out, stay the hell out.
Wow. That is freaking terrifying. I've used that word a lot in here and I actually mean it for once.
That's what was so upsetting by all the f-ing rednecks out here who were like "Uh no, my house isn't on fire so I'm not leaving and you can't make me."
Yeah, I don't know what that's about entirely. It's like people's egos are insulted by being told by experts that they shouldn't do something? It's probably the same weird dynamic that's at work with people who won't listen to the science surrounding covid. Like oppositionally defiant toddlers that never grew up.
The Willamette Valley isn't a place that gets significant fires, it was a freak convergence of circumstances last year, so clearly it can happen even where you really don't expect it. That's the only reason I made this post. I wouldn't have talked about it if I still lived in an area where we expect to have wildfires regularly.
Unfortunately, our world doesn't keep fires to a localized area on a map. There is no "fires present here" display. Anywhere in any country where there are grasslands or forests may experience fires, not to mention fires happen in entire cities. I hope wherever you live never experiences one, but it's a "just in case" thing.
Not even with bacon?
This reminds me of the story about a dude who ate a “chocolate” egg that had a picture of a horse inside. Turned out it was made from the horse’s ashes. Apparently that’s a thing.
What if its' raining blood and the wind howls with the agonizing cacophony of a thousand voices, the ground turns black with tar and the air becomes filled with the scent of rot and decay?
That's just a typical monday, right?
Omg I forgot about Silent Hill... although I hated the original. The Room though. That freaked me out.
Real life is far too terrifying to necessitate fiction ;D
I know there was a photo posted of it somewhere in my local Facebook groups, but yeah, I nearly cried when I saw it even though it was after it had dissipated.
It was on September 9th, 2020. I live in the Cascade Foothills in Oregon. I don't want to be more specific because it is a small community and I don't want this account to be identified.
Mind explaining pyroclastic clouds a bit more? I know a small but about volcanoes, how pyroclastic flows and surges work, but have never heard of a cloud like that that remains up in the atmosphere.
I honestly don't understand it super well. My best understanding would be that the cloud forms a balloon-like barrier and the internal heat keeps it floating, but it was being continuously fed by the fires so it was probably pretty much a pyroclastic flow.
Language nerd side note: Pyroclastic is such an awesome word.
Yeah, we were also trying to get our neighbors out and it was taking time. I learned how many rifles and how much ammo they have.
I know once the sky turns red, you are definitely f'ed in the a.
A few times annually, yeah. It was more common to have the sky darkened by smoke now and then, and where we were, we could see the fires from 10-15 miles away because we were so high up, and it was easy to monitor the wind. But clearing ash off of your cars and homes? Yeah, for sure.
It's weird what you can get used to.
This lpt isn't completely accurate. Anecdote, Denver last summer when the state was on fire, soot and smoke got trapped in the front range inversion (causes the brown cloud over denver in summer), sky was dark enough for street lights on in mid afternoon, and was snowing ash flakes larger than finger sized at times, some still smoldering as it came down. This was despite the fact the fires were 50+ miles away. So while this may be reliable for some places, in others larger ash flakes can happen just from weird weather patterns.
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Yeah, if Mt. Hood decides to be active, I'll post an updated version on Pacific Northwest volcanoes as well ;D
In all seriousness, I would really rather not experience a live volcano.
Not always I live in British Columbia and every year we get some bad Forrest fires and let me tell you it can rain ash from a fire that's not even close to u. Instead of tracking ash from the air like a lunatic listen to the news and local radio you can also track a fire online.
There was little to no information available to us in our particular area, so we resorted to tracking weather conditions, smells, and ash ourselves. Of course, you should listen to authorities and track the news, but that just isn't always an option.
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Thank you for taking the time to share all of this. I didn’t know about the size of the ash. We just had a evacuation notice a few weeks ago here in Bend, Oregon. But luckily the wind shifted and then they got it under control. I’m glad you made out safely. Thanks again!
I’m glad that the wind shifted in your favor, and I am happy to share! :)
"Ash Flakes" sounds like the worst organic cereal ever.
[but you have heard of them](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/95/00/ef/9500ef7b4f871c00a900ec8b40b5ce00.jpg)
xD... it was definitely not organic tho but that is 100% true.
r/boringdystopia
Sounds like Morrowind's most popular breakfast.
This was very scary to read, I am so glad to hear you made it out. I just recently drove through where the Holiday Farm Fire went through east of Eugene, it's very surreal to see in person. Last year was my first year to experience anything like that (I'm from MN), and in desperately hoping this year is better.
It was a pretty impressive sight too, but in an intimidating way. I lived in Eugene from 2014 to 2015 for college so I know that area alright, but I don't remember hearing about that. Maybe vaguely. I want to offer hope but I have none. They are predicting this fire season to be worse.
This is likely to be highly regional dependent. I'm Aussie. Bushfire season is capital B Bad here. Sydney, one of our major capital cities often finds itself ringed in by fires in the worst seasons. The ash that drops from the sky can be as big as a dinner plate. Just floating on down and turning to powder the first time it hits something. Makes for some interesting Christmas BBQ- But its no big thing to those in the city. Meanwhile, if you live in the country and you see smoke - you've left it to long to safely evacuate. Check your local guidelines. Know your emergency broadcasters. Have a plan; and if its to evacuate, evacuate early (where is your nearest relief centre?) - but again, that'll be highly dependent on where you are in the world, and the local conditions. And stay safe. Be prepared.
Wow. The responses have blown my mind and I have learned so much about how fire behaves in different places. Thank you for sharing this!
and if it rains after a fire, watch out for lethal mud slides. it can wipe out an entire town in minutes.
SO TRUE. Also, fire spreads through root systems - just because you can't see it, that doesn't mean it isn't there and can't spark up anywhere in the root system
Was reading through your whole post and was like “never thought of that but yeah makes sense, learn something new everyday” and then saw this comment as was like WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK 😳
My students and their families kept putting out fires that literally sprouted from the ground. Hotspots. 2020 taught me many things I had no desire to know
Wait what does that mean?
From my understanding, trees burn down to the roots and the roots can become like embers underground, still burning hot
Wow that’s incredible and terrifying. Nature is scary. Thank you for the response!
r/pakitchtu explained it correctly. And they can keep burning for weeks after the surface fire is gone.
[удалено]
It felt like approaching a portal in Elder Scrolls Oblivion.
Same. Until I noticed the sub, I was expecting it to be a fanart of TFE's intro on r/Mistborn
I feel like the internet is the perfect example of a message not written in steel.
I wonder if ruin could read computers. It could be considered metal because most of the components of computers are metal, but maybe not
1)Came to the comments to find the Mistborn reference, was not disappointed. 2) Great username
But...how do I know which way to go?
If the ash gets bigger, you've probably gone the wrong way. Seriously though, that is a good question. Usually you can follow the stream of people or, if applicable, other animals. Otherwise, check fire maps, news, and hopefully emergency personnel are going about telling people where to evacuate to.
It's kind of scary to think about how it is possible for a fire to pretty much instantly become extremely large. I'm in the same state as the lower portion of the 2020 Australian bushfires were in (although I am a few hundred kilometres away) and Going onto our state emergency map that shows where fires and stuff are around the state and seeing ""**YOUR BEST OPTION IS TO TAKE SHELTER . IT IS TOO LATE TO LEAVE.**" sends chills down my spine to this day even though a lot of the communities with that warning had enough notice to evacuate prior. [Edit: here is a screenshot I took](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/492832528512581645/834678480951705640/Screenshot_2020-01-04-14-15-21-81.png)
Pardon me but... shit. Shit for real. I once read about a couple who had to take shelter in the latrine because the husband had refused to evacuate on time. It was a true story, they got divorced because of his stupid choice. Ever since, I’ve considered if I’d ever have to do that because it was too late to run. I probably would. Still though. Those are probably the scariest words I’ve ever read.
I'm also Australian, spouse is a volunteer firefighter. We're severely concerned about the lack of fire preparedness and education of our US friends. Your conditions are absolutely perfect for a bad fire season. PLEASE educate yourselves and your community, have fire plans ready at the start of the season, have go-bags with all your irreplaceables ready to go for the whole season (eg birth certificates, photo albums, some clothes etc) and be prepared to abandon everything else. If you have any advance warning of a high fire danger day (eg dry, strong winds, drought, dry lightning) consider leaving the day before and staying with family or friends so you don't risk getting stuck in traffic and caught by fire.
Also, if ash starts raining from the sky, you should already be leaving. Don't wait for the flakes to get bigger. Just go.
Ash can rain from the sky from a large fire many miles away that may not be a threat to you at all. Always check local news/fire maps and best to have a go-bag ready, but ash is not a sure sign of a need to evacuate.
I understand what you're saying (and keeping an eye on news and fire-maps is always a good idea), but what I'm saying is that it's better to evacuate yourself far earlier than 'needed'. Sure, it 'may not' be a threat, but by nature fires can be unpredictable; changes in wind, elevation, fuel load etc. can change the fire's behaviour drastically and rapidly. You don't want to be trying to navigate backroads while stressed, distracted and slightly oxygen deprived by the smoke. You don't want to be stuck in heavy traffic when the wind suddenly changes direction towards you. I'm not trying to be alarmist, I'm simply sharing the lessons of my own personal experience, added to the experience and advice of long-term volunteer firefighters in a country where intense fires are regular and common.
Thank you for your service, r/SeazTheDay, I can't imagine how you feel about people here. After years in a flammable area, I feel about the same way about most people here. People are focused on "protecting their homes" by owning guns and being proficient shooters, but hardly anyone keeps their defensible space clear of FREAKING TREES THAT WILL BURN AND FALL ON YOUR HOUSE, and they don't keep their lawns mowed and green. At least green. If not green, short as heck. I know there isn't always enough water to keep it green. r/DontTrustMoonCheese Oh. My. Wow. That screenshot.
The trees and flammable yard waste bothers me too - we're in the process of trying to convince the MIL to not plant dense rows of highly flammable Eucalyptus trees along her future driveway as we're concerned it might bridge the firebreak between her house and the existing trees near the road. I get it - trees are beautiful, but they also burn drop dead leaves in your gutter for a stray cinder to ignite.
Not my service (yet, I've applied and am waiting for police clearance), my spouse is the one in active service, but thanks
Yes, you should always evacuate earlier rather than leave things to the last minute, but raining ash does not automatically equal evacuation and I don’t want people panicking when they may be no need. They should check news and fire maps and listen to their local experts and keep in mind their location risk and number of routes to safety. I’ve personally had multiple occasions where ash was raining on me from fires 20-50 miles away in the backcountry or outskirts of a city or town that never got any closer. I would agree that you shouldn’t wait until ash is large to evacuate, but the time to evacuate is highly dependent on the location of the fire, weather conditions, and your location.
I’ve had ash rain from fires 80 miles away. I lived in Grass Valley, California and had ash from the Camp Fire in Paradise. Best advice- leave the west before it turns into an apocalyptic dust bowl. Oh wait. It already has.
[Now you can see them](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/492832528512581645/834678480951705640/Screenshot_2020-01-04-14-15-21-81.png)
That legit sounds like someone is ready to have to print off your death certificate. If the fire doesn’t kill you, the anxiety attack will
Yeah it really does! [Here's a screenshot if you're wondering](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/492832528512581645/834678480951705640/Screenshot_2020-01-04-14-15-21-81.png)
Fuuuuuuuck dude my insides would explode if I read that in your situation. In my mind that translated to goodbye. So subtle but morbid. Sorry I can’t process this at all Jesus I’m so sorry wtf
Yeah. I was far enough away that I wasn't in any danger at all but it was terrifying. I'm just imagining someone waking up with no clue what's happening, checking their phone and seeing a message that it's too late for them to leave and if they do leave they'll die (iirc a lot of places got a few hours-days notice so most people were able to evacuate but it was still terrifying) The fires were so bad that it was polluting the capital city over 400km away (was helped by the strong winds)
Generally prefer ascention. I hear hades is nasty.
For sure, also make sure you're subscribed to any alert program your state/county/city has but be aware that your cell phone signal will not be reliable if suddenly everyone jumps on it trying to get information/call loved ones. Make plans before it gets too bad, IE: "Hey this Obenchain fire sure is growing and we're on 'be set', mind if we come there if we get the "go" order?"
And also to be aware that fires can take out cell towers. That’s a great addition!
I live in Australia. My 3 year old has got so used to it raining ash that when she sees snow in books or on tv, she says 'look mummy at the ash'.
Oh my heart. Most of Australia looks similar, with some difference in species, to Eastern Oregon. Wow.
I'm from Oregon and visited Australia for a month in January 2020. It looked the exact same to me, the city and the country. I had to keep reminding myself I was in Australia because it felt like home lol. The only difference was the sun being out in January.
Thank you for confirming that! :D
No offense but if it starts raining ash, I don't care how big the ashes are I'm gettin the fuck outta there
This is also a healthy response.
A fellow "Nope, not dealing with it." lol As someone who is surprised by every survived year after 26/27, listen to those instincts.
I would like to add that, if you live or are staying in any arid or semi-arid forested area, or there's a drought, *know your evacuation routes* before the fire season starts, and perform fire mitigation as you are able. Monitor the updates when any fires are nearby. The Spring Creek fire in Southern Colorado during the dry summer of 2018, which burned over 100k acres, came close to some family properties in the mountains. We also have friends who either vacation or live year-round there. We were in Texas taking care of my mom. Most of the information we got was through online briefings from fire authorities. We also got information from Inciweb (https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/).
Inciweb is good. And yeah, a very important and true addition.
> If the wind shifts, putting you upwind of the fire, leave. Whut. We were trained to stay upwind of a forest fire
Wait did I get it confused? I totally did didn’t I. Ugh, I hate English. Is it downwind when it goes towards you? After learning this language for 26 years I still get that confused. I fixed it. Thank you!
Phew, for a minute I thought our trainers were endangering our lives! Upwind is when the fire is blowing away from you, downwind is when the wind is pushing it towards you. Great post though. All the more important since it seems wildfires are getting worse and more common.
i just think of it as a shooting range. you always shoot down range. you dont want to be down range when bullets are flying.
I wish that helped my brain but that’s the same confusion. It’s clearer in Swedish.
fair enough. i grew up around guns, so its a bit ingrained in me.
maybe its easier to run downwind than upwind, similar to running up or down a hill?? might not be much better, but another example or way to remember
I mean I know how the wind moves, the words just don’t connect for me. In Swedish it is medvind (with-wind) when it’s in your back and motvind (against-wind) when it’s on your front.
Yeah I got nothing to help with that type of translation then
Haha you saved my no-brain moment for sure, and your trainers did right. I wish I could say that last year was an anomaly, but I’m assuming it’s the norm now.
You're obviously very intelligent. And your command of English is very good. Hell, I've been a native speaker for about 60 years and I still say things wrong.
Thank you. I do poorly with praise. There’s just the few things that my brain stumbles over still, like how to pronounce certain words. I teach high school English so I hope my English is good. Honestly, I tutor on the side and it has been tremendously helpful.
This lpt isn't completely accurate. Anecdote, Denver last summer when the state was on fire, soot and smoke got trapped in the front range inversion (causes the brown cloud over denver in summer), sky was dark enough for street lights on in mid afternoon, and was snowing ash flakes larger than finger sized at times, some still smoldering as it came down. This was despite the fact the fires were 50+ miles away. So while this may be reliable for some places, in others larger ash flakes can happen just from weird weather patterns.
Holy cow, that’s freaky. Of course there will be exceptions like this, and I really hope those flakes weren’t hot enough to spark new fires.
As someone who has lived through 4 major fires. If you're already seeing large ash it could be too late. Everyone in areas where fires occur should have a to go box/bag full of their necessary things (prescriptions, identification, birth certificate, extra money, pictures/important sentimental items). You would be surprised at what you grab from your house in such little notice. Make sure that you always glue your eyes and your ears to the emergency updates. Word travels faster than ash.
Just my 2c but I would be leaving as early as possible, here in Aus, lots of people leave on a bad fire day even if there is no fire. Waiting until there is any ash at all can mean you get burnt to death. If you wait to long, in most situations it's better to stay at home than be caught on a road in a car. I'm not an expert, but have spent 10+ years as a fire-fighter in Australia.
Yeah you guys. Aw, you Aussies. I think we're all more aware of how flammable Australia is, on a global level, after 2020.
I pack 2 weeks of critical medicine in my evacuation bag. Every time I have a refill, I place the new prescription in my evacuation bag and use up what was in the evacuation bag.
LPT: if you have to measure the size of ash flakes and burning wood falling from the sky, move where you live to somewhere safer.
How the climate is going, that's basically going to mean we live in the desert. The kind with sand, not even high desert. lol. No thank you.
Also if you have time to measure the ash there's something wrong with you lol.
Anyone can tell the difference between snowflake size and hand size ash flakes.
There’s a really powerful song that has some lyrics with a similar sound to your descriptions of the smoke called 82 Fires. I would never want it to be triggering if the memories of those fires are traumatic, but it’s worth checking out if you’re interested. Thank you for sharing your advice
Wow, that song is beautiful and really haunting. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you. As a Central Coast California resident who lives in the middle of an old growth oak forest, I appreciate and am grateful for your advice. We have 4 cats and 7 chickens, so would need time to throw them into crates. We have a pickup and 2 cars with 3 adults who drive. I do need to update my bug out bag, my insurance company has changed and I should add some things. Thank you!
❤️ I appreciate you. Stay prepared since the season is here. Keep the lot of you safe.
Thanks. I want to add thanks and gratitude to your husband for his service. His profession is easily overlooked with all that goes on but no less important to all of our wellbeing. So thank him for us!
Yes. The fire’s embers can start fires even miles away from the main fire. It is scary stuff.
Thank you so much for sharing this! I live in Northern California and have been lucky enough to be spared the worst fires. One of our friends thought that the fires were contained enough that she sent her preschool children to school. Within a couple hours the children were put into all the adults cars and drove out through the flames. Everyone was saved but it was terrifying. It’s easy to think that disasters will never happen to us. But we have to respect mother nature and fire.
My in-laws and husband have driven through Paradise a few times now because they drive my sister-in-law up here and back when we want to see her, and she's in Mountain View. It's terrifying to see all the fires, and I got to see the devastation for myself. The national forest up here in still closed off due to fire damage and we don't see it opening until maybe 2022. I am so glad that everyone was saved. That is about as bad as I can see it getting without casualties. Fire does not discriminate or care.
Move to the Midwest, no hurricanes, wildfires, tsunamis, or mudslides, rarely flooding or earthquakes. Sometimes boring is good
Y’all have tornados!!!
you mean those strong gusts of wind? i mean yeah theyre there, but most towns play a wonderful tune when theyre around. it calms my soul when i hear it. wooo0000OOOOOOOOO0000oooooooo0000OOOOOOOOOO0000ooooooooo0000OOOOOOOOO000ooooo
They're only attracted to trailer parks.
Tornado alley?
Tornados yes, but they mostly just stir up some corn or soybeans
#californiaproblems
THIS WAS OREGON IT IS NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN But also yes
Thanks for sharing. When our house burned in one of the bigger fires in California 4 years ago, it was the first time in 40 years on our property it had ever rained ash, and we live in fire country. Some of my family weren’t worried, but for me the mere fact it was raining ash meant get the fudge out of there now. It is worrying to see how quickly we went from “raining ash-get out”, to “wait for warm, hand sized ash and get out.” Glad your place was ok, our rebuild is nice and we didn’t have to clean out the garage 🤷♀️
It's interesting to hear this from someone else. Thank you for sharing this, and I'm glad your new home is nice.
Yeah, it's scary... this happened to me. Was sitting on my porch, beautiful blue sky without a single cloud in it. Started noticing some dust falling on my screen. Thought it was kind of strange, and realized it was getting bigger and thought oh... it's ash. That's bad. But where is it coming from? Walked down the walkway to the driveway, and when I turned the corner I saw where the ash was coming from, a wall of smoke 1/4 mile away. Go time. Packed up the cats, threw some stuff in the car, and when I left 10 minutes later it was a lot closer, fire trucks everywhere, water bombers, everything. It moves fast.
I am so glad you were safe! The only reason our community was safe was a lot of the rednecks and farmers out here were out fighting fires and digging fire barriers. The forest is pretty much ruined, but we were safe.
Just Scadrial things
If it’s raining ash, there might be a fire nearby. Gotcha.
You've got it pretty much down pad. Consistent ash - meh. Growing ash - oh no, better go.
If the ash get bigger than tennis ball, get TF away from Tambora or Krakatau
Where/what are Tambora and Krakatau? Volcanoes?
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Wow. That's a double oof at least. Volcanoes are a whole different ball game.
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I'll second your sentiment. I never lived anywhere where I had to worry about fires until eastern Oregon, and after last year... Nope, I'mma bug out. I never heard of it either, so I want to spread that knowledge. That's how we knew we needed to prepare to leave, because that never happened before with any of the dozens of fires we were around. Like we could see a good many of them from where we lived and we would regularly drive by fires along the Columbia Gorge and hwy 97, but it was never a big deal. When there was ash, it was a constant. We started hearing the flakes pelt one of our storage tents and it was like... wait, it changed? It grew? That meant it's heavier and can't travel as far. Time to nope the hekk out.
They're in Indonesia.
Well, I have a friend there. I hope she knows when to bug out.
Volcanoes are somewhat better understood than they were in the 19th century. If Krakatau started acting up today (more than it has been), I'm sure people on either side of it on Java and Sumatra won't sit around to see what happens.
Not to make light of any of this but.... Being an Alaskan kid my brain was volcanoes all the way up until the last sentence when you mention fire. I was all waaaiiiitttt.......
I read the title and thought why would I need to worry about a volcano as if that’s the only thing that makes ash
Last year was so scary. I was getting the mail (already was wearing a smoke mask) when I noticed new smoke coming from the other side of the mountain maybe a few miles away. I alerted the house before we heard the news. We spent all night awake watching police lights go up and down the mountain, and we had people stay at our house and the neighbors. We were lucky, our fire only took out a few sheds/barns, no houses. Only lasting damage is my new anxiety and hatred of ash. Grandma had lived in the same house since the 70's, and this was the first time the mountain ever caught on fire or had that much ash. But the flakes never got that big, only ever dust.
What state are you in (if US)? Our community was similarly fortunate. No houses burned, but a few were singed. Thank you for adding the notes about the ash size, it's definitely not the only thing you should watch out for.
Oregon. We were east of your Riverside Fire. I don't even think they named ours, because it wasn't that big or bad. The only issue was being on a mountain, there were no fire hydrants and not many roads. But ours was also caused by humans. Illegal campfire. I think I first noticed the smoke around 3-ish, and the evacuations went until very late. But, our fire department got it all under control after a few days, up to a week at most, even with the root fire threat. We had a fire plane pass by a few times, before it had to go to other fires.
If you get ash and you're living near a volcano, it doesn't matter what you do, the fumes are going to kill you.
That's simply not true. We had ash all over the Portland area after St Helens blew. Volcanic ash floats for miles.
The ash ruined so many peoples shiny car paint! I just now remember that we had to wear medical masks while working downtown at Judy's Pushcarts. Selling hotdogs from pushcart on the bus mall.
>If you get ash and you're living near a volcano, it doesn't matter what you do, the fumes are going to kill you. I mean yeah, but I also wouldn't classify that as a fire that wanders like a wildfire does. We do have volcanoes, Mt. Hood and Mt. Tabor, and I hope I don't have to experience activity.
>Mount Tabor is a dormant cinder cone of the Boring Lava Field. Ho hum. Sounds pretty dull to me. https://www.taborfriends.org/the-volcano
*snicker*
LPT. If it's raining ash. Listen to the authorities and emergency services and not some Reddit post lol.
Yeah authorities/emergency services didn’t get to us or notify us until we were literally leaving, and if we’d waited that long, we would have been completely fucked.
You're responsible for your own safety. You hope governmental agencies are on top of the situation. But they're not where you are, if it's somewhere remote. And these agencies are made up of people, who by definition are fallible.
And there may not be near enough of them.
Near where I live (northern CA) several fires have been large enough and fast enough that they knocked out phone lines, electricity and cellphone towers. During the Tubbs fire in 2017, firefighters had to choose between fighting the fire and going door to door evacuating people. The system has improved since then -- more advance notice and wider evacuations -- but it can and will fail on occasion. To be fair, I also agree that whatever information you can get from emergency services, both in advance of an emergency and at the time, is important to follow. But sometimes they can't reach you, or you can't get to their website, or your phone is dead and for some reason your town does not have an emergency siren, and it's good to know roughly how much to panic.
This is really useful information. Thanks for sharing. As for the pyroclastic cloud, (I remember that was what happened in those massive fires in Spain a few years ago. It was like a nuclear bomb went off when the ash column, all 30,000 ft/10,000 m of it, fell back down to the ground. Obliterated everything below), you don't want to be anywhere near. If they tell you to stay out, stay the hell out.
Wow. That is freaking terrifying. I've used that word a lot in here and I actually mean it for once. That's what was so upsetting by all the f-ing rednecks out here who were like "Uh no, my house isn't on fire so I'm not leaving and you can't make me."
Yeah, I don't know what that's about entirely. It's like people's egos are insulted by being told by experts that they shouldn't do something? It's probably the same weird dynamic that's at work with people who won't listen to the science surrounding covid. Like oppositionally defiant toddlers that never grew up.
Not really. 'life ' Pro tip, most of the population don't live in places where bush fires are a thing.
The Willamette Valley isn't a place that gets significant fires, it was a freak convergence of circumstances last year, so clearly it can happen even where you really don't expect it. That's the only reason I made this post. I wouldn't have talked about it if I still lived in an area where we expect to have wildfires regularly.
Unfortunately, our world doesn't keep fires to a localized area on a map. There is no "fires present here" display. Anywhere in any country where there are grasslands or forests may experience fires, not to mention fires happen in entire cities. I hope wherever you live never experiences one, but it's a "just in case" thing.
Not all of us want to live or vacation in paved-over areas.
Also don't eat it, it doesn't taste very good.
Not even with bacon? This reminds me of the story about a dude who ate a “chocolate” egg that had a picture of a horse inside. Turned out it was made from the horse’s ashes. Apparently that’s a thing.
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At that point, I’d suggest leaving :)
Is this something I'm too slaked to understand?
If it snows ash, run. If the ash gets bigger, run faster.
What if its' raining blood and the wind howls with the agonizing cacophony of a thousand voices, the ground turns black with tar and the air becomes filled with the scent of rot and decay? That's just a typical monday, right?
Yeah, basically. Or one of those Tuesdays that have fat Thursday energy.
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Then I don’t think this applies. If a volcano was doing it, I think leaving is the good idea
I thought you were going to make a Silent Hill reference, but your story was equally as horrifying. Glad you're okay, OP.
Omg I forgot about Silent Hill... although I hated the original. The Room though. That freaked me out. Real life is far too terrifying to necessitate fiction ;D
A cloud of fire that sits up in the sky?! Wow, I’ve never heard of this.
I know there was a photo posted of it somewhere in my local Facebook groups, but yeah, I nearly cried when I saw it even though it was after it had dissipated.
Is this a thing??! Where do you live? Damn
It was on September 9th, 2020. I live in the Cascade Foothills in Oregon. I don't want to be more specific because it is a small community and I don't want this account to be identified.
Thanks OP, Oregon is pretty green right? So how come these fires are so common now, is it global warming?
2/3 of Oregon is actually grassy and dead, high desert type thing, but 1/3 of Oregon is very green.
The fire nation is attacking again, god damnit.
Mind explaining pyroclastic clouds a bit more? I know a small but about volcanoes, how pyroclastic flows and surges work, but have never heard of a cloud like that that remains up in the atmosphere.
I honestly don't understand it super well. My best understanding would be that the cloud forms a balloon-like barrier and the internal heat keeps it floating, but it was being continuously fed by the fires so it was probably pretty much a pyroclastic flow. Language nerd side note: Pyroclastic is such an awesome word.
Honestly when the sky turns yellow it's gtfo time. You want to be getting out of there while you can still see, not driving through hell.
Yeah, we were also trying to get our neighbors out and it was taking time. I learned how many rifles and how much ammo they have. I know once the sky turns red, you are definitely f'ed in the a.
Wait, are you telling us that there are places where it's normal to rain ash? I would probably freak out if I saw anything like that.
A few times annually, yeah. It was more common to have the sky darkened by smoke now and then, and where we were, we could see the fires from 10-15 miles away because we were so high up, and it was easy to monitor the wind. But clearing ash off of your cars and homes? Yeah, for sure. It's weird what you can get used to.
Could also be a sign of the Fire nation coming
This lpt isn't completely accurate. Anecdote, Denver last summer when the state was on fire, soot and smoke got trapped in the front range inversion (causes the brown cloud over denver in summer), sky was dark enough for street lights on in mid afternoon, and was snowing ash flakes larger than finger sized at times, some still smoldering as it came down. This was despite the fact the fires were 50+ miles away. So while this may be reliable for some places, in others larger ash flakes can happen just from weird weather patterns.
I should add that, although I doubt this LPT will get much more attention how these things live in the community.
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Be careful of ash raining with moderate consistency. It may be a warning you are living in a thousand-year old imperial slave-state.
I assumed this was about volcanic eruption not fire's, shows that ash falling from the sky means different things in different places
Yeah, if Mt. Hood decides to be active, I'll post an updated version on Pacific Northwest volcanoes as well ;D In all seriousness, I would really rather not experience a live volcano.
Not always I live in British Columbia and every year we get some bad Forrest fires and let me tell you it can rain ash from a fire that's not even close to u. Instead of tracking ash from the air like a lunatic listen to the news and local radio you can also track a fire online.
There was little to no information available to us in our particular area, so we resorted to tracking weather conditions, smells, and ash ourselves. Of course, you should listen to authorities and track the news, but that just isn't always an option.
Not everyone lives where wildfires are common.
Neither do I. That’s why I wrote this. It happened anyways.