just_a_gals_art
Cal Fire on the attack
This is a mobile air operations LZ set up in a field near my home to fight the 3 large wildness fires burning for the last week here in the Bay Area.
The Bay Area is a fairly densely packed urban/suburban area, but the hills surrounding the larger area are mostly wild lands and forests, with limited roads and access.
There are 3 large fire complexes burning around the perimeter of the bay, 2 on either side of where I live and one in the northern part of the Bay Area. They are some of the biggest fires in California history.
They were all started by the spectacular lighting storm that came over the Bay Area last weekend. We don’t usually get that much lightening here and there were 1000s of ground strikes that started many small fires thru out the Bay Area.
This is part of the effort to fight them, a mobile refueling and reloading landing zone (LZ) set up in a large field.
There are currently at least 8 helicopters currently operating from this field, 3 heavy lift (two CH-47 Chinooks and a CH -54 Sky Crane,) one UH -60 Blackhawk, this UH-1 Huey, 2 Bell Jet Rangers and a AS350 Eurocopter. 2 were in active flight operations while I was there.
The one’s dropping fire retardant on the fire each seem to have their own landing spot and servicing trucks and crews. There was a set of other trailers nearby, one of which I suspect was operating as a mobile control tower. The others likely communications support, shower, laundry and food support and maybe one for crews to rest.
I noticed after this Huey landed, one of the aircrew was talking to one of the ground crew while it was being refueled. The engines never stopped.
A truck was dispatched, returning a few minutes later with what I assume was lunch and a beverage for each of four-man aircrew.
Refueled, the ground crew backed away, the aircrew jumped back in and they were off again. (Notice there was a pilot at the controls the whole time they were on the ground, (maybe 10 or 12 minutes)
I waved and gave them a thumbs up as they headed off. I also yelled over to the ground crew a heartfelt “Thank you” for their efforts, before I left.
Air quality has been unhealthly for a week and the fire hit one of the last old growth Redwood forest here in the south Bay. The Park headquarters and other buildings in Big Basin were totally destroyed but at least some of the grove has survived.
It is reported that the “Mother of the Forest”, the largest tree in the grove, over 2000 years old, survived although many did not because of the intensity of the fire.
Fire is a natural part of the life cycle of this area, but they still create massive amounts of destruction and small towns and other human structures in those more remote area, have suffered. Much of the dry grasses that fuel the fire are actually a modern introduction when settlers started coming here some 150 to 200 years ago. The grass was introduced to feed the cattle and now has spread everywhere in the state. Most folks are unaware it isn’t part of the natural ecosystem here that had been in balance for thousands of years before that. More fuel means the fires burn faster and hotter than before the grasses introduction.
With the ongoing COVID19 crisis, fighting these fires is made even worse. Resources are stretched thin at the state and county level everywhere right now.
I was glad to see professionals at work here, instead of a President who last year, recommended that California needed to do more “sweeping of the forest floors” to prevent forest fires (supposedly like they do in Finland?)
What a F@#kIng idiot.
Be well, stay safe and please vote like our lives depend on it, because at the rate of our decline, they might literal be a risk because of his genius.
Cal Fire on the attack
This is a mobile air operations LZ set up in a field near my home to fight the 3 large wildness fires burning for the last week here in the Bay Area.
The Bay Area is a fairly densely packed urban/suburban area, but the hills surrounding the larger area are mostly wild lands and forests, with limited roads and access.
There are 3 large fire complexes burning around the perimeter of the bay, 2 on either side of where I live and one in the northern part of the Bay Area. They are some of the biggest fires in California history.
They were all started by the spectacular lighting storm that came over the Bay Area last weekend. We don’t usually get that much lightening here and there were 1000s of ground strikes that started many small fires thru out the Bay Area.
This is part of the effort to fight them, a mobile refueling and reloading landing zone (LZ) set up in a large field.
There are currently at least 8 helicopters currently operating from this field, 3 heavy lift (two CH-47 Chinooks and a CH -54 Sky Crane,) one UH -60 Blackhawk, this UH-1 Huey, 2 Bell Jet Rangers and a AS350 Eurocopter. 2 were in active flight operations while I was there.
The one’s dropping fire retardant on the fire each seem to have their own landing spot and servicing trucks and crews. There was a set of other trailers nearby, one of which I suspect was operating as a mobile control tower. The others likely communications support, shower, laundry and food support and maybe one for crews to rest.
I noticed after this Huey landed, one of the aircrew was talking to one of the ground crew while it was being refueled. The engines never stopped.
A truck was dispatched, returning a few minutes later with what I assume was lunch and a beverage for each of four-man aircrew.
Refueled, the ground crew backed away, the aircrew jumped back in and they were off again. (Notice there was a pilot at the controls the whole time they were on the ground, (maybe 10 or 12 minutes)
I waved and gave them a thumbs up as they headed off. I also yelled over to the ground crew a heartfelt “Thank you” for their efforts, before I left.
Air quality has been unhealthly for a week and the fire hit one of the last old growth Redwood forest here in the south Bay. The Park headquarters and other buildings in Big Basin were totally destroyed but at least some of the grove has survived.
It is reported that the “Mother of the Forest”, the largest tree in the grove, over 2000 years old, survived although many did not because of the intensity of the fire.
Fire is a natural part of the life cycle of this area, but they still create massive amounts of destruction and small towns and other human structures in those more remote area, have suffered. Much of the dry grasses that fuel the fire are actually a modern introduction when settlers started coming here some 150 to 200 years ago. The grass was introduced to feed the cattle and now has spread everywhere in the state. Most folks are unaware it isn’t part of the natural ecosystem here that had been in balance for thousands of years before that. More fuel means the fires burn faster and hotter than before the grasses introduction.
With the ongoing COVID19 crisis, fighting these fires is made even worse. Resources are stretched thin at the state and county level everywhere right now.
I was glad to see professionals at work here, instead of a President who last year, recommended that California needed to do more “sweeping of the forest floors” to prevent forest fires (supposedly like they do in Finland?)
What a F@#kIng idiot.
Be well, stay safe and please vote like our lives depend on it, because at the rate of our decline, they might literal be a risk because of his genius.