Let’s leave it there, especially in a thread intended to be supportive of our fellows.
Back to the topic at hand, here’s the latest fire map for the Cameron Peak fire that was posted at our local REI store:
Fort Collins is the to the right of the “Div U”
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Cameron Peak fire area at the top. Calwood and Lefthand Canyon fires (bottom) grown by a few hundred acres. Looks like primarily to the north.
My concern, more so than the pollution, is all of the poor wildlife out there that’s losing their homes and their lives.
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Trust me, I already know. So sad.
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As sympathetic as I am to the subject, let’s please not have this thread devolve into a political discussion or climate change debate. Wildfires do in fact happen naturally, even when and where it is inconvenient or deadly for those humans, flora and fauna living in the area. There was no indication of a natural cause for the Calwood fire (such as lightning) but that does not mean it was set intentionally or negligently. Not everything that happens in the world need be viewed through a political lens.
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Climate change posts have been moved to their own topic.
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Indeed. Part of the issue with the Cameron Peak fire is the amount of beetle-kill standing timber.
The Pine Bark Beetle is a recurring pest that comes and goes out here. The last infestation several years ago left a crap-ton of dead trees on the hills. In the Cameron fire area, I would guess that on some hillsides 1/3 of the trees were standing dead (and dry) timber, so the entire area was a tinderbox awaiting a spark.
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From a HAM radio friend … .
Boulder (Colorado) ATV Group Transmits Video of Cal-Wood Fire
Colorado, California and Oregon have been experiencing major forest fires for the past couple of months. There was heavy smoke in the Front Range city of Boulder on occasions when the wind was right. Fire hit Boulder County on October 17 at mid-day. The Cal-Wood Fire broke out in the mountains north-west of the City of Boulder, near the town of Jamestown. The fire moved rapidly during Saturday afternoon. As of Sunday morning, October 18, 8 AM, the fire had already consumed over 7,000 acres of forest, along with an outbreak on the prairie at US-36.
The Boulder ATV repeater, W0BTV, has been transmitting views of the forest fire. The camera is located at the home of KH6HTV, south-east of the city of Boulder, and 13-15 miles from the fire. Using a long telephoto lens, the KH6HTV TV camera has been able to view the fire along the Front Range as it approached the first ridge of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The TV images are being received at the Boulder County ARES (BCARES) command post in the Boulder County Emergency Operations Center (EOC). There they are then being displayed on a large-screen video monitor for the EOC staff.
The W0BTV repeater video is being streamed live over the British Amateur TV Club’s server in the U.K. The right audio channel on the BATC stream is carrying the live audio from the BCARES, 2 meter, FM repeater, 146.76 MHz with the emergency net traffic. Fortunately, now there is nothing to be seen on the TV repeater’s video image, as a cold front has rolled in with light rain and fog – great news for helping suppress the fire. – Boulder Amateur Television Club TV Repeater’s REPEATER , October 18, 2020, issue
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Smoke is the concern today. I think the smoke from every fire in Colorado is converging on Estes Park today! This afternoon has been HORRIBLE! Smoke very thick and is everywhere, including the inside of our house. Smoke smell is getting into everything, including our drapes and clothes. Thank goodness neither one of us is super-sensitive to it. We’re just trying to hold on until this weekend when the weather is supposed to take a drastic turn for the better with cold temperatures and some serious snow. It will be the first significant moisture we’ve had in months! Pray for us!
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Smoke permeating everything would be frustrating and exhausting.
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It is, believe me! Mainly because you can’t get away from it. It’s everywhere!
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The smoke from the big wildfires in the West is drifting farther than many may appreciate. Here in Chicago we’ve been experiencing unusual sunsets known to be due to smoke, probably caused by particulates being carried in the jet stream. It’s disconcerting not so much because of any threat to us in the Midwest, but it is an indication of how serious the situation is in the West. Not just CO but CA as well.
Indeed. The smoke from earlier fires in California made it to DC. Sobering.
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Some NOAA smoke maps from the past month or two.
September when CA and CO and other states were burning.
Right after the Canadian cold front came through and dumped snow on us early.
It then came around, pushed off the west coast and up into Canada. For a while the smoke was going west rather than east.
Today:
I usually take the dogs out after dinner to play and run. Tonight this is what things looked like around 6 o’clock. Normally it is still light and sunset is about 15 minutes away:
This is not the fire, but the rays of the sun bouncing off the smoke.
Rough day.
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How are you guys doing?
The situation looks terrifying on the news.
Elk beat me to it. How’s everyone doing? The news looks just awful.
8-12 inches of snow on tap for the weekend, so that should help some.
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