LA fires

[Spectric]

Jacob has a crystal ball.

Once you have rolled all other potential synario's around in the grey mater and added a dose of logic and reasoning then you have to conclude that if nothing changes then things can only get worse and not just for California.

 

[Hypnotic Chimera]

Isn't it cute.

Some contributors have done 15mins of Google.
Maybe 30 mins, at a stretch.
And then framing their argument to disagree with people who have literally dedicated their entire academic and working lives in researching a specific topic.

(I deliberately chose the word "people" instead of the word "experts" for a reason. Because we've had enough of experts. Apparently.)

This isn't a dig at individuals. It's an observation that things have gotten a bit topsy turvy. Post truth. Freedom of Speech. "Balance". Something just isn't right here.

 

[Hypnotic Chimera]

Fifty odd years ago I got a job as an aircraft mechanic with a fire bombing company in British Columbia and every summer we went out to bases all over the province. The air tankers went out to drop fire retardant on the fire to stop them when they were first spotted. The ground crews followed and with helicopters kept the fires contained and put out. There were "campaign" fires occasionally that got big but they would eventually be contained. All those years of stopping fires has built up enormous amounts of dry debris of dead branches and plants on the forest floor. Now with the longer, hotter, and dryer conditions the fire season is longer and they rapidly get out of control. With the build up of fuels on the forest floors everywhere more and more fires are encompassing towns and cities which have expanded outwards from when I was a pup. I suspect that is part of the reason LA is in such a state. There are more than 4 times as many people on the earth from when I was born until now. Shouldn't take a genius to figure out we are responsible. It ain't gonna get better until it gets a lot worse.

Pete

The operative part of this story is the "longer and hotter and dryer" part. Not that we stored up dry fodder.

 

[RobinBHM]

It's a north american thing. Houses here get built in literal days as opposed months. Timber is also cheaper and more readily available than alternatives. Further to that, in colder areas like where I am in Saskatchewan, timber framed houses are often better insulated or have better r value than brick or block homes.

Looking at the picture, I do think the roof could be pretty critical here. Majority of roofs are asphalt tile and would be pretty susceptible to catching on fire from falling embers.

I am always amazed when I see YouTube videos of American housebuilding, especially the asphalt / felt shingle tiles they use for roofs. ….here in the U.K. we only use those for sheds or summer houses.

And it’s mostly timber frame construction….seems not so great in a country with termites

 

[RobinBHM]

These fires are because of barbecues not climate change.

It just goes to show burgers are bad for you

 

[TRITON]

What i dont understand is why(in this vid) it shows a lot of burned down houses, but not all, and its inter spaced by unburnt vegetation and trees.

Even on the coast, you have houses behind unburned, and houses beside unburned, and even greenery. So why are some going up and others arent.
Also in the heli shots it shows the same patterns.
https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/...es-palisades-la-fires-helicopter/77604040007/

 

[Phil Pascoe]

 

[danst96]

I am always amazed when I see YouTube videos of American housebuilding, especially the asphalt / felt shingle tiles they use for roofs. ….here in the U.K. we only use those for sheds or summer houses.

And it’s mostly timber frame construction….seems not so great in a country with termites

Having lived here for 3 years, I struggle to have a definite opinion either way on the building methods.

The more traditional UK houses definitely have a longer lifespan and are more sturdy but then houses here seem to have less damp or mould issues in the same periods. The speed of building is also significant. When I first moved I was very shocked at the building method and quite against it but now after being here a few years and looking at doing an extension, apart from the fact I'm limited in what I can do, it's hard to make an argument for a block or brick building, at least where I live. Roofing Is a different story, I still favour UK slate/concrete tile. Don't have the skill set here and cost Is a massive factor.