Fires in Napa and Sonoma (San Diego, Santa Rosa: power lines, luxury, new construction)

[Mikala43]

I've been listening to updates on NPR when I've been in the care.... a male reporter almost cried reporting on a mobile home park, and I think he touched on why this seems so horrific.... it is in the middle of a city. There was no warning, it was the middle of the night, people literally had minutes to flee.

The only thing I can think of that compares is the San Francisco fire of 1906.

They are reporting they can smell the smoke all the way to San Francisco, and the fires are not out.

[KC6ZLV]

Originally Posted by rjf1958

My former neighborhood in Santa Rosa is burned to the ground. Haven't lived there in 25 years, but I had many wonderful years in Santa Rosa, and it's very sad to see the pictures. Looks like a good third of the city is destroyed.

Something will need to be done about lot density, building materials, and vegetation to reduce this threat in the future. God knows how damaged the Napa wine industry will be after this.

If you take a look at the lot density, quite a few of the lots aren't small and they don't have a lot of vegetation. The real issue here was the wind. In some of the videos I saw the flames were blown horizontally over the tops of three or four houses. It even burned down several commercial areas which were surrounded by huge parking lots. The fire had to jump across US-101 to get to this area. I don't think there is much in the way of design that could have prevented this.

[nightbird47]

This is just horrible. Where do all the people who lost their home go right now?

My aunts side of the family all live in Napa. I'm not sure where. Is there anywhere to ask if someone his okay?

[davidt1]

Originally Posted by KC6ZLV

If you take a look at the lot density, quite a few of the lots aren't small and they don't have a lot of vegetation. The real issue here was the wind. In some of the videos I saw the flames were blown horizontally over the tops of three or four houses. It even burned down several commercial areas which were surrounded by huge parking lots. The fire had to jump across US-101 to get to this area. I don't think there is much in the way of design that could have prevented this.

I saw on 60 Minutes a guy whose house was unaffected when the whole neighborhood burned. I think he had fire-resistant roof and stucco sidings, cleaned roof drainage regularly, and had some space around his house that did not have anything that can start a fire. These are things just about any home owner can do to keep their homes more fire resistant.

[JGC97]

Last night, local news reported this fire is comparable to the Hanley Fire in 1964 which destroyed over 52K acres in Sonoma County. I have yet hear anything as to how these fires started, though. In the case of the Hanley Fire, it was a deer hunter who threw a cigarette on dry grass. Can't help think the current fires were also caused by idiot humans.

[rodentraiser]

I was always worried about fire when I lived in California and I still do, even though I live in Washington state now. People here laugh at me when I mention fire, but up here, trees are all over the place and touching the houses. Nobody clears around their house and all the houses are wood. If we had a fire of that magnitude here where I live, there's be no stopping it.

I just read where one fire may get into Fairfield. I've been up there hundreds of times and I can't even being to imagine that area being devastated by fire. But then, I still can't believe parts of Santa Rosa was burned, either.

[JGC97]

Let them laugh but when it happens to them, they won't be laughing. Washington has fires, too. Those laughing must live in Forks, where it never dries out.

Do yourself a favor and make sure you have enough defensible space surrounding your home. Firefighters will appreciate it. Your insurance company will appreciate it. And you'll feel better, knowing you may just keep the flames at bay.

[Mikala43]

They just visited their... house? lot?

There is almost nothing... the two motorcycles? unrecognizable.. just ash. The Akorn BBQ that they used and competed with my husband for best BBQ? The shell remains. No boat, no washer and dryer, no fridge.... a fragile shell of a truck... a car that blew up and flew across the street. Oddly, a metal goat m BIL bought for my sister's garden remains. Now the lucky goat.

It's not the things I mourn. It's the love and time they put into the house. All their spare time.

My BIL lost his home to bankruptcy due to medical bills from his wife's decade long bought with cancer, which she lost. This is my sisters first house. They put in manual labor every week to renovate an older home which they could afford. In two years it went from a busted up old house to a beautiful home. They painted the exterior, built a new fence, JUST finished landscaping and adding raised gardens, completely renovated the kitchen, flooring, fixed the guest room because we were coming.... two years of labor.

And while it appears I am using this thread as my personal blog...... there are thousands of other stories just like this one.

[KC6ZLV]

Originally Posted by Cloudy Dayz

No, wood frame construction is not standard throughout the country. Just on the west coast. Many places brick construction is standard. In some other countries concrete construction is standard. You couldn't burn those houses down if you tried. At very least in other places that are prone to wildfires, ceramic tile roofs are usually required.

It doesn't do any good if your house survives an earthquake, only to burn down in the firestorm to follow. When the big one hits, the houses are not going to fall down, but the will burn down when the gas and water mains break, and nothing is going to be able to stop the fires, as this disaster proves. The biggest natural disaster threat in California, is fire. There hasn't been a serious earthquake in the Bay Area in almost 30 years, but there are fires every year.

Of course the houses are five feet apart. That's the way houses are built all over California. They build the house right to the property line. Then the next house starts on the other side of the property line. Sometimes it's not even five feet. A lot of houses just have a narrow jointly owned sidewalk between the houses, that is barely wide enough to walk between. How far apart do these houses look to you?

They are likely a minimum of 10 feet apart. California has building codes regulating the minimum distance between structures based on the flammability of material used to construct exterior walls. Most municipalities require a minimum distance of 5 feet between an exterior wall and the lot line. You will find most of the junk-home builders using 10 feet between exterior walls for a quick stamp of approval for permitting.


I have been through some of those neighborhoods. They aren't all closely spaced. Some of them were constructed in the 70s when side yards were wide enough to park two RVs next to each other, and they still burnt to the ground. The issue with the fires isn't construction. It was the wind that blew 100 foot flames on to neighboring structures, blew flaming items over roadways, and glowing embers that traveled greater distances than the flames and flaming items. It traveled across a freeway and huge parking lots and burnt down big box stores in a commercial retail district. There is nothing fire crews can do under those circumstances to stop a fire like that, so they concentrated on getting people out of the way.

And yes, wood framing is standard throughout the country. They're busy replacing rotted wood in the homes around Houston. I recall watching videos of a forest fire last year outside Nashville where homes made of wood burnt to the ground. Hurricane Andrew snapped wood framed homes in Florida like toothpicks. As I passed through Boise this summer I saw several news development under construction, all made of wood in an area subject to the same fire risks as California. But, wood is only a problem if it is used in California.

[Cloudy Dayz]

Originally Posted by HereOnMars

I'm so sorry for everyone who either lost their home or knows someone who did; heart goes out to you especially, Rosie, Mikala and Derek on your families' loss. So much loss which goes beyond personal property. Losing a life as well as a lifetime of memories, it's unimaginable. I was really affected by this story.

A couple, married 75 years died together in their home because the fire came so quickly, there was no way to get them out. Reminded me of my own elderly parents (married 70 years) who died within months of each other but nothing as tragic as this.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...ire/750478001/

This before and after photo of an area in Santa Rosa is frightening. How quickly life can change from happy to homeless. If it doesn't make everyone stop and think about their own existence ...

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/...ps-photos.html

BEFORE:



AFTER:

Notice how many of the trees survived, but none of the houses did. That means the houses were more combustible than the trees. That should not happen. I'm sorry but this could be prevented with better regulations, requiring tile or metal roofing and fireproof siding. I really hope this is a wake up call.