I'd rather face a hurricane....

...Cat 5 on the beach.

 

 

This is what happens when you don't maintain infrastructure.

(While simultaneously not clearing dry brush.)

https://www.latimes.com/california/...es-fire-is-hampering-firefighters-caruso-says

 

This is what happens when you don't maintain infrastructure.

(While simultaneously not clearing dry brush.)

https://www.latimes.com/california/...es-fire-is-hampering-firefighters-caruso-says

Let's be fair -- the water tanks were completely full and then there was four times the normal demand for fifteen hours straight. There will always be a limit to how much excess demand a system can withstand and decisions have to be made about what that limit should be. Guidelines commonly recommend about four hours of peak demand plus some additional for fire protection -- but "fire protection" does not encompass the entire area served by the water district going up in flames at the same time.

 

Let's be fair...

Nope. No more.

 

Nope. No more.

Or ever, as near as I can tell.

 

I lived in SOCAL during the 70's and 80's, I've rarely seen it this bad.

 

 

 

https://hotair.com/generalissimo/20...lessons-if-theyre-eventually-learned-n3798625

No. More.

 

 

I've got a question: why are all the homes -- in a region where fire is an obvious risk -- wood frame with shingles?

Here in Florida, we don't have a fire risk, but most of our homes are CBS, and many have ceramic tile roofs. I am pretty sure my home (CBS/stucco, tile, concrete soffits) would survive in the middle of this.

https://passageislandhomes.com/why-is-concrete-block-construction-important-in-south-florida/

 

I've got a question: why are all the homes -- in a region where fire is an obvious risk -- wood frame with shingles?

Here in Florida, we don't have a fire risk, but most of our homes are CBS, and many have ceramic tile roofs. I am pretty sure my home (CBS/stucco, tile, concrete soffits) would survive in the middle of this.

https://passageislandhomes.com/why-is-concrete-block-construction-important-in-south-florida/

Would your home survive a blast furnace sending white hot particles inside any opening in the framework? The wind is so high the small burning embers from trees and brush blow into any type of vent, eves of a house, into attics vents, on wooden decks, outdoor furniture, etc .... Many times the fire starts inside the home when embers land on wooden roof rafters and/or structural lumber and then burns to the outside.

https://fox40.com/news/national-and-world-news/what-is-the-ember-cast-of-the-la-wildfires/
What is the ’ember cast’ of the LA wildfires?

“Winds to this degree can easily carry embers a mile downwind, which means they can drop into vegetation and spark a new fire away from where fire resources are in place fighting, ” Margaret Stewart, Los Angeles Fire Department public information officer, told NewsNation on Wednesday.

“The heavy vegetation in the area and these embers are carried, and they’ll spark a new fire,” she said. “That’s part of the challenge with this type of a fire.”

According to the LA Fire Department, the embers could also get caught up in the “eves of a house, get in through the attic vent or gather up under an exposed wooden deck – and then the house is burning and another potential ember cast is created.”

 

 

Would your home survive a blast furnace sending white hot particles inside any opening in the framework?

I think so, as there's no (exterior) framework. All exposed material is either concrete, cement, or metal (the exterior doors). Glass might be a problem, but the aluminum hurricane shutters might provide some protection against radiant heat.

Even the soffit vents have fine steel wire mesh, and my deck is concrete pavers and sand.

I suggest that if all (most?) Socal homes were built similarly, the neighborhoods wouldn't sustain such catastrophic damage.

 

I think so, as there's no (exterior) framework. All exposed material is either concrete, cement, or metal (the exterior doors). Glass might be a problem, but the aluminum hurricane shutters might provide some protection against radiant heat.

Even the soffit vents have fine steel wire mesh, and my deck is concrete pavers and sand.

I suggest that if all (most?) Socal homes were built similarly, the neighborhoods wouldn't sustain such catastrophic damage.

Well, eventually most will be rebuilt, hopefully to better fire standards but 'Mother Nature' will find the smallest kink in the fire armor. You can make a house fire-resistant but not fire-proof in those types of conditions when houses also need to be earthquake resistant.

 

earthquake resistant...

Hmmmm...I'd suspect wood frame would perform better in earthquakes due to wood's shearing and tensile strength and flexability compared to concrete.

 

You can see how the embers are moving the fire forward.

 

"Unmitigated" is precisely the correct word for discussion regarding these fires.

 

"Unmitigated" is precisely the correct word for discussion regarding these fires.

Fire doesn't care. Entropy is a harsh mistress. A law of nature that constrains all we do and it's never boring.