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Bob Clearmountain home and studio destroyed by Palisades fire | he and family are safe

EERecordist

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Wow. This is one serious fire. Wishing everyone who lives there to escape its fury....
Heartbreaking stuff, just terrible. :(

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JSmith
 
Terrible. These town and city burning infernos are more common every year. Canada is sending water bombers, equipment, incident command teams and first responders. After the recent city fires over the past few years Canada unfortunately has a excess of fire fighting experts and can spare them till our own fire season comes. It's so early in the spring/late winter for this to occur!
 
Canada is sending water bombers, equipment, incident command teams and first responders.
Australian fire authorities are on standby and ready to help if needed as well from my understanding. There have been discussions about helping with the LA fires, no official request for assistance has been made by the US as yet though.


JSmith
 
Australian fire authorities are on standby and ready to help if needed as well from my understanding. There have been discussions about helping with the LA fires, no official request for assistance has been made by the US as yet though.


JSmith
If this firestorm moves this fast and the brush is so tinder dry there is no telling what could happen when the hurricane force winds are involved. Are those winds created by the fire or is there some sort of wind storm going on at this time that is pushing the fire around?
 
Are those winds created by the fire or is there some sort of wind storm going on at this time that is pushing the fire around?
From my understanding it's just the normal Santa Ana winds that usually occur in Southern California during the winter months fanning the flames in general. But firestorms can develop with this level of intense fire... which then creates its own wind system. The rising hot air creates a low pressure and the cooler air rushes in to replace it, creating further strong winds.... it's hellishly nasty.


JSmith
 
The images of utter devastation are truly horrific.



I'm sure we will be sending firefighters to help where they can. The US was first to send us firefighting equipment, personnel and water bombing planes when we were in need. Sadly, in January 2020 three US aircrew were killed when their Lockheed C-130 waterbomber crashed whilst fighting a large black summer bushfire. They were heroes and will not be forgotten.

 
If this firestorm moves this fast and the brush is so tinder dry there is no telling what could happen when the hurricane force winds are involved. Are those winds created by the fire or is there some sort of wind storm going on at this time that is pushing the fire around?

Normal winds in southern California blow from the northwest and are cool and humid because they come from over the Pacific.

Santa Ana winds blow from the east/northeast, which is the large desert area of the United States. These winds are very dry, as they come from the desert southwest.

It's normal to get these winds in Southern California a few days a few times in the fall and sometimes even in the winter.

But these particular winds have been unusually strong (gusts up to 90-100mph) and long lasting (going on three days now, with more to come). The humidity in these conditions often drops below 5%.

What's worse, southern California just had two unusually wet winters, which led to a tremendous amount of growth of the bushes that cover the mountainous terrain.

Then, following those two wet winters the previous two years, we've suddenly returned to a drought, with practically ZERO rainfall since about April 2024.

So all those trees and grasses and bushes that grew so much in 2023 and winter 2024 have now had no rain whatsoever for eight months. They've completely dried out and become fuel.

Normally this is southern California's rainy season. November might have a litte rain. December more. And January is often the peak of the rain season. But this season, so far there has been nothing at all.

Combine the overgrowth of the last couple of years with the current drought, and then add the unusually strong Santa Ana winds, and it's a perfect recipe for disaster.
 
The winds were so strong that the smoke - and flames - and embers - were blowing completely horizontally and straight out to the ocean.

Today the winds have died down enough to allow firefighters on the ground and in the air to actually try to fight the fires. Before, the winds were so strong that all people could do was get out as fast as they could. No chance of fighting the fires from the air with winds that strong.
 
According to local LA meteorologist forecasters, it was a combination of a low pressure system to the east and a high pressure system offshore that were both sending winds in from the same direction at the same time. Those of you more knowledgeable on this subject can chime in if that's just TV bulls....

I lived there for many years so always pay attention and have never seen any instance where things spread and expanded so quickly. Obviously that and these becoming urban fires are adding a hellish twist to our rapidly deteriorating environmental situation.
 
According to local LA meteorologist forecasters, it was a combination of a low pressure system to the east and a high pressure system offshore that were both sending winds in from the same direction at the same time. Those of you more knowledgeable on this subject can chime in if that's just TV bulls....

I lived there for many years so always pay attention and have never seen any instance where things spread and expanded so quickly. Obviously that and these becoming urban fires are adding a hellish twist to our rapidly deteriorating environmental situation.

That is correct. A high pressure system (with winds blowing clockwise) over the Nevada region with a low pressure system (with winds blowing counterclockwise) south of there aligned in such a way as to funnel the winds from southern Nevada right through LA and to the coast.

Probably the strongest Santa Ana winds LA has seen in at least ten years. Combined with the drought and overgrowth from the previous two wet winters.
 
LA has no water. No water in the hydrants.

Apparently plenty of water, just a network-wide massive loss of pressure. It must be extremely challenging as the enormous damage to infrastructure connected to, or supporting the water network. The electrical grid running the pumping facilities will be out/gone, the massive number of destroyed, previously water connected homes and the cell towers/phone lines supporting the direct control of water distribution.

If they leave areas connected, the water losses would be huge, but if they isolate massive areas, the fires can't be fought. I imagine them going water meter to water meter, along destroyed streets of houses, shutting them all off one by one. Isolating/bypassing destroyed pumping stations etc. It's scary stuff.

And for the few homes miraculously untouched, they will have no services, so they can't even return. Their homes may look OK, but the homes will likely need to be stripped out completely from smoke damage. It gets into everything and never goes away. They would have no electricity, water, potentially no sewerage, internet or cell service. They will be surrounded by complete devastation for many years. And finally, their home (if it remains) will be the odd one out as the streets start filling up with brand new homes. And they may be required to retrofit/bring up to new fire resistance standards.

It's the ongoing anguish and damage to people's mental health that will linger in this area for decades. And of course, the insurance dramas.
 
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If this firestorm moves this fast and the brush is so tinder dry there is no telling what could happen when the hurricane force winds are involved. Are those winds created by the fire or is there some sort of wind storm going on at this time that is pushing the fire around?
Was just watching a bit of news, some idiot flying a drone illegally just took out one of your loaner superscooper planes (put a hole in a wing). F***ing people.
 
Was just watching a bit of news, some idiot flying a drone illegally just took out one of your loaner superscooper planes (put a hole in a wing). F***ing people.

Are you serious? What is wrong with people.
 
Was just watching a bit of news, some idiot flying a drone illegally just took out one of your loaner superscooper planes (put a hole in a wing). F***ing people.
That is definitely disturbing. Have to patch it up and get it back airworthy. :D
 
Apparently plenty of water, just a network-wide massive loss of pressure. It must be extremely challenging as the enormous damage to infrastructure connected to, or supporting the water network. The electrical grid running the pumping facilities will be out/gone, the massive number of destroyed, previously water connected homes and the cell towers/phone lines supporting the direct control of water distribution.

If they leave areas connected, the water losses would be huge, but if they isolate massive areas, the fires can't be fought. I imagine them going water meter to water meter, along destroyed streets of houses, shutting them all off one by one. Isolating/bypassing destroyed pumping stations etc. It's scary stuff.

And for the few homes miraculously untouched, they will have no services, so they can't even return. Their homes may look OK, but the homes will likely need to be stripped out completely from smoke damage. It gets into everything and never goes away. They would have no electricity, water, potentially no sewerage, internet or cell service. They will be surrounded by complete devastation for many years. And finally, their home (if it remains) will be the odd one out as the streets start filling up with brand new homes. And they may be required to retrofit/bring up to new fire resistance standards.

It's the ongoing anguish and damage to people's mental health that will linger in this area for decades. And of course, the insurance dramas.
After the fire is out then the people must find tradespeople and laborers to rebuild. In Canada a couple of cities that burned to the ground are still not rebuilt years later.
 
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