California Burning

[rerushg]

Hope everyone out that way is doing okay. Seems you folks enjoy a pretty nice environment most of the time but when Mother Nature kicks butt, she doesn't mess around. :)
Whew! Just saw a news clip on TV: L-1011 (might have been a DC-10) making a pass at 150-200 feet along a ridge line to drop fire retardant, then banking hard left to avoid smoke and terrain. THAT's some pretty serious flying! :eek:

Rick

[Dan]

You bet, Rick!

Sometimes I think they pull those beasts back up into clear air by pure pucker-power alone!


Dan

EDIT: Texas and several other states have dispatched crews headed for the Golden State. Hang on folks! Help's a comin'!

D.

[John the train]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7058809.stm The wildfires are a major item on the BBC site.

[GallComp]

Hope everyone out that way is doing okay. Seems you folks enjoy a pretty nice environment most of the time but when Mother Nature kicks butt, she doesn't mess around. :)
Whew! Just saw a news clip on TV: L-1011 (might have been a DC-10) making a pass at 150-200 feet along a ridge line to drop fire retardant, then banking hard left to avoid smoke and terrain. THAT's some pretty serious flying! :eek:

Rick
Not quite, the problem here in california (southern), is that we have been in dry-season for decades now, and the SantaAna winds that are generated every year sure mess up things for us. Dry weather plus high winds equals huge wildfires every year in our area.

When you step outside your house you can actually smell the burned grass/wood for miles, and the sky is redish. Every morning my car has been covered with dust and ash, and this weekend got two broken windows due the high winds (one more this morning).

The latest news is 30 wildfires around southern california with over one million evacuated. A six flags theme park was closed because one of those wildfires was too close to it...