# 2025 California Wildfire Season Has Begun **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 8, 2025, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-california-wildfire-season-has-begun/1012707 "2025-01-08T02:14:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2025, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-california-wildfire-season-has-begun/1012707/241 "2025-01-19T20:29:12Z")
I was talking to my very recently unevacuated friend and he said that the area where the Palisades fire is now burning isn’t threatening any buildings. ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2025, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-california-wildfire-season-has-begun/1012707/242 "2025-01-19T20:44:33Z")
Get ready for more… “Damaging Santa Ana Winds and extreme fire weather are expected the the Santa Ana wind prone corridors of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. Fire weather concerns last from Monday through Tuesday with winds peaking Monday afternoon through Tuesday morning.” [https://www.weather.gov/lox/](https://www.weather.gov/lox/) ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2025, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-california-wildfire-season-has-begun/1012707/243 "2025-01-19T23:24:17Z")
I saw them using prison labor to take brush down in the surrounding hills. Back breaking work under hostile conditions. If they work a 24 hr shift they get 24 hrs off. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2025, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-california-wildfire-season-has-begun/1012707/244 "2025-01-20T18:11:28Z")
> **[2 arrested for impersonating firefighters, using illegitimate fire truck in...](https://abc7.com/post/2-arrested-impersonating-firefighters-using-illegitimate-fire-truck-palisades-evacuation-area/15817683/)** > > A man and a woman from Oregon were arrested for reportedly impersonating firefighters and using an illegitimate fire truck in the Palisades Fire area, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department announced Sunday. > Dustin Nehl has a criminal history in Oregon for criminal mischief and **arson**. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2025, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-california-wildfire-season-has-begun/1012707/245 "2025-01-20T20:19:55Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Dustin Nehl has a criminal history in Oregon for criminal mischief and **arson**. They have caught far too many suspected arsonists- or not enough, depending on how you look at it. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2025, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-california-wildfire-season-has-begun/1012707/246 "2025-01-20T20:35:36Z")
An arsonist with his own surplus firetruck is a dude with a serious case of obsession. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2025, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-california-wildfire-season-has-begun/1012707/247 "2025-01-22T21:10:08Z")
Hughes fire is getting pretty big ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2025, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-california-wildfire-season-has-begun/1012707/248 "2025-01-22T21:28:55Z")
Uh, yeah. Started TODAY and CalFire’s already reporting it at over 5000 acres. That is scary fast growth. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2025, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-california-wildfire-season-has-begun/1012707/249 "2025-01-22T23:19:33Z")
How are the volunteers doing on brush clearing? They said on the news the mountains North of LA are flaring up. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2025, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-california-wildfire-season-has-begun/1012707/250 "2025-01-22T23:39:52Z")
Ughhh. Criminals are applying for FEMA money by stealing the credentials of people who need it. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2025, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-california-wildfire-season-has-begun/1012707/251 "2025-01-23T00:02:07Z")
Hughes fire is up to 8,000 acres already. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2025, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-california-wildfire-season-has-begun/1012707/252 "2025-01-23T00:13:04Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > How are the volunteers doing on brush clearing? They said on the news the mountains North of LA are flaring up. Brush clearing is what homeowners should be doing around their property. It’s not something you do to a whole mountain. Maybe you’re referring to volunteers helping clear neighborhoods _after_ the fires? ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2025, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-california-wildfire-season-has-begun/1012707/253 "2025-01-23T00:20:56Z")
We had dinner at a local steak house as a thank-you to our brother who was in town and helped us with a bunch of tasks around the house. There were three Oregon firefighters having dinner at the same time. And they were real. From a real fire department (Medford). We even saw their real firetruck in the parking lot. Heroes to us. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2025, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-california-wildfire-season-has-begun/1012707/254 "2025-01-24T01:26:56Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > Brush clearing is what homeowners should be doing around their property. It’s not something you do to a whole mountain. [They were using volunteer prison labor to clear brush.](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/la-wildfires-prisoner-firefighter-program-criticism-rcna187436) Scroll down and you’ll see them working in the hills and not around houses. It’s Forest management to reduce fuel for fires. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2025, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-california-wildfire-season-has-begun/1012707/255 "2025-01-24T02:42:54Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > Hughes fire is up to 8,000 acres already. Over 10000 now. 35% contained. Only brush burned, but a lot of people had to evacuate. Eaton fire 95% contained, basically controlled. Palisades fire 75% contained. No more structures are thought to be in danger. > [@TroutMan](#): > > Brush clearing is what homeowners should be doing around their property. It’s not something you do to a whole mountain. Thaty also do firebreaks. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2025, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-california-wildfire-season-has-begun/1012707/256 "2025-01-24T03:05:40Z")
Oh, and we were one of the families that to evacuate. Super stressful. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2025, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-california-wildfire-season-has-begun/1012707/257 "2025-01-24T03:38:32Z")
I hope all goes well ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2025, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-california-wildfire-season-has-begun/1012707/258 "2025-01-24T04:33:26Z")
I hope everything works out OK for you! ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2025, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-california-wildfire-season-has-begun/1012707/259 "2025-01-24T15:18:16Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Scroll down and you’ll see them working in the hills and not around houses. It’s Forest management to reduce fuel for fires. They don’t remove brush so much as create firebreaks, cut containment lines and set backfires to burn into the oncoming fire front to create a firebreak. Lather, rinse, repeat. Removing brush from the mountains is problematic as that brush is the only thing holding soil and rock in place on slopes that are often oversteep. When all the brush is removed, as after the Thomas fire, you get [debris flows](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Southern_California_mudflows) as soon as it rains and those are deadly as well. All the deaths in my town were from flowing mud and rock, not the fires that stripped the slopes. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2025, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-california-wildfire-season-has-begun/1012707/260 "2025-01-24T20:01:44Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > I hope all goes well > [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > I hope everything works out OK for you! Thank you both. We were forced to evacuate, and stay overnight in a hotel. Its the stress of getting the cats packed in the carriers, stuffing the cars full, and waiting to see if your home is next. Fortunately, the Fire Fighters kept the fire away from any homes, but over 10000 acres of brush was burned, and the smoke is terrible. The whole house smells. The fire is 56% contained as of this morning [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-california-wildfire-season-has-begun/1012707.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2025-california-wildfire-season-has-begun/1012707.md?page=14)