# Breaking News: The West coast is on Fire **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 19, 2020, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-the-west-coast-is-on-fire/918512 "2020-08-19T19:01:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-the-west-coast-is-on-fire/918512/81 "2020-08-28T02:52:31Z")
My (former) house survived! I am so happy about this. I love that house. I check now and again to see if it’s for sale. Sadly, neighbors on one side and across the street lost their homes. ---
**Author:** ![teelabrown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teelabrown/32/8412_2.png) [@teelabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teelabrown)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-the-west-coast-is-on-fire/918512/82 "2020-08-28T12:38:42Z")
I’m in Morgan Hill. I was up at 5 a.m. today and cautiously opened some windows and sniffed. No smoke smell! And it’s 58 degrees! Hallelujah. I’ve opened up all the windows, donned some winter jammies and am sitting here enjoying the change. I know the fires are still going on, but at this moment I can’t smell them and I’m going to enjoy the moment. We’ll even go for a walk when it gets light, the first time in a couple of weeks. A co-worker lives in Boulder Creek, and she and her husband have been living in a hotel with their dogs. I just heard yesterday that their house was spared and that they’re moving back home today. ---
**Author:** ![teelabrown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teelabrown/32/8412_2.png) [@teelabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teelabrown)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-the-west-coast-is-on-fire/918512/83 "2020-08-28T12:43:53Z")
I’m doing this as a separate post. A few days ago, I was looking at some news videos on youtube about the fires, trying to determine just where the fire lines were and if it was likely eastern Morgan Hill would have to evacuate. I made the mistake of looking at some of the comments underneath and was shocked to see how many people were wishing death and destruction on all of California. I know trolls do this just to get a reaction, but the sheer number of these posts was very depressing. I don’t wish death on southern, eastern, and midwest Americans when they’re in trouble from their regional weather catastrophes. What has become of us? ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-the-west-coast-is-on-fire/918512/84 "2020-08-28T15:17:48Z")
> [@teelabrown](#): > > ’m in Morgan Hill. I was up at 5 a.m. today and cautiously opened some windows and sniffed. No smoke smell! And it’s 58 degrees! Hallelujah. I know, right? It’s 54 here in Aptos and I don’t smell smoke for the first time in days and the lovely, lovely marine layer is thick as porridge. Thank goodness the weather turned fair and is helping douse the fires, after so many structures were destroyed. ---
**Author:** ![Jumpbass](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jumpbass/32/147_2.png) [@Jumpbass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jumpbass)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-the-west-coast-is-on-fire/918512/85 "2020-08-28T15:34:29Z")
Same here in Napa. Yesterday, too. Back to normal gloomy summer mornings. Say, have you heard of [Weather West](https://weatherwest.com/)? It’s a California oriented weather blog. You can sign up for his email letters. Very science forward. He was calling the heat wave and thunderstorms a couple days ahead of time. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-the-west-coast-is-on-fire/918512/86 "2020-08-28T16:07:22Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Hope the trees in Big Bend made it through okay. I think you meant Big Basin(?). The news is reporting loss of many structures in the park, but the trees seems to be OK… [Some Good News: Many of Big Basin’s Ancient Redwoods Appear to Have Survived](https://www.kqed.org/news/11835124/some-good-news-many-of-big-basins-ancient-redwoods-appear-to-have-survived) _The historic park headquarters has been completely destroyed, as have many small buildings and elements of campground infrastructure that went up in flames as the fire swept through the park._ _“But the forest is not gone,” McLendon said. “It will regrow. Every old growth redwood I’ve ever seen, in Big Basin and other parks, has fire scars on them. They’ve been through multiple fires, possibly worse than this.”_ ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2020, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-the-west-coast-is-on-fire/918512/87 "2020-08-28T17:02:31Z")
Here in San Francisco we have it better than most in the area. If the winds are coming in from the ocean we get nice clean breathable air. When it shifts there can be a lot of smoke and ash. This morning the smell is particularly strong. But we aren’t on fire. I really hate this for all the people whose lives are being disrupted in the middle of a stupid pandemic. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2020, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-the-west-coast-is-on-fire/918512/88 "2020-09-01T00:13:33Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > But we aren’t on fire. I really hate this for all the people whose lives are being disrupted in the middle of a stupid pandemic. And the coronavirus pandemic, too! ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2020, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-the-west-coast-is-on-fire/918512/89 "2020-09-06T01:29:08Z")
Getting bad again. The Creek Fire is exploding in [Fresno/Madera county](https://gvwire.com/2020/09/05/evacuations-ordered-as-wildfire-burns-near-shaver-lake/). This one has a high potential to get very, very ugly. As if we didn’t need another of those this season. This morning it was just a few hundred acres. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2020, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-the-west-coast-is-on-fire/918512/90 "2020-09-06T20:53:06Z")
The air quality is terrible here. It’s also 105 with a projected high of 112. May I say that firefighters are amazing? I can’t even imagine being out there right now. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2020, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-the-west-coast-is-on-fire/918512/91 "2020-09-07T00:09:10Z")
I had plans to drive through Yosemite on Tuesday on the first day of a road trip. Looks like that plan is has gone up in smoke. The Joshua Tree forest around Cima Dome in the Mojave burned in a big fire in August. It was a magical place, now over 40,000 acres are ash and blackened ruin. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2020, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-the-west-coast-is-on-fire/918512/92 "2020-09-07T03:18:54Z")
It’s hot in some places in California: " Los Angeles County recorded its highest-ever temperature Sunday as the weekend heat fanned wildfires across California and put additional strain on the state’s power network. The record temperature was at Woodland Hills, according to Dave Bruno, senior meteorologist for the National Weather Service. “We reached 121 degrees (F) in Woodland Hills, California. That is the highest-ever temperature at a station, beating 119 degrees on July 22, 2006,” Bruno told CNN Sunday." > **[LA County records highest-ever temperature | CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/06/weather/california-record-temperature/index.html)** > > Los Angeles County recorded its highest-ever temperature Sunday as the weekend heat fanned wildfires across California and put additional strain on the state's power network. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2020, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-the-west-coast-is-on-fire/918512/93 "2020-09-07T04:01:23Z")
> [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > The air quality is terrible here. In other news, that air purifier I mentioned ordering like 2 weeks ago finally arrived yesterday, almost a week after Amazon said it would arrive. That said, I put most of the blame for the delay on the post office. Amazon’s tracking says they handed it off the the post office last weekend; the PO’s tracking site said they were waiting for Amazon to give it to them, until it magically showed up in their tracking system yesterday and showed up at my door the same day, Where I am in Nor Cal the air quality isn’t _that_ bad – it’s “only” in the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” range. Still, I’m putting the new air purifier to use. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2020, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-the-west-coast-is-on-fire/918512/94 "2020-09-07T04:12:24Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Getting bad again. The Creek Fire is exploding in [Fresno/Madera county](https://gvwire.com/2020/09/05/evacuations-ordered-as-wildfire-burns-near-shaver-lake/). This one has a high potential to get very, very ugly. As if we didn’t need another of those this season. This morning it was just a few hundred acres. My Aunt and Uncle used to live in Big Creek (near schafer lake) I’m not sure if the house was still owned by my Aunt(uncle deceased, Aunt living with oldest child in a different part of the state) but apparently most of Big Creek, Schafer Lake and most/many of the small communities in the mountains there are just gone. In Big Creek, some houses, not the one my relatives lived in, the church, school, store and swimming pool survived. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2020, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-the-west-coast-is-on-fire/918512/95 "2020-09-07T05:51:17Z")
> [@DorkVader](#): > > Schafer Lake neet-pique: I think that’s Shaver Lake. > **[Wildfire north of Fresno forces evacuation of campsite, community near Shaver...](https://ktla.com/news/california/wildfire-north-of-fresno-forces-evacuation-of-campsite-community-near-shaver-lake/)** > > A wildfire that broke out near Shaver Lake in the Sierra National Forest has prompted evacuation orders as authorities urged people seeking relief from the Labor Day weekend heat wave to stay away … ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2020, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-the-west-coast-is-on-fire/918512/96 "2020-09-07T07:37:15Z")
> [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > The air quality is terrible here. It’s also 105 with a projected high of 112. May I say that firefighters are amazing? I can’t even imagine being out there right now. We had some staying here in June to put out the Bighorn Fire. They are tough people. They were also awesome guests who also always wore their masks. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2020, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-the-west-coast-is-on-fire/918512/97 "2020-09-07T07:48:36Z")
Argh! I KNEW that too ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2020, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-the-west-coast-is-on-fire/918512/98 "2020-09-07T12:55:59Z")
That just blows my mind. I could see Inland Empire hitting those temperatures, but not L.A. itself. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2020, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-the-west-coast-is-on-fire/918512/99 "2020-09-08T22:25:05Z")
Things seemed ok this morning, but after noon the wind picked up, and the smoke blew in. I look out the window and the air looks brown. The air literally looks _brown_. I am glad got that air purifier. I don’t know how much it’s helping, but I assume it’s better than nothing. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2020, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-the-west-coast-is-on-fire/918512/100 "2020-09-08T23:13:52Z")
And holy crap it’s getting dark outside. It’s 4:12 pm here, but it looks like dusk. The air quality, according to the radio, is “hazardous”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-the-west-coast-is-on-fire/918512.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-the-west-coast-is-on-fire/918512.md?page=6)