It was amazing how many homes in California because of no water but there was a giant swimming pool full within 30 feet of the house. Saw one interview of a guy that saved his house by using back flush pump or something to that effect from his pool

I was not surprised to see such destruction when the winds kicked in as close as these homes were to each other !

It is sad that this type of housing was continued to be built with the knowing that at some time they would incur a battle such as this !

I would suspect that at least half of this area will be rebuilt in a totally different way for future fire threats and it will be much more open and with a much better fire fighting effort put in and also the insurance on the area wild cost an enormous amount to carry, again done so by many who can't stay away from a picture view estate area as well as the ego appraisement of being still there after such a hit !

You would think living in that environment they would have outside sprinkler systems.
Dumbing down of the people.
Sprinkler systems work good to save trap cabins in the middle of the bush when a forest fire whips thru.
Embers on the roof is the culprit same as the california fires.

I've seen a wildfire roaring in a head of fire with flames at least 100ft high and a 1/2 mile wide. Winds were initially pushing it at about 30 mph but it started creating its own wind. It was spotting 1/4 to 1/2 mile ahead of itself. This was burning in Okefenokee NWR across a large mostly marsh and cypress forest area. Pine trees were exploding at the head of the fire. It burned across several thousand acres in a few minutes and only died back when it reached an already burned area. The roaring sound was incredible.

I can only imagine what 75 to 90 mph winds can create with unlimited fuel. A fire hydrant hose or a swimming pool of water is USELESS! Only a lack of fuel or the ocean will stop a head of fire like that.

All new building should have as much code as possible to non-flammable material to rebuild anything in that state. Metal roofs, siding and cement board etc..

It getting kinda old all the people yacking about the water situation at those big fires. It's well known that they have water issues in most heavily populated areas already . Look at all the problems they have just keeping people from watering their yards on same day.
When there is a fire especially of this size. Water and manpower are always an issue. Never have enough of either.
Have heard so many people say we had no water I don't know why..

Ok you people that live in the country on your own well can figure this out pretty quickly. People live in high rise you can too. Go around your home or high rise open every faucet and hydrate on you system. See how much the pressure drops as you open them all. If you live in a high rise see if the people on top floors have any water.

Sure you maybe save just your house using your swimming pool, a trash pump and garden hose. Do you remember how long it took you to fill your pool with a garden hose??
Thing is in a fire this size. Every building you loose is now also open lines on water system. I could actually see where some areas deemed past saving maybe turn off water to that area. Try save some are where you have a chance..
Anyways.
It's okay that people ask why there was no water or lack of pressure. It's not a political plot or failure by your public works people.. System is overwhelmed.
People who don't know or understand water systems and water management.
Shouldn't be questioning how the fire was fought.

Mac

Sprinkler system didn’t do anything. City water supply ran out because governor blew out dams to save slimy trout

Record rain fall but lakes are low or empty
Bad management

Mac at some point the open lines where a factor. But the fire got really bad when the water towers got depleted.
Why is this an every year conversation about California? Do they never learn from their mistakes?

Got a question on lack of water...The Pacific ocean is literally right there.

Why can't that water be pumped in?

It's really not as much about the amount of available water. It's about being able to move enough water.

Go down the beach on any lake or ocean. Built your self a nice big campfire. Then go to the water with a soda straw and solo cup. Use the straw to suck up water fill the cup. Then walk that 1 cup of water up to put out your fire. You will eventually put the fire out if you don't add any more wood and make enough trips with the cup. But how long is it going to take.

It doesn't matter if your trying to keep water out of something like ship. Or move water to another place to fight a fire. When systems get overwhelmed and you can't move enough you don't win.


Mac

You have sprinkler systems installed in your "Bush" cabins up there?

I understand the analogy Mac, the logistics of moving that much water would be a engineering nightmare.

Sad deal for sure, no easy answers for them.

Right there is a reason their insurance companies were dropping people. Just the same as living in a flood plain. There is always some risk in lots of places and lots of risk in others.

Mac

When my wife and I got married we debated on MN or roaring fork valley Colorado. I told my wife, "someday this valley is going to catch fire and it's to overpopulated to get everyone out". These tragedies are predictable, overpopulation and poor planning and zoning are the root causes.

Fire hydrants are tied to the main line that supply water to homes

My guess is as the homes burned, supply lines allowed water to leak….. to many leaks , no water

Pumping saltwater would require a separate water system and be very hard on equipment

I've never fought wildfires out West. I have fought a few here in the East; and I know enough to know they are a different beast.

However, I can't imagine ANYTHING (other than an ocean or a deluge) stopping a wildfire in low humidity, driven by 70 mph winds.

Prior Wildland/Urban Interface fuel reduction was most likely the best option, but that takes commonsense...a commodity not-so-common in California.

I posted on the super blimps a few years ago. They could carry 264,000 gallons of water, close to 100 times as much water as a C-130 and reload relatively quickly. They can also dump water in a steady rain like pattern, very precisely. Apparently nobody in California thought they were worth investing in.

https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/CuttingEdge/story?id=97958&page=1

Keith

No way in (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) you are stopping a fire of that scale and with municipal water. I work for the water department in a nearby town and we would be in trouble if 3 houses were on fire at once let alone 1000. Not enough equipment or man power to utilize any other water source either. Some times crap happens and you just have to deal with it.

MNR fire crews install them on commercial values(trapping cabins) when there is a fire in the area that threatens said values.

do they fly missions in hurricane force winds????

They can only fly 60 mph. There's no good reason to wait for the fire to start, before soaking the area, to prevent the fire.

Keith