LA Fires

[BankerCat12]

I havent followed as closely as many I would assume. I know they are in a drought and the forest floors are primed for a catastrophe but has the exact reason for the fires been addressed? Was it someone camping that started it or could it have been arson?

The pictures look like pure hell on earth and feel sorry for everyone involved. I cannot imagine losing everything and then dealing with the insurance companies, etc. Its a pain in the ass to get a roof replaced.

 

[WildcatFan1982]

No one’s sure exactly what caused it yet. Certainly could have been arson. There are a myriad of things that could have caused it. For some reason everyone else in the world have decided it was either arson, climate change, poor management, or LA wanting to burn itself down to prep for the Olympics (clearly the easiest way to do so)

 

[the nail at the foul line]

Mrs O' Leary's cow.

Check that, it is LA. Mrs. Hernandez cow.

 

[FirewithFire]

The homeless have been caught setting fires. That's been going on for awhile. Some say masked men are setting fires. Could be some jackass flipped a cigarette out the window.

Then you go into the LA 2028 smart city Olympics conspiracy, but those never turn out to be right.

California has been told a thousand times to clear out the dead brush and whatnot to prevent this sort of thing, but the rainbow warriors won't let them disturb a dead stick. They also won't let them cut out the invasive trees that are nothing more than huge fire sticks. Then you have mother nature sending huge gusts of wind across the whole area.

DEI hires and poor management is for sure a contributing factor. Those heads are rolling.

So it's a systemic failure. Like most things in this country the true cause is obfuscated by fear, corruption, and power struggles.

 

[JumperJack]

Lots of apologists saying these fires were uncontrollable once they got going due to no air support, etc.

That’s a deflection from the hard truth about what preceded them: policies that caused too much fuel and too little preparation. Policies that focus on utter nonsense like free healthcare for illegals, DEI and prioritizing a fish instead of people and property.

The leftwing fantasy land that is California did this to itself.

And if you’re naive enough to believe this has nothing to do with politics, you are a prime example of everything that went wrong, and will again in every place where similar polices reign.

 

[MegaBlue05]

Probably something political or a grand conspiracy.

I’ll throw jewish space lasers as my stab at it.

 

[Tskware]

The leftwing fantasy land that is California did this to itself.

And if you’re naive enough to believe this has nothing to do with politics, you are a prime example of everything that went wrong, and will again in every place where similar polices reign.

Sort of like the people in Western North Carolina that flooded themselves out of house and home, and washed out I-40? Or maybe you are a prime example of people who blame politics for everything.

Seriously, lots of reasons for wildfires, and several things can be true at the same time. Climate change has increased temperatures and dried out already dry areas making them even more susceptible to large fires. But, that doesn't mean public policies in California don't play a part as well. Start by acknowledging you are living in an arid area naturally prone to fires, and spend a LOT more money on infrastructure, like better and bigger reservoirs (almost all in the area were nearly full, one was empty because it was scheduled for repairs - which took way too long), better fire protection for new construction, larger water lines everywhere, and at the same time quit spending so much money on public unions (firefighters in LA make over $200K in salary + $90K in benefits per today's WSJ) and more on basic fire prevention, like natural fire breaks. I am not Smokey the Bear or a forest ranger, but there has to be ways to cut the fire risk down.

Or better yet, don't keep building houses and businesses on land that has burned in the past, and will do so again in the future, no different than don't keep putting houses and businesses on low lying land next to rivers that have flooded historically. It may look pretty, but will be a problem sooner or later. Lots of states in the west have wildfire problems because of the semi arid climate, Colorado for one. There is only so much you can do to fight nature.

Have to give some credit to Florida, I understand they are working on ways to make their properties near the water more able to withstand hurricanes and tropical storms. Makes sense to me.

 

[PTI (pti)]

I live in Louisiana. We keep getting crushed by hurricanes, have a major homeowners insurance crisis, and have plenty of political blame to throw around to (personally, I point the finger at the Democrats and the Republicans).

I'm not an expert. In fact, I'm just a goofball who reads the internet or whatever. But the way we live within our climate/environment is a very real problem, and my guess is that MAJOR changes need to be made to the way we build homes and live in the areas that we do. Unfortunately, that probably won't happen. But you can't just keep doing the same old thing, and then blaming public services for not being sufficient to bail you out.

If you're bored, look up Grand Isle. Or Venice, LA. Those places get absolutely demolished like every 5 years. And yet we just keep on rebuilding.

 

[JumperJack]

the way we build homes and live in the areas that we do.

It comes down to this. Building in a known fire or flood surge zone is an enormous problem.

People will say that nature can be destructive no matter where you live. But some places are far more likely to face issues than others.

 

[80 Proof]

Well, LA 2.0 is trending on Twitter since Gavin Newsome announced they already have a plan in place and a team working on the rebuild. Referenced the Marshall plan to describe what he's doing.

I'd probably hold off on planning the rebuild until the fires are at least contained 🤷

 

[LineSkiCat14]

Happy to live up here where it mainly just snows a lot.

 

[Nightwish84]

It comes down to this. Building in a known fire or flood surge zone is an enormous problem.

People will say that nature can be destructive no matter where you live. But some places are far more likely to face issues than others.

Well hell, this is a much better and logical response than what you posted earlier about the left, DEI, caring about a fish, and illegals. It's like some weird tick where the first response has to be hyper partisan and once that's out of your system, logic and thoughtfulness returns lol.

 

[Caveman Catfan]

 

[hmt5000]

Well hell, this is a much better and logical response than what you posted earlier about the left, DEI, caring about a fish, and illegals. It's like some weird tick where the first response has to be hyper partisan and once that's out of your system, logic and thoughtfulness returns lol.

But being accurate is still accurate. There were firefighters in LA and Cali saying this would happen if certain things weren't done.... They did none of them and even doubled down on stupidity.... They tried to replace wood telephone polls with metal polls so they wouldn't fall over in high winds... environmentalist shut them down because they were harming a shrub. They quit cutting fire breaks to help a mouse. They diverted water to help a fish. They cut the budget 2 years in a row. They won't do anything about the truly mentally ill homeless on their streets and they won't do anything about criminal aliens.

There is a huge difference between a tornado hitting a home and someone driving right to the tornado and parking in front of it.

 

[Caveman Catfan]

How does someone earn a nickname like “Hall Monitor?” It’s deserved when the poster enters threads where there are opinions (usually political) of which he disagrees and rather than present his counter, he chides and comments only about the poster with whom he disagrees, instead of actually bringing substance. He cannot stop himself. So easily triggered. 😆

 

[LineSkiCat14]

But being accurate is still accurate. There were firefighters in LA and Cali saying this would happen if certain things weren't done.... They did none of them and even doubled down on stupidity.... They tried to replace wood telephone polls with metal polls so they wouldn't fall over in high winds... environmentalist shut them down because they were harming a shrub. They quit cutting fire breaks to help a mouse. They diverted water to help a fish. They cut the budget 2 years in a row. They won't do anything about the truly mentally ill homeless on their streets and they won't do anything about criminal aliens.

There is a huge difference between a tornado hitting a home and someone driving right to the tornado and parking in front of it.

/thread

 

[*CatinIL*]

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He pretty much nailed it. Thanks for posting.

 

[BeaveUKGT]

But being accurate is still accurate. There were firefighters in LA and Cali saying this would happen if certain things weren't done.... They did none of them and even doubled down on stupidity.... They tried to replace wood telephone polls with metal polls so they wouldn't fall over in high winds... environmentalist shut them down because they were harming a shrub. They quit cutting fire breaks to help a mouse. They diverted water to help a fish. They cut the budget 2 years in a row. They won't do anything about the truly mentally ill homeless on their streets and they won't do anything about criminal aliens.

There is a huge difference between a tornado hitting a home and someone driving right to the tornado and parking in front of it.

If you're gonna be an internet expert, at least learn the difference between "polls" and "poles."

 

[VibratingDryer]

If you're gonna be an internet expert, at least learn the difference between "polls" and "poles."

We all know what kind of "pole" expert you are....

 

[hmt5000]

If you're gonna be an internet expert, at least learn the difference between "polls" and "poles."

Fair enough. But i'd rather worry about minimizing damage than focusing on stupid stuff.... but you do you. It's weird that people think just pointing some of this stuff out makes us "internet experts". When did just reading articles and watching interviews become a negative? Hell, I learned about fire breaks when I was probably 5. I noticed straight clear cuts through a forest in our county and my dad explained why they did that. You don't have to be a fire expert to understand stuff like that. I was 5.

 

[BeaveUKGT]

Fire breaks don't work so well when the wind is blowing at 80mph and 2% humidity.

They're also hard to make in the middle of densely packed neighborhoods.

 

[hmt5000]

Fire breaks don't work so well when the wind is blowing at 80mph and 2% humidity.

They're also hard to make in the middle of densely packed neighborhoods.

They disbanded the volunteer fire service. The city of LA cut $17M from their fire budget. The state cut $100M from their fire budget. Mayor of LA issued a budget for this year that was asking for another $40M cut to the fire dept. We all get that you can't stop every fire it's just weird that some people can't admit the planning was horrible, the response was slow and funding was horrible.



I'll let Maher speak on it. He is clearly not on "my" side. He makes some of the points you make but he realizes that mistakes were made. The first step in fixing something is admitting there is a problem. $250B cost to rebuild the area. If we are just going to throw our hands up and say "welp, you can't beat the wind. Nothing we can do".... then we shouldn't build it back. It would be insane to rebuild and not make changes.

 

[JumperJack]

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They disbanded the volunteer fire service. The city of LA cut $17M from their fire budget. The state cut $100M from their fire budget. Mayor of LA issued a budget for this year that was asking for another $40M cut to the fire dept. We all get that you can't stop every fire it's just weird that some people can't admit the planning was horrible, the response was slow and funding was horrible.

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I'll let Maher speak on it. He is clearly not on "my" side. He makes some of the points you make but he realizes that mistakes were made. The first step in fixing something is admitting there is a problem. $250B cost to rebuild the area. If we are just going to throw our hands up and say "welp, you can't beat the wind. Nothing we can do".... then we shouldn't build it back. It would be insane to rebuild and not make changes.

This news cannot be fully complete unless we ask where that money was going.

 

[hmt5000]

This news cannot be fully complete unless we ask where that money was going.

I'm trying to stay out of the politics and just focus on the fire prep and response. It's hard enough to get people to agree they screwed up that part.

 

[WillGolf4Food]

Getty Museum* was spared from the LA fires and this article touches on some of the reasons why. It was basically designed to be fire proof, from building materials like aggregate stone roofs to landscaping.

Since they have a blueprint right in their backyard, you’d think LA would change building codes to avoid another catastrophe. On the other hand, residents are eager to clear their lots and start the rebuild. Certainly a tough spot.

It’ll be interesting to watch the level of involvement from insurance companies as they begin this costly rebuild and if they insist on stricter building codes or drop coverage all together.


*must visit if in LA and enjoy museums

 

[d2atTech]

Well, LA 2.0 is trending on Twitter since Gavin Newsome announced they already have a plan in place and a team working on the rebuild. Referenced the Marshall plan to describe what he's doing.

I'd probably hold off on planning the rebuild until the fires are at least contained 🤷

my friend is on the team. i hope he can enact rational choices (e.g. reasonably wide fire roads).

 

[Tskware]

I'll let Maher speak on it. He is clearly not on "my" side. He makes some of the points you make but he realizes that mistakes were made. The first step in fixing something is admitting there is a problem. $250B cost to rebuild the area. If we are just going to throw our hands up and say "welp, you can't beat the wind. Nothing we can do".... then we shouldn't build it back. It would be insane to rebuild and not make changes.

On that point I agree 100%. You can't use the Getty Museum as a blueprint, it has pretty much an unlimited budget to protect irreplaceable works of art . . . . but before you build back homes and condos and apartments in a fire zone (or hurricane zone, or on a riverside that has flooded umpteen times) you really need to tighten up the residential codes and impose reasonable conditions on the rebuild in high risk areas. And those conditions are sure to be more expensive than the public wants to pay, and insurance is certain to be very pricy, but if they want to spend the money, or don't have it, then don't rebuild. Not sure there is a door number three.

 

[BigBlueDave]

On that point I agree 100%. You can't use the Getty Museum as a blueprint, it has pretty much an unlimited budget to protect irreplaceable works of art . . . . but before you build back homes and condos and apartments in a fire zone (or hurricane zone, or on a riverside that has flooded umpteen times) you really need to tighten up the residential codes and impose reasonable conditions on the rebuild in high risk areas. And those conditions are sure to be more expensive than the public wants to pay, and insurance is certain to be very pricy, but if they want to spend the money, or don't have it, then don't rebuild. Not sure there is a door number three.

The Getty Museum is a concrete and steel public use building. Some people gravitate towards and prefer that look for residential, but I can't see many staying if that were mandated. Maybe that would be the point.

The problem with LA is that it isn't as dry as a pure desert, like Las Vegas. It rains in the spring, everything greens up and then nothing. All of that new growth is now kindling. It always amazes me when I drive through central/Southern California, out side of spring, how the whole state doesn't burn off.

I said problem, but it's why people want to live there in the first place. The weather is predictable. You can plan any event 2,3 or 6 months out and rain isn't a consideration.


This past summer they went 118 days without any rain. That was welcomed as being back to normal.





This article was written Aug 31, 2024

Los Angeles goes entire summer without rain year after wettest summer on record

The City of Angels is about to wrap up the three-month Meteorological Summer on Aug. 31 without registering a drop of rainfall in its downtown rain gauge.

www.foxweather.com

The last time it rained in the heart of the city was on May 5 — a dry streak of 118 days and counting.

This summer will be the 22nd Downtown Los Angeles has had without a drop of rain since records have been tracked in 1877, and the 58th out of those 147 years of records with a trace of rain or less — 39% of all summers.

The last summer to go raindrop-free was 2020, though 2022 only received a paltry 0.01 inches — barely enough to wet the ground.

But this summer stands in stark contrast to last summer when the remnants of Hurricane Hillary brought record rains to Southern California.

Los Angeles received 2.99 inches in 48 hours between Aug. 20-21, which set 2023 as their wettest summer on record by far. Ironically, every other day of that summer failed to have any measurable rain. Take out Hillary, and it would be back-to-back summers without measurable rain.

As the sun-kissed movies of Hollywood and picturesque postcard scenes of Southern California brag, rain isn’t really a part of the summertime vibe as it can be in the occasionally thunderstorm-filled afternoons across the South, East and Midwest.

Southern California usually sits under a massive ridge of high pressure that sprawls across the Desert Southwest in the summer, keeping it dry and hot. But the region is far west enough to avoid the conveyor belt of monsoon moisture that can plague its neighboring states to the east.

Long dry streaks are nothing new in SoCal — the current 118-day streak barely ranks in the Top 70. Their record is 219 days in a row without rain, set in 1997.

 

[BC_Wader]

I knew SoCal was dry but had no idea it got that dry until these fires. One would think some preventable measures would've been in place for a very long time. Sure, you aren't going to stop all fires, but you can give your State a fighting chance.

 

[Tskware]

I knew SoCal was dry but had no idea it got that dry until these fires. One would think some preventable measures would've been in place for a very long time. Sure, you aren't going to stop all fires, but you can give your State a fighting chance.

Daughter and SIL lived in Long Beach for 8 or 9 years. I literally almost never saw a cloud in the sky when I would visit, and we were there several different times of the year. But when it is hot, it is also VERY dry, will burn your skin to a crisp if you don't wear sunscreen. There was an earthquake maybe on our very last visit, I thought it was a really really loud truck coming down the street, until I saw the large screen TV start to wobble on its base, and the cups on the counter rattle. It was a strange experience for sure.

 

[BC_Wader]

Daughter and SIL lived in Long Beach for 8 or 9 years. I literally almost never saw a cloud in the sky when I would visit, and we were there several different times of the year. But when it is hot, it is also VERY dry, will burn your skin to a crisp if you don't wear sunscreen. There was an earthquake maybe on our very last visit, I thought it was a really really loud truck coming down the street, until I saw the large screen TV start to wobble on its base, and the cups on the counter rattle. It was a strange experience for sure.

Always wanted to visit but you couldn't pay me to live there. I'd be on pins and needles with a fire and earthquake threat.

 

[WayneDougan]

It was a strange experience for sure.

Earthquakes are a very unique experience. Hard describe to people who have never been in one.

 

[WildcatFan1982]

I was OUTSIDE during a very small earthquake in Owensboro back in 2002. I was in the workshop behind the place I worked and it shook like it did if someone was walking on the 2nd level so I didn’t think anything of it. Walked outside to start trimming the edges on the sidewalk and a woman comes running outside screaming that I needed to come inside where it’s safe 😐

 

[WayneDougan]

I was in Fullerton, CA on the 5th floor of a Marriott hotel. I woke up at 4 AM because the dresser was shaking. I shit you not that I thought a racoon was in the dresser and not that we were having an earthquake. Cut me some slack - I was half asleep.