Sad news 400A lost in California fires

[Joop]

..

Got this sad note from Joseph Gensley from Grass Valley, CA and wanted to share it with you.

Hi Joop
Just need to report that the fire on Oct 9 took my home and 3 out buildings that destroyed my model A's and everything else, so pls remove
400A -110 from your records.
I'm with family and OK.

..

[RandyinUtah]

Such a tragedy for all of the people in Californiahoping they can get fires under control.

[Pilotdave]

Very sad to hear this report - thankfully no loss of life mentioned.

[SeaSlugs]

Seems 40+ people and countless pets have been caught in the fire unfortunately. Glad to hear Mr. Gensley is OK. Just curious as someone from the midwest where all we have to worry about is occasional tornado, How fast do these fires travel? How far ahead of the flames are they giving evacuation orders?

[redmodelt]

From the reports the fires in some places were very fast. People were being told to run as fires came over the hills and were already in their back yards. California is VERY dry. Glad no life's were lost in this case. When I looked at the map last week, there were non contained fires burning the whole length of the state.

[Synchro909]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Firstly, My thoughts are with those affected by these fires.
As for how fast do they travel, we in Victoria, Australia are in an area which is just as bad for fires as California. During our last horror fires, the wind was blowing at up to 80 -100 kph (50 - 62 mph) the winds carried burning embers for distances of up to 25 km (15 miles) before they dropped, still burning. These embers started fresh fires. In short, the answer here is up to about 60 mph, depending on the wind. It's probably similar there.
Having been in a volunteer fire fighting service here and having been on the fire front, I can tell you that being amongst it is like looking through the door of hell. These folk will never forget this nightmare experience.

[updraught]

If you have pine trees the burning pine needles will blow into suburbia ahead of the fire and can take out lots of houses. Cyprus trees go up like a roman candle.

The last fire we had here the organic matter was being sucked out of the earth.
Previous to that, the last big fire due to the prevailing wind was 1956. The lessons to be learnt from history ...

Interesting that your last big fire, I heard, was 1964.

[redmodelt]

Synchro909, same story here from the reports.

[daveymc29]

The fires moved with remarkable speed. Many people found that they were in danger when someone knocked on their door or burst into their house and told them "get out now," as their homes were aflame already. Some died in their beds and a few escaped in their night clothes, or lack there of. Terrible how fast and capriciously the winds drove these fire. In my 34 plus years in Oakland I saw only three of these types fires and the winds died down rather quickly compared to these last batch of fire. Some of the evacuees and their friend that warned them had to come out by helicopter and many rode it out in a pool or middle of a bare space, often with serious burns and smoke inhalation as a result. There is no way for me to describe it for you as terrible as it was. In many instances the house, the job and the neighborhood are all gone. Really nothing to come back to but devastation. Find a charity you trust and if you can, send a donation.

[Dodge]

The fire was traveling up to 150mph in the fire storm. They say it was traveling a 100 yards in 3 seconds.
Lots of friends and customers lost their homes but are alive. It came with in 50ft. of the shop and burned 1500 acres behind us thats not even counted in the fire numbers.
We are on the Sonoma-Marin county line.
Crazy Crazy....At this point we have pulled out closed to 30 cars from friends and customers ahead of the fires.
We are hoping for some rain on Thurs. which should help some.

[1930artdeco]

I know of one club memer who was told to run and eventually lost her house and the Model A her dad built for her��. The same winds that fanned those flames ripped a panel off my house and I live 50 miles away from Napa. Fortunately, those fires are around 80% contained now. But a new one has started near Santa Cruze and if this keeps up my guard unit (read me) may get activated for fire fighting duties. Hopefully after our mystery tour though.

Mike

[KenCoupe]

I am in Southern California and we get the same winds (Santa Ana winds) and fires that are occurring in Northern California (Diablo winds). Malibu - where I worked for over 20 years - is well known for these wild fires. So far around 200,000 acres have burned in Northern California. At the same time, a fire in Anaheim Hills (near Disneyland) has burned over 9000 acres. The news showed an 8000 sq foot home burned to the ground. As mentioned above, these fires move incredibly quickly and flying embers are a real problem.

I am really sorry to hear about the A400 that burned up north. I have not heard of any other Model A's being burned, but it is very possible others have been damaged. I wish all the people in the fire areas only my best for their well being.

[burner31]

Sorry to hear of the loss.
Strong indications that these fires were arson
A most foul crime

[jhowes]

It is nhard to hear of the losses and devistation thaat people have had to go through in these fire arers.
















It is hard to hear of the loss of life and property that people in these fire areas have had to go through. But I need to rant a little.
Why not have a group like the National Guard activate some of the planes that sit idle and out of service on the desert and turn them into fire fighting planes that carry water and fire retardant? We presently use air craft but it seems not enough for the fires that are experienced almost every year somewhere.
A couple of hundred large x-transports or commercial jets sent to the scene as soon as a fire is noticed would , or should, stop it in its tracks before it becomes a major multi acre event. Like the military "shock and awe" concept. The current system has too few aircraft involved and they are called too late. After they douse it then the ground troops can go in for the cleanup and be far safer than our present system of fire fighting. It could be paid for by reducing our federal aid to over 100 countries by say 10% We need to take care of our country first. Just a thought. Jack

[SeaSlugs]

Originally Posted by Dodge

The fire was traveling up to 150mph in the fire storm. They say it was traveling a 100 yards in 3 seconds.
Lots of friends and customers lost their homes but are alive. It came with in 50ft. of the shop and burned 1500 acres behind us thats not even counted in the fire numbers.
We are on the Sonoma-Marin county line.
Crazy Crazy....At this point we have pulled out closed to 30 cars from friends and customers ahead of the fires.
We are hoping for some rain on Thurs. which should help some.

yea 150mph fire is worse than a tornado id say... Being out here it seems California has been on fire ever since I can remember I was trying to figure out why this year is so bad but that amount of wind will do it.

[Jeff/Illinois]

Originally Posted by Dodge

The fire was traveling up to 150mph in the fire storm. They say it was traveling a 100 yards in 3 seconds.
Lots of friends and customers lost their homes but are alive. It came with in 50ft. of the shop and burned 1500 acres behind us thats not even counted in the fire numbers.
We are on the Sonoma-Marin county line.
Crazy Crazy....At this point we have pulled out closed to 30 cars from friends and customers ahead of the fires.
We are hoping for some rain on Thurs. which should help some.

I just can't imagine, what that would be like. Here in the Midwest, you never think of a fire starting 25 miles away and then worry that in a short time it will be burning up your house That never happens in NW Illinois we have plenty of rain and water. Things never get that dry.

[Dennis Pereira]

I'm sure before it's over there will be a lot of collectors cars destroyed and human loss. This is the latest from Calfire.California Statewide Fire Summary
Thursday, October 19, 2017
Over 10,000 firefighters continue making progress on 9 large wildfires burning across California. Yesterday, cooler temperatures and higher humidity aided firefighters in their efforts and allowed for additional evacuations to be lifted. Just over 15,000 people remain evacuated by the fires. As the damage assessment continues latest estimates now put the destruction at an estimated 6,900 structures.

Overall weather conditions in Northern California will remain cooler as a light storm system moves into the region bringing rain in some areas in the late hours and overnight. A Red Flag Warning is in effect to the Tahoe Basin and the Eastern Sierra for gusty winds and low humidity. Gusts up to 50mph are possible.

Since the start of the October Fire Siege on Sunday, October 8, CAL FIRE has responded to 250 new wildfires. At the peak of the wildfires there were 21 major wildfires that, in total, have burned over 245,000 acres, 11,000 firefighters battled the destructive fires that at one time forced 100,000 to evacuate, destroyed an estimated 6,900 structures, and sadly, took the lives of 42 people.

Residents returning home are urged to be cautious as hazardous conditions may remain. Learn more tips on how to return home after a wildfire at www.fire.ca.gov.

[hardtimes]

Originally Posted by Jeff/Illinois

I just can't imagine, what that would be like. Here in the Midwest, you never think of a fire starting 25 miles away and then worry that in a short time it will be burning up your house That never happens in NW Illinois we have plenty of rain and water. Things never get that dry.

'can't imagine'.
Rightfully so, as in if you haven't been there done that, it is beyond being scared, helpless and hopeless when caught in the path of such wind driven inferno ! When a water dump has to be made directly on you, to maybe save you, is the most extreme experience I can cite to allow you to 'imagine' how terrible quick a fire storm can move ! No time to run, no place to hide !

Vehicles , buildings and things can be replaced, but family, health, friends and pets can not. Heart breaking videos/news of devastation in north Ca and we can only hope for the best for our neighbors. Like someone said, here in SoCal, we know what NoCal is going through from first hand experiences.

We pray for rain. NoCal gets record spring rains. Nature grows vegetation. Yearly winds come strong. Lightening strikes the growth often. Mother Nature prevails...for now.

[Synchro909]

Every time I turn on a news service here, there is mention of the fires over there. As I have said, we too experience fires like you are at the moment so we understand. A plane load of experienced fire fighters are on their way from here at the moment to help. A drop in the ocean compared to what is needed but every drop helps. When we have bad fires here, often men are sent from the US to help us.
Unity in the face of adversity.

[Benson]

Colorado Sends 20 Fire Engines And Their Crews To Help In California.

They left for Chino three days ago.

http://denver.cbslocal.com/2017/10/1...es-california/

My folks had a mountain home 30 miles west of Denver for 55 years ... the community volunteered 1000s of hours to clear brush and trees and etc in the community of 250 houses. The community is located in a "box canyon" with one outlet.

I have worked to help many times.

http://www.coalcreekcanyonfd.org/res...re-mitigation/

http://sawsandslaws.org/

It is never too late to get ready for the next fire season.

There is also help available to control Pine beetles which weaken trees and make them more likely to burn.

Mel is 88 and still shows up ... says he will until he can not walk anymore.

The more mitigation and fire breaks that you build it makes it easier for fire fighters to defend your house.

One 50 year old Juniper bush beside your house is like having 2 gallons of gasoline under the eaves. My folks house had 30 Junipers which I took out with a chain saw.

Neighbor's house had 60 that we took out.

Pruning evergreen trees 8 to 10 feet from ground helps prevent grass from igniting the trees.

Embers blowing in the wind can make the fire jump 2 or 3 miles and trap the fire fighters. Screens and chalking can keep embers out of eaves.

The Forest Service recommended trees be removed a certain distance from house also. Trees and bushes on uphill side even farther away... fire burns faster on uphill ground.

It is amazing how much 50 or 60 people can get cleared in 5 hours on a Saturday morning!

[700rpm]

Originally Posted by SeaSlugs

Seems 40+ people and countless pets have been caught in the fire unfortunately. Glad to hear Mr. Gensley is OK. Just curious as someone from the midwest where all we have to worry about is occasional tornado, How fast do these fires travel? How far ahead of the flames are they giving evacuation orders?

A retired firefighter friend reported to me that at one point the fires were burning an acre every 3 seconds.

[Mike V. Florida]

A member of our club restored a Canadian roadster after being in a garage fire that burned the garage to the ground. that was over 20 years ago and the car looks and drives great.

[KenCoupe]

Originally Posted by SeaSlugs

yea 150mph fire is worse than a tornado id say... Being out here it seems California has been on fire ever since I can remember I was trying to figure out why this year is so bad but that amount of wind will do it.

This year is particularly bad because we had more rain this year than in the previous 7 or 8 years. That made the vegetation grow more than usual. We don't get much rain after about April, and all that vegetation dries out in time for the Santa Ana (or Diablo) winds in October and November. That is when we get the bad wild fires - lots of fuel and wind.

[Keith True]

I remember reading the accounts of the fires in Washington,Oregon,and other places on the west coast in the late 20's-early 30's.One thing that stuck with me was three men that waited a little too long and were chased out of the woods by the fire.They ran at a dead run just under 20 miles on the temporary railroad that was the only way out.Their hair and clothes were pretty well burned off their backsides.As one of the men wrote later,if we had stumbled or tripped,we were goners.Either 2 or 3 fires at that time consumed more timber that had been harvested in the previous 10 years.

[al's28/33]

Let's pray for those human lives lost.

[Dodge]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Its raining now............that should help

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Unless you lived around here, you wouldn't realize how BAD it is! Cindy lives in S.F, & is covered with SMOKE/ASHES! 350 miles away, our sky is filled with SMOKE.
The WIND is horrible, Santa Anna winds in SO.Cal, even blows over BIG RIGS!
Planes from our BIG Fire Base are helping the effort.
Bill W.

[pgerhardt]

Originally Posted by Mike V. Florida

A member of our club restored a Canadian roadster after being in a garage fire that burned the garage to the ground. that was over 20 years ago and the car looks and drives great.

The pictures I saw showed melted pools of aluminum where wheels had melted off of cars. With that much heat there won't be much left to restore.

My sister lives in Petaluma. She moved from Florida and missed the hurricanes, only to be surrounded by wild fires. She is fine, although she has friends who lost everything.

[1930artdeco]

Actually my guard unit was activated to drop water on the fires. We sent up two HH-60's and at least one C-130 (129th out of Moffett). Channel Is. are using their 130's to drop retardant I am sure, that is their state side mission, unless they are deployed.

The Army guard here tends to get activated to handle the fire crews. But something tells me that the Air Force will be handling more of that side next year along with the helos. The air guard is there but only some aircraft have been modified to carry tanks or Bambi buckets.

Mike

[Railcarmover]

Three distinct California man made parts that aided the disaster..

1. people want to live with wild land surrounding their homes,especially in that area.

2. wild land/ housing developers in california felt fire breaks are a blight and harm their property values,and homebuyers wouldn't like them.

3. Brush reduction and dead tree removal are considered "LOGGING"and are to be considered enviromentally improper,the wildland areas in the region were not allowed any preventive work.

Add it all together and its a disaster waiting to happen,common sense forestry practice could have prevented much of the destruction.I live in Northern CA and prior to rail worked on Cat forestry equipment,the guys I worked with saw this coming...and more if steps arent taken.

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by Railcarmover

Three distinct California man made parts that aided the disaster..

1. people want to live with wild land surrounding their homes,especially in that area.

2. wild land/ housing developers in california felt fire breaks are a blight and harm their property values,and homebuyers wouldn't like them.

3. Brush reduction and dead tree removal are considered "LOGGING"and are to be considered enviromentally improper,the wildland areas in the region were not allowed any preventive work.

Add it all together and its a disaster waiting to happen,common sense forestry practice could have prevented much of the destruction.I live in Northern CA and prior to rail worked on Cat forestry equipment,the guys I worked with saw this coming...and more if steps arent taken.

Yep, and it happened in northern Minnesota also. Years ago strong winds blew down a bunch of trees in the Boundary Waters Canoe area, and even the downed trees weren't allowed to be used for lumber. How stupid is that? So, a few years later a large forest fire took out several buildings and did considerable damage. So now you've got rotted and burned trees. Wonder how the tree huggers like that?

[Synchro909]

Originally Posted by Tom Wesenberg

Yep, and it happened in northern Minnesota also. Years ago strong winds blew down a bunch of trees in the Boundary Waters Canoe area, and even the downed trees weren't allowed to be used for lumber. How stupid is that? So, a few years later a large forest fire took out several buildings and did considerable damage. So now you've got rotted and burned trees. Wonder how the tree huggers like that?

Same here with the tree huggers! What bugs me is that they walk amongst us.

[Railcarmover]

No doubt unmanaged clear cutting is destructive, so is an unmanaged forest.

[Joop]

Added picture of burned car ;-(((