New Wildfires in California

StarSong said:
My homeowner's insurance went up 2.5% this year. I've had zero problems getting home or auto insurance nor have my premiums skyrocketed. Same with others I know. Homes in wilderness areas, flood zones, tornado alleys and hurricane danger zones are seeing much higher premiums and difficulty obtaining insurance nationwide.

Insurance companies reassessing risks and premiums is not limited to CA.

Arizona has a population of 7.5 million, California has 39.4 million, some 120,000 less than in 2020. Trust me, we're not crying over a net loss of 120,000 people over 4 years. Truth is, a 3/10 of 1% loss in population isn't even noticeable. (In any case, CA population actually increased by 232,000 people last year.)

California’s population is no longer in decline
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Just going from what I read back in 2023 "Finance Page" Yahoo:
"Four home insurance companies say they will not renew policies for people in California starting next year. That follows similar decisions by Allstate and State Farm dating back to last November. Allstate is still offering home insurance coverage to current customers and auto insurance to new and current customers but paused condo and homeowners insurance policies to new customers in California last November.

The most recent move is by smaller insurers. Merastar Insurance Company, Unitrin Auto and Home Insurance Company, Unitrin Direct Property and Casualty Company, and Kemper Independence Insurance Company plan to non-renew policies.

The companies say the decision was part of a restructuring of their parent company, Kemper Corp., to exit the “preferred” home and auto market—an industry term referring to a tier of risk.

That’s different from the Allstate and State Farm withdrawals, which were due in part to the state’s wildfires as well as inflation."
 
Ai:
Between July 2020 and July 2023, California lost 433,000 people. This was due to a number of factors, including:
A sharp increase in residents moving to other states
Fewer births
Higher deaths
Lower international migration
Economic and personal reasons, such as the cost of living and homeownership.
 

Ok folks, here is the latest off caltopo dot com off the USGS topographic map with a MODIS/VIRS overlay. I added the blue dots atop famous Sunset Boulevard that there will be many press photos of at its west zone where those VIRS fire less than 12 hours red symbols are.

( To see an uncompressed readable normal version Right Mouse click then " Open Image in New Tab " then + )

010825a.jpg


Similar fires like this occurred recently in Santa Rosa with down slope winds from dry north to east winds flowing down canyons pushing embers into otherwise safe urban zones that don't have continuous burnable material. Instead, embers carry and spread aerially via airborne embers. The north- northeast trending to south-southwest canyon topography and above higher elevation canyon, natural chaparral vegetation as fire fuel, means the type of apocalyptic current fire has been warned as possible for decades. The obvious strategy of the prepared, is to make buildings at canyon base urban zone, ember-proof. Thus will protect any ways high speed glowing embers can possibly entire buildings at any external locations that could then burn combustibles.

This fire reminds this person of the December Beverly Hills Fire during the 1950s that I saw ashes of weeks later from an uncles car window.

After the Santa Rosa, Tubbs Fires, all such urban areas in the state should have been recognized and media should have raised flags. However getting any infrastructure to act given predictable cost aversion is all too expected and uncertainty if such might actually happen on their watch thus gamble averting cost.


Tubbs Fire - Wikipedia

Another screen capture off of calphoto dot com in the NAIP satellite base map mode I added (elevation) contours to and annotated in Photoshop CS6. So some numbers of TBD buildings of the below burned and all those natural areas above will appear brown and sooty without that dark green chaparral covering.

CalTopo - Backcountry Mapping Evolved
( To see an uncompressed readable normal version Right Mouse click then " Open Image in New Tab " then + )
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CooCooforCoCoPuffs said:
Ai:
Between July 2020 and July 2023, California lost 433,000 people. This was due to a number of factors, including:
A sharp increase in residents moving to other states
Fewer births
Higher deaths
Lower international migration
Economic and personal reasons, such as the cost of living and homeownership.
Click to expand...
And that applies to today's fires how?
 
Found information on a weak fire hydrant article that stated the fire was first reported in the 1100 block of Piedra Morada Drive which routes atop a 1200 foot elevation ridge line that is shown on this calphoto screen capture then annotated with Photoshop. This is at the top of canyons on either side of the ridge that trend south to the Pacific Ocean 2 miles distant. On either side of the residential areas are chaparral vegetation canyons. Strong Santa Ana winds come from the east to north then funnel down these canyons to the sea carrying airborne embers.

010825c.jpg
 
It's too early to know the cause of these fires, but I suspect the cause will be related to downed power lines, The high winds probably knocked trees/big branches into the electrical power lines, and the lines falling into dry vegetation and sparking would be a realistic cause for the start of this disaster.
In our area, the local power company comes through every year, and if there are any trees/branches near the power lines, they send a tree service to trim or remove the trees.
 
Don M. said:
It's too early to know the cause of these fires, but I suspect the cause will be related to downed power lines, The high winds probably knocked trees/big branches into the electrical power lines, and the lines falling into dry vegetation and sparking would be a realistic cause for the start of this disaster.
In our area, the local power company comes through every year, and if there are any trees/branches near the power lines, they send a tree service to trim or remove the trees.
Click to expand...
That is what they also do in Texas and Northern AZ, Don. My friends in So Cal tell me they cut power to when power lines when the wind gets over a certain MPH, fire or no fire; just to cut the hazard if lines do blow down.
 
CooCooforCoCoPuffs said:
Ai:
Between July 2020 and July 2023, California lost 433,000 people. This was due to a number of factors, including:
A sharp increase in residents moving to other states
Fewer births
Higher deaths
Lower international migration
Economic and personal reasons, such as the cost of living and homeownership.
Click to expand...
Yes, and they've all moved here to Texas. ;)
 
CooCooforCoCoPuffs said:
That is what they also do in Texas and Northern AZ, Don. My friends in So Cal tell me they cut power to when power lines when the wind gets over a certain MPH, fire or no fire; just to cut the hazard if lines do blow down.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure about TX cutting power due to strong winds. We had 60+ mph winds last year and never lost power. I do know that our electrical provider, Oncor, was in our neighborhood a couple of years ago trimming trees so they wouldn't fall on power lines. I really have nothing bad to say about TXU Energy or Oncor.
 
Heard an interesting take on the cause of the wildfires. It came from a resident who lost his home. In homeless encampments, they light fires to keep warm. If one on those fires gets out of hand, it can spread. No proof, of course, but what are the odds?
 
@StarSong , hoping you and your family are still safe and able to stay in your home. Very emotional just watching the news coverage, can't imagine experiencing that horrific situation in real time. Safety and love to you and yours and all those folks suffering through this.
 
CarolfromTX said:
Heard an interesting take on the cause of the wildfires. It came from a resident who lost his home. In homeless encampments, they light fires to keep warm. If one on those fires gets out of hand, it can spread. No proof, of course, but what are the odds?
Click to expand...
Over half the wildfires over the years have been found to have a man made cause like arson, hot engine over dry brush, downed power lines, careless campers etc.

Humans are to blame for 95% of California’s wildfires. Here’s why
 
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