# The Camp Fire Thread -or- Northern Cali Is Like SOOO Hot Right Now **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 8, 2018, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-camp-fire-thread-or-northern-cali-is-like-sooo-hot-right-now/824216 "2018-11-08T22:17:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2018, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-camp-fire-thread-or-northern-cali-is-like-sooo-hot-right-now/824216/41 "2018-11-11T07:33:32Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > My cousin lives right next door to the hospital, but she said as they were leaving that the trees on both sides of the street were burning. > > The fire is now moving towards the larger town of Oroville. I saw on the news tonight that the emergency room, at least, is still standing with all supplies. They didn’t mention the rest, though I think they said some of the outbuildings have burned. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2018, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-camp-fire-thread-or-northern-cali-is-like-sooo-hot-right-now/824216/42 "2018-11-11T14:22:09Z")
Trump has the firefighters upset with, naturally, a Tweet about the fires. They are the result of “poor forest management” > **[Trump draws ire from firefighters, celebrities for tweet about California fires](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/trump-draws-ire-firefighters-celebrities-tweet-about-california-fires-n934856)** > > "The firefighters and the communities in this state deserve an apology," said the leader of the California firefighters' union. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2018, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-camp-fire-thread-or-northern-cali-is-like-sooo-hot-right-now/824216/43 "2018-11-11T14:24:44Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > [Satellite image from yesterday](https://sf.curbed.com/2018/11/9/18080346/satellite-photo-space-smoke-camp-butte-northern-california) shows that the fire is freaking huge. The Soberanes Fire a couple years ago near Big Sur was 132k acres. But that image is deceiving wrt the smoked out area. I live at the south end of the bay, and that image shows no smoke there. That is to say, it’s worse than what it shows in that image. This time of year the winds prevail from the east, which keeps the air very dry. Down south they call that the Santa Ana winds, which maybe people have beard of even outside the area. ---
**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:** [November 11, 2018, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-camp-fire-thread-or-northern-cali-is-like-sooo-hot-right-now/824216/44 "2018-11-11T14:34:47Z")
I moved away from Nor-Cal a few years ago and things were already getting bad then, with rapidly diminishing water supplies. But this just seems like hell on earth. Entire towns are being wiped off the map. I just can’t imagine. ---
**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:** [November 11, 2018, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-camp-fire-thread-or-northern-cali-is-like-sooo-hot-right-now/824216/45 "2018-11-11T16:53:37Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > The Soberanes Fire a couple years ago near Big Sur was 132k acres. > > But that image is deceiving wrt the smoked out area. I live at the south end of the bay, and that image shows no smoke there. That one is early, from November 8th, before the smoke really swept into the Bay Area heavy. This [page](https://wattsupwiththat.com/2018/11/10/campfire-smoke-as-seen-by-modis-satellite/) shows shots from the 8th and 9th, plus a brief animation. ---
**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:** [November 12, 2018, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-camp-fire-thread-or-northern-cali-is-like-sooo-hot-right-now/824216/46 "2018-11-12T01:09:57Z")
> [@](#): > > The devastation was so complete in some neighborhoods that “it’s very difficult to determine whether or not there may be human remains there,” Honea said. [☹](https://apnews.com/5e09baf857b84dc784a4b210ac09ee2b) ---
**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:** [November 12, 2018, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-camp-fire-thread-or-northern-cali-is-like-sooo-hot-right-now/824216/47 "2018-11-12T03:23:26Z")
The winds are due to pick up again tomorrow. I hope that everyone made good use of this time to heed evacuation orders. The fire teams have stated that they were making the best use they could to get ready for horrible conditions tomorrow. In the Bay Area, we’ll be back to Red (unhealthy for all) to Purple (I don’t even know - hide with respirators?) air conditions. ---
**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:** [November 12, 2018, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-camp-fire-thread-or-northern-cali-is-like-sooo-hot-right-now/824216/48 "2018-11-12T05:21:47Z")
[6 more found dead in Paradise](https://apnews.com/1e57b60ff54f473b87a15cd27dd7b818). 228 unaccounted for. 31 known dead so far in California from fires in just the past few days. ---
**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:** [November 13, 2018, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-camp-fire-thread-or-northern-cali-is-like-sooo-hot-right-now/824216/49 "2018-11-13T05:28:29Z")
[42 known dead now](https://apnews.com/315d61f6464443a1a1558cdbf32c4254). [PG&E is not looking good here](https://apnews.com/d35f16e96afc4482bf10909d2e52fbfa). * * * [RANT] When Stephen Paddock killed 59 people he was a monster, a crazy person, and someone that almost everyone would agree could not be trusted in an open society. When PG&E does it? > [@State Sen. Jerry Hill](#): > > If PG&E is found responsible for burning down the state again, at some point we have to say enough is enough and we have to ask should this company be allowed to do business in California? These fires take a spark, and at least in the last few years fires have been caused by negligent behavior by PG&E. We need to see how we can hold them responsible, or look at alternative way of doing business. Would we have just made Stephen Paddock take his ball and go home? Why is a corporate person treated any differently? [/RANT] ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-camp-fire-thread-or-northern-cali-is-like-sooo-hot-right-now/824216/50 "2018-11-13T14:28:36Z")
The air is still bad here, 150 miles south. But I look at the satellite maps and wonder how anyone stays in the areas just west of the fire. The smoke barely shows as a blip on the radar where I am, but is thick as can be imagined up there. The weather forecast is calling for possible rain next week. Where is the “fingers crossed” emoji when you need it? ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-camp-fire-thread-or-northern-cali-is-like-sooo-hot-right-now/824216/51 "2018-11-13T17:10:25Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > The air is still bad here, 150 miles south. But I look at the satellite maps and wonder how anyone stays in the areas just west of the fire. The smoke barely shows as a blip on the radar where I am, but is thick as can be imagined up there. > > The weather forecast is calling for possible rain next week. Where is the “fingers crossed” emoji when you need it? Yes, that whole area west is a giant dense smoke pit. We had plans to vacation in the Sebastopol area next week, but now I’m starting to think we’re going to have to scrap it. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for rain, too, so that no more communities go up in flames. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-camp-fire-thread-or-northern-cali-is-like-sooo-hot-right-now/824216/52 "2018-11-13T17:25:43Z")
> [@teela\_brown](#): > > We had plans to vacation in the Sebastopol area next week, but now I’m starting to think we’re going to have to scrap it. Sebastopol has had some of the worst air quality in the whole Bay Area. You can see the air monitoring numbers from the [Bay Area Air Quality Management District](http://www.baaqmd.gov/about-air-quality/current-air-quality/air-monitoring-data?DataViewFormat=daily&DataView=aqi&ParameterId=316). As I write this, the Air Quality Index (AQI) for Sebastopol is 187, near the high end of the unhealthy range. I’ve seen it go into the very unhealthy range. There’s no rain in the foreseeable future. A representative of the National Weather Service spoke at a press conference and said it’s possible there won’t be any rain through Thanksgiving. BTW, the state just passed a law allowing PG&E and other utilities to pass the liability costs from fires on to their ratepayers. Until now, the PUC would not allow PG&E to raise rates to cover these costs. The idea is that climate change will lead to bigger and more frequent fires, and without some sort of relief the utility might go broke. I don’t think PG&E should be allowed to pass on costs that are caused by negligence. I would rather see the PUC allow PG&E to raise rates to fix power lines and clear vegetation than to let the fires happen and then let ratepayers pay for their screw-ups. PG&E has a history of negligence and incompetence, and the idea that we must bail them out when they cause fires is another “too big to fail” argument. ---
**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:** [November 13, 2018, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-camp-fire-thread-or-northern-cali-is-like-sooo-hot-right-now/824216/53 "2018-11-13T19:08:58Z")
This is the federal government site for the [Bay Area Air Quality Management District](http://www.baaqmd.gov). I like their home page because I can see a regional color coded map. I agree with **Jeff Lichtman**. I’d like to see PG&E spend more time on prevention, and look for other ways to cover climate change related costs. Clearly we need an entirely new paradigm for fire prevention and management at this point. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-camp-fire-thread-or-northern-cali-is-like-sooo-hot-right-now/824216/54 "2018-11-13T19:24:58Z")
I figured PG&E would go tits-up after they blew up Oakland a while back. Oh, those guys! ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-camp-fire-thread-or-northern-cali-is-like-sooo-hot-right-now/824216/55 "2018-11-13T19:41:11Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > I figured PG&E would go tits-up after they blew up Oakland a while back. That was San Bruno, not Oakland. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-camp-fire-thread-or-northern-cali-is-like-sooo-hot-right-now/824216/56 "2018-11-13T19:50:14Z")
Sacramento State University closed classes today. Paradise High School was in the state football playoffs, and were scheduled to play a playoff game last weekend, but they decided to cancel all further games. The San Francisco 49ers gave the whole team a bus trip to last night’s game and brought them out onto the field to honor them. God, my 90-year-old mother was in Paradise just six weeks ago. I can’t get that out of my mind. ---
**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:** [November 14, 2018, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-camp-fire-thread-or-northern-cali-is-like-sooo-hot-right-now/824216/57 "2018-11-14T16:26:31Z")
[48 now](https://apnews.com/2144d7d18c2144d09ce31eec69515441). Hundreds still “missing”. ---
**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:** [November 15, 2018, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-camp-fire-thread-or-northern-cali-is-like-sooo-hot-right-now/824216/58 "2018-11-15T07:28:23Z")
[56 dead is the latest count and another 130 still missing.](https://apnews.com/eea1001579974348859379d88b0d9c88) 8,800 homes destroyed. ETA: And now this fucking bullshit happens: > [@](#): > > Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke joined California Gov. Jerry Brown Wednesday on a visit to the nearby leveled town of Paradise, telling reporters it was the worst fire devastation he had ever seen. > > “Now is not the time to point fingers,” Zinke said. “There are lots of reasons these catastrophic fires are happening.” He cited warmer temperatures, dead trees and the poor forest management. :mad: ---
**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:** [November 16, 2018, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-camp-fire-thread-or-northern-cali-is-like-sooo-hot-right-now/824216/59 "2018-11-16T00:56:07Z")
[Camp closing for evacuees in Walmart parking lot](https://apnews.com/0bd65b63828344cb96aeb01778868679). Gonna be a whole bunch of people with nowhere else to go, prolly. Air quality problems are affecting an enormous area and population. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2018, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-camp-fire-thread-or-northern-cali-is-like-sooo-hot-right-now/824216/60 "2018-11-16T01:02:53Z")
The schools in my district will be closed tomorrow because of bad air quality. To give an idea of how bad the smoke is here, I live in El Cerrito and can normally see Albany Hill from my porch. It’s a pretty big landmark, but I couldn’t even make out its outline this afternoon. According to Google Maps, it’s about 1.7 miles away. I live about 130 miles from Paradise, as the crow flies. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-camp-fire-thread-or-northern-cali-is-like-sooo-hot-right-now/824216.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-camp-fire-thread-or-northern-cali-is-like-sooo-hot-right-now/824216.md?page=4)