# 2021 US West drought and wildfire thread
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-us-west-drought-and-wildfire-thread/943991
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [June 10, 2021, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-us-west-drought-and-wildfire-thread/943991 "2021-06-10T18:17:30Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 7
### Author:  [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2021, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-us-west-drought-and-wildfire-thread/943991/121 "2021-07-05T22:07:05Z")
Horsethief Basin is evacuating because of the [Tiger fire](https://www.dcourier.com/news/2021/jul/02/tiger-fire-near-crown-king-grows-1700-acres/). I’m pretty sure that’s the fire that’s dropping ash on my car, Horsethief Basin isn’t that far.
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### Author:  [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2021, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-us-west-drought-and-wildfire-thread/943991/122 "2021-07-10T00:13:27Z")
There are so many ddamned fires burning right now that a list of them would take 12 minutes just to scroll thru.
> **[Heat, wind spur California fire; evacuation hits Nevada area](https://apnews.com/article/fires-environment-and-nature-forests-california-ca-state-wire-e40ea6bedb441582b2b3319b05fe879d)**
>
> BECKWOURTH, Calif. (AP) — A California wildfire that closed nearly 200 square miles of forest forced evacuations across state lines into Nevada on Friday as winds and scorching, dry weather drove flames forward through trees and brush.
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### Author:  [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2021, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-us-west-drought-and-wildfire-thread/943991/123 "2021-07-11T05:06:28Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#):
>
> There are so many ddamned fires burning right now that a list of them would take 12 minutes just to scroll thru.
That’s why I stopped listing the AZ fires. Plus its just too depressing. Today we discussed locking the catio door, but realized that the cats haven’t been out in the smoke for a few days. (We locked it anyhow.)
For those who are new to this shit, if your plants get too ash covered, they won’t be able to “breathe” and will die. Spray them off with water late in the day, then flood the soil under them to rinse the ash away so it doesn’t turn to a form of concrete and kill your plants.
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### Author:  [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2021, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-us-west-drought-and-wildfire-thread/943991/124 "2021-07-11T05:10:00Z")
Aye; this is just overwhelming:
> **[California wildfire advances as heat wave blankets US West](https://apnews.com/article/fires-environment-and-nature-california-nevada-wildfires-7c8c4733b283251d28ab1bf89533e0ea)**
>
> Firefighters are struggling to contain an exploding Northern California wildfire under blazing temperatures as another heat wave hits the U.S. West this weekend.
> [@](#):
>
> Death Valley in southeastern California’s Mojave Desert reached 128 degrees Fahrenheit (53 Celsius) on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service’s reading at Furnace Creek. The shockingly high temperature was actually lower than the previous day, when the location reached 130 F (54 C).
>
> If confirmed as accurate, the 130-degree reading would be the hottest high recorded there since July 1913, when Furnace Creek desert hit 1,34 F (57 C), considered the highest measured temperature on Earth.
And:
> [@](#):
>
> About 300 miles (483 kilometers) northwest of the sizzling desert, the largest wildfire of the year in California was raging along the border with Nevada. The Beckwourth Complex Fire — a combination of two lightning-caused fires burning 45 miles (72 kilometers) north of Lake Tahoe — showed no sign of slowing its rush northeast from the Sierra Nevada forest region after doubling in size between Friday and Saturday.
>
> Late Saturday, flames jumped Interstate 395 and was threatening properties in Nevada’s Washoe County. “Take immediate steps to protect large animals and livestock,” the The Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District tweeted.
>
> The blaze, which was only 8% contained, increased dramatically to 86 square miles (222 square kilometers) as firefighters sweltered in 100-degree temperatures.
>
> It was one of several threatening homes across Western states that were expected to see triple-digit heat through the weekend as a high-pressure zone blankets the region.
☹
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### Author:  [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2021, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-us-west-drought-and-wildfire-thread/943991/125 "2021-07-11T13:36:57Z")
Huh, it was only 114 when I was in Furnace Creek. I don’t remember what time it was, it it was not early morning.
Brian
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### Author:  [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2021, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-us-west-drought-and-wildfire-thread/943991/126 "2021-07-11T14:59:46Z")
I think this is the first, but here it is folks: Gunnison Reservoir (Sanpete County, Utah) is now at 0% capacity. There is no water.
> **[Gunnison Reservoir In Sanpete County Listed At 0% Capacity](https://ksltv.com/466255/gunnison-reservoir-in-sanpete-county-listed-at-0-capacity/)**
>
> Gunnison Reservoir near Sterling in Sanpete County has been listed at 0% capacity. The reservoir is mostly used for agriculture, but it's another example of the extreme drought Utah is facing.
> [@](#):
>
> For as shocking as it is to see a reservoir go dry, officials with the Utah Division of Water Resources said it may not be the last one this year.
>
> “There are a few that are projected to run out of water this year, particularly in the Sevier River basin,” said Candice Hasenyager, the deputy director of Utah’s Division of Water Resources. “Piute and Otter Creek are two others I believe are projected to go to zero.”
>
> Unless the area gets several big rainstorms, which is unlikely, there’s really nothing that can be done to reverse that course this year.
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### Author:  [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2021, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-us-west-drought-and-wildfire-thread/943991/127 "2021-07-11T17:06:01Z")
Sadly, that probably won’t be the last dry reservoir this year.
We lost a couple of firefighters yesterday.[2 firefighters die in plane crash responding to wildfire in Arizona](https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-breaking/2021/07/10/2-firefighters-die-plane-crash-responding-wildfire-near-wikieup-arizona/7928853002/)
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### Author:  [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2021, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-us-west-drought-and-wildfire-thread/943991/128 "2021-07-11T17:21:30Z")
And with this heat people don’t want to lose electricity–and some major power lines are at risk from fire:
[https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/bootleg-fire-doubles-in-size-to-more-than-143600-acres-vital-grid-power-lines-threatened/ar-AAM1KtE](https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/bootleg-fire-doubles-in-size-to-more-than-143600-acres-vital-grid-power-lines-threatened/ar-AAM1KtE)
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### Author:  [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2021, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-us-west-drought-and-wildfire-thread/943991/129 "2021-07-11T23:39:06Z")
Just posted; 8 minute raw footage video: Homes Burn as the Sugar Fire Tears Through Doyle, Ca
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_qgmHkD6Vg)
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### Author:  [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)
#### Post date: [July 12, 2021, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-us-west-drought-and-wildfire-thread/943991/130 "2021-07-12T06:07:20Z")
I’ve seen two house burn down and It always amazed me how quickly it happen. Its just heart breaking how quickly people go from happy to homeless with nothing.
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### Author:  [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)
#### Post date: [July 13, 2021, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-us-west-drought-and-wildfire-thread/943991/131 "2021-07-13T05:43:33Z")
10 western US states have wildfires burning:
> **[Thousands of firefighters battle big blazes across the West](https://apnews.com/article/business-science-fires-environment-and-nature-wildfires-92bec84b0705a4b16312fb52d6e8b5c4)**
>
> BLY, Ore. (AP) — An army of firefighters labored in hot, dry and windy weather Tuesday to contain fires chewing through wilderness and burning homes across drought-stricken Western states already sweltering in the second heat wave of the year.
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### Author:  [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)
#### Post date: [July 13, 2021, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-us-west-drought-and-wildfire-thread/943991/132 "2021-07-13T15:58:14Z")
The heatwave seems to have abated somewhat here in Las Vegas: it is only 115F instead of 118F. Still, it feels like early autumn in comparison.
Anyway, that was just to offset this Not Good News story:
> **['Scary': Fuel shortage could ground firefighting aircraft](https://apnews.com/article/business-health-government-and-politics-fires-environment-and-nature-29b3eb2572c64109ecce45258a93f78c)**
>
> BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Airport officials facing jet fuel shortages are concerned they’ll have to wave off planes and helicopters that drop fire retardants during what could be a ferocious wildfire season , potentially endangering surrounding...
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### Author:  [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)
#### Post date: [July 13, 2021, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-us-west-drought-and-wildfire-thread/943991/133 "2021-07-13T17:24:46Z")
_sigh_ Too soon Onion, too soon…
> **[Historic Heat Wave Causes California Wildfire To Catch Fire](https://www.theonion.com/historic-heat-wave-causes-california-wildfire-to-catch-1847273547)**
>
> REDDING, CA—As they confronted a complex meta-conflagration said to be a result of the region’s record-breaking heat wave, California fire officials told reporters Monday that unrelenting high temperatures had caused a wildfire to catch fire along a...
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### Author:  [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)
#### Post date: [July 13, 2021, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-us-west-drought-and-wildfire-thread/943991/134 "2021-07-13T17:32:54Z")
> [@wolfpup](#):
>
> Pro tip: Climate change denial isn’t really fashionable any more.
But where do we stand on Bell-Bottom pants?
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### Author:  [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)
#### Post date: [July 13, 2021, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-us-west-drought-and-wildfire-thread/943991/135 "2021-07-13T21:37:51Z")
They will always be as fashionable as they’ve ever been.
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### Author:  [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2021, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-us-west-drought-and-wildfire-thread/943991/136 "2021-07-16T00:47:51Z")
Wells in California are already running dry (2:34):
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcoPFj6cPvk)
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### Author:  [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2021, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-us-west-drought-and-wildfire-thread/943991/137 "2021-07-16T11:08:13Z")
Oregon’s Bootleg Fire was doubling in size every day for multiple successive days and is the largest wildfire in the US. It has now consumed about 230,000 acres (roughly 359 square miles, an area larger than New York City) and is poised to merge with at least one other fire burning nearby. It is said to be about 7% contained.
> **[Erratic Oregon wildfire destroys dozens of homes, expands](https://apnews.com/article/science-fires-environment-and-nature-oregon-wildfires-118e95be57e2703341fdf5d85709c79a)**
>
> PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Firefighters scrambled Friday to control a raging inferno in southeastern Oregon that’s spreading miles a day in windy conditions, one of numerous wildfires across the U.S. West that are straining resources.
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### Author:  [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2021, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-us-west-drought-and-wildfire-thread/943991/138 "2021-07-16T14:22:59Z")
The Snake River Complex fire in ID is now over 100,000 acres and 0% contained. Nearby is the Lick Creek fire that is over 60,000 acres and 20% contained.
The US Wildfire map is very depressing:
[https://www.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=2ff1677111ae4018ac705fcce7c3312f](https://www.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=2ff1677111ae4018ac705fcce7c3312f)
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### Author:  [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2021, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-us-west-drought-and-wildfire-thread/943991/139 "2021-07-16T14:40:20Z")
Dang. I have kayaked that stretch of the Snake River; it was beautiful.
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### Author:  [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2021, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-us-west-drought-and-wildfire-thread/943991/140 "2021-07-16T15:09:07Z")
Yes it is. Several parts of that region have burned in previous years (Seven Devils area has been hit a couple times), but I fear that these fires will just continue, year after year, until there are no trees left.
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