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Hi All
I thought we'd dodged the bullet this year as far as fires go. But the last week or so has been insane. We've had forest fires move through neighborhoods burning homes like they did in California. Something I've not seen before. I have one family member and several friends who lost their homes. Estimate 600 home and 100 businesses gone. 55 people still missing. One family member thought dead. This is just the fire from Ashland to Medford, there's several more really bad fires North of me. My neighborhood was under evacuation orders twice, the first late in the evening. I had my car loaded with what I would take and was hosing down the house. We started to get embers falling and I was ready to leave, then the fire department arrived and got it under control. The next afternoon I had another fire about half a mile from my house. Again, we were suppose to evacuate but I've got 25+ years fighting forest fires so I felt safe watching it as the wind was blowing it away from me. I'll attach a couple photos from back of my house. There was a DC 10 retardant plane that flew overhead, seemed so low I could have reached out to touch it. I was fumbling with my phone and didn't get that one! Tomorrow is suppose to be one more day of high winds and low humidity as a cold front blows in. If we get through Sunday I think we'll be OK. For those of you who've visited me you know, if things burned my hobby would take a serious hit!
Wow, John, that's close, both the fire and the jet aircraft! No hot embers here, just lots of ash all over everything and swirling around in the streets, somewhat reminiscent of the Mt. St. Helens eruption back in 1980. I saw on the news about the fire in/near Phoenix (OR) and it looked pretty bad. Hope things change for the better for you. Makes me feel lucky that all we are doing is choking and wheezing on hazardous air.
I can't imagine living in apocalyptic conditions like that.
Seems every forum I'm on has people dealing with these fires. Some talk on AACA that some of these fires are being set. With all the other unrest y'all are experiencing, an arsonist is truly lowest of the low.
Thanks guys, one more day of holding my breath and I think I'll be in the clear. I worked fighting forest fires full time from 1978 to 1993, then did it part time from 1993 until recently. I've never seen anything like this. We'd be way out in the forest fighting them, never in city subdivisions.
There has been no lightening or any other possible natural cause for these fires. So they are all human caused. Are they intentional or accidental? Lots of discussion over that. But it gets into politics since we've also had the protesters/rioters. I'm not going there in this thread and ask the rest of you guys to do the same. If you want to talk with me in a PM we can do that. But here all I'm going to say is when this is over good fire investigators will be able to tell if it was an incendiary device or sparks from a train. Hopefully if they identify arson they'll be able to catch the people and make them regret what they did. There's documentation of a handful of people dying in these fires. I suspect that number will go up significantly when things cool off enough for the investigators to get in and search the rubble.
I've always said this part of the country is pretty safe from natural disasters. I may have to re-evaluate that now.
Really good to hear from you. I was concerned when you had not been on CO for a while or at least I hadn't seen any posts. I haven't been involved in hurricanes or tornadoes but the helpless feeling one gets when there is fire around your place has to be much the same as strong twisty winds you have no control over.
Stay safe and remember don't risk your life for stuff after all it is just stuff.... Tedd
You know those pilots of that DC-10, although engaged in a serious business, must be having a blast flying that.
Over the years I've seen retardant bombers do some pretty impressive things trying to get the retardant right where its needed. Not only does it take some serious flying skills, the pilots probably are a little on the wild side too!
Really good to hear from you. I was concerned when you had not been on CO for a while or at least I hadn't seen any posts. I haven't been involved in hurricanes or tornadoes but the helpless feeling one gets when there is fire around your place has to be much the same as strong twisty winds you have no control over.
Stay safe and remember don't risk your life for stuff after all it is just stuff.... Tedd
Thanks Tedd. Yes, this has caused me to pause and think a little bit about what really matters. The missing family members remains were found. It looks like he was standing in the driveway with the garden hose when he was overrun by the fire.
My best buddy (now deceased) worked for Airo Union in Chico building those things. DC10,P3's and back in the day they has a B17 till it became more valuable as a collector or they drove it into a mountain I can't remember which. Quite common happenstance if you are a air jocky...... Tedd
My best buddy (now deceased) worked for Airo Union in Chico building those things. DC10,P3's and back in the day they has a B17 till it became more valuable as a collector or they drove it into a mountain I can't remember which. Quite common happenstance if you are a air jocky...... Tedd
In the early 1980's I remember working on a fire East of Salem. I was on an engine and sitting on the tank as I was filling what we called a Fold-da-tank. I was up on the ridgetop with the fire on the slope below me when a retardant plane appeared to my South. It was almost eye level as it approached, then it did something that caused it to twist? It was still moving right at me, but the nose was pointed slightly to my left. It had a plexiglass nose, and was one of the old bombers possibly a B-17. It took my breath away as it passed over me and down the slope dropping the retardant as it went. My co-worker couldn't contain his excitement and talked about how amazing it would be to sit in that nose as it made the drop!
There were a fair number of Liberty Belle (Flying Fortresses) converted to Fire Bombers. They're great pieces of history and could sustain remarkable damage and remain airborne. I used to fly out of Aurora Airport.
I know that Areo Union lost several planes and crews while Dave worked there, you gotta be made of the right stuff to make a career of a bomber retardant pilot.I remember years ago one plane forgot to lower it's wheels doing touch and go's at the Chico airport and splattered a borate bomber down the runway, everyone walked away from that one but the very experienced pilot hung up his wings after that.... Tedd
I know that Areo Union lost several planes and crews while Dave worked there, you gotta be made of the right stuff to make a career of a bomber retardant pilot.I remember years ago one plane forgot to lower it's wheels doing touch and go's at the Chico airport and splattered a borate bomber down the runway, everyone walked away from that one but the very experienced pilot hung up his wings after that.... Tedd
I think it was in California. Do you remember the C-130 that had the wings fall off? Someone was video taping it flying by, and both wings fell off. I believe I'd read they had just inspected it a couple weeks before. The stress of doing this kind of thing must be pretty hard on the planes.
John - I did not fly these airplanes. I hold a Private Pilot Certificate single engine fixed wing. I routinely flew out of Aurora, Dupage, Oshkosh, etc. and the general midwest. As a USAF veteran I basically entertain aircraft history as a passing hobby. I recall when this one went down. I've seen this particular aircraft several times. And, this aircraft's primary flight controls operate via cable.
