New Wildfires in California

What really kills me is when people say we can't deport illegals
because then there would be no one to build the houses we'll need

Have you seen houses from the building boom after WWII?
Crown mouldings, hardwood floors, plaster not drywall, China cabinets, all standard.

Who do you think built those houses?

Today's "houses" are a joke compared to those homes.
 

wisenior said:
What really kills me is when people say we can't deport illegals
because then there would be no one to build the houses we'll need

Have you seen houses from the building boom after WWII?
Crown mouldings, hardwood floors, plaster not drywall, China cabinets, all standard.

Who do you think built those houses?

Today's "houses" are a joke compared to those homes.
Click to expand...
Based on our last five houses - I disagree with your opinion.
 
@wisenior & @Twostep

I've seen the new homes going up near my brother, big price & poorly constructed. He knows one of the subcontractors that finishes the kitchens who has said he wouldn't ever own one of these homes because of the way their built, but are still within the building codes. One lady I know has a son who bought one of those houses about 4 years ago & is selling it in the spring.

It's not just this development, but others. Several of our friends whose kids have bought new houses in the last 15 years have had their fair share of problems. Black mold developing in the walls because the dryer vents were covered by siding that was discovered after the family became getting sick. In this instance, the contractor told them it was their problem to fix.

A second couple went to look at their house & found badly twisted 2x4 in the walls ready to be covered by drywall. The husband tore them out & called the contractor telling him he wanted those replaced. Contractor said if they went back to house he would have them arrested for trespassing. Mind you, that house under construction was already owned by them.

I'm not saying there aren't good house being built by honest contractors, but you need to know what to look out for & check on it yourself or your at their mercy.

My husband & I was our own contractor when we built our house in 1990. We hired subcontractors who were recommended by our friend who was in construction. We worked with them & did the little things that took time to help with costs. I wouldn't hesitate to be my own contractor again if I had to.
 
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There was an earlier similar fire storm in the Santa Monica Mountains, in Bel Air on November 1961, that also burned into ashes many homes of the rich and famous. An uncle living in North Hollywood, during the Christmas week, drove us visiting relatives through its hilly roads with Christmas ornamented mansions next to ashy hulks. Due to human nature, most people tend to be lulled into complacence over decades of our own experiences and not from similar historical events of the past, easily ignored. Want to see why Nixon wearing his business suit was on that very flammable wood tile roof in Bel Air in a smoky atmosphere? Why can't we learn?...its easy to ignore and gamble what we don't want to believe could happen.

In 1961, the Bel Air-Brentwood Fire burned more than 500 structures

Multiple fires sweeping through Los Angeles are creating nightmarish scenes that, for many longtime residents, may bring back memories of the Bel Air-Brentwood Fire of 1961—arguably the most destructive in the city’s long history.

The blaze started the morning of November 6, and at at 8:15 a.m., a construction crew reported that brush was burning above Stone Canyon, just off Mulholland Drive. As former Los Angeles firefighter Frank Borden recalled in 2015, a “dark billowing cloud of smoke” soon began to appear above the canyon, making it clear before many fire crews were even dispatched to the scene that this would be “the ‘big one.’”

Just 11 minutes after the fire was reported, officials issued a request for air tankers. By 8:30, a “major emergency” was declared. The speed with which firefighters responded wasn’t enough to stem the rapid spread of flames, fanned by 25 to 50 mile-per-hour Santa Ana winds and accelerated by a humidity level of just 3 percent in parts of the city.

The fire spread throughout the morning and afternoon before the winds died down around 3 p.m., and firefighters were able to begin stemming its growth. Complicating matters, however, was the outbreak of a second fire near Topanga Canyon, now known as the Santa Ynez Fire. Though it destroyed little property, the Santa Ynez Fire eventually burned 8,560 acres and forced firefighters across the county to divide up resources rather than focusing entirely on either blaze.

The Bel Air-Brentwood Fire, meanwhile, burned through more than 6,000 acres and claimed more than 500 structures on some of the nation’s most valuable real estate. Among the casualties: the residences of stars like Zsa Zsa Gabor and Burt Lancaster. As the Los Angeles Times reported years later, other celebrities fought to save their homes. Maureen O’Hara and Fred MacMurray stubbornly refused to evacuate and managed to mitigate the damage to their properties.
 
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Now I'm hearing about looming gasoline shortages in California and Nevada. Nevada is looking at importing fuel from eastern states, but of course that won't meet Californian demand.

Food prices and the price of other goods will follow.

And the smoke and carbon dioxide being spewed dwarfs other sources of emissions.
 
Jules said:
@StarSong, I keep hoping to see you pop in briefly to keep us appraised on you and your families safety. I worry for you.
Click to expand...

The Hurst fire hopefully only threatened @StarSong According to TV news; it is now contained. If we don't hear from her, then hopefully it is only because of power shut-off that isolates her from the world. Check Outage Status if we knew her location.

The latest news from https://finance.yahoo.com/news/sout...potential-role-in-la-wildfires-184013339.html

"As of Monday morning, the death toll from the fires in Los Angeles County climbed to at least 24 people, and at least 16 were reported missing. The fires had destroyed more than 12,300 structures, NBC reported. Meanwhile, the economic loss from the California blazes has soared to a range between $250 billion and $275 billion,

"... the various wildfires overall had burned 40,000 acres.

"As Edison stock dropped, so too did PG&E (PCG), the utility that serves northern California. PG&E has faced over $30 billion in legal claims for its role in past California wildfires, prompting the utility to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2019 — dubbed by Harvard researchers "the first climate change bankruptcy."

@dilettante Place things into perspective. "The Los Angeles Basin is home to approximately 10 million people, which is about one-quarter of California's population123. The Greater Los Angeles area has a population of 18.6 million4, and Los Angeles County alone has 9.83 million residents5 [search "population of the los angeles basin"] The fires affect only a relatively small part of the area, and I doubt whether it will have the effect you anticipate.

But even if only one person dies, it's a tragedy.
 
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dilettante said:
Now I'm hearing about looming gasoline shortages in California and Nevada. Nevada is looking at importing fuel from eastern states, but of course that won't meet Californian demand.
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Never mind demand. Here's something to chew on.

California has its own unique blend of gasoline. This blend is formulated to meet the state's stricter environmental standards, particularly aimed at reducing air pollution and smog. The California-specific gasoline blend includes:

Lower Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP): This reduces the volatility of the gasoline, which helps in lowering emissions.
Reduced sulfur content: Lower sulfur levels help in reducing emissions that contribute to smog.
Additives like detergents: These are mandated to keep engines clean, thus reducing emissions over time.

This blend can lead to higher gasoline prices in California compared to other states because it's more expensive to produce and because there's a limited number of refineries capable of producing it.

Now, in ordinary times, you'd think they would drop the restriction, but, after seeing them hold up fire trucks from out of state for emission's, I'm afraid they're just to stupid to do the right thing.
 
squatting dog said:
California has its own unique blend of gasoline.
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Yeah, I knew about that.

Also the excessive amount of driving done there which makes it necessary. I spent some time in LA in the 80s when the skies were orange.

I have neighbors who moved here from California 6 years ago, and they make at least 8 trips each day by car. Every evening they take two separate cars to who knows where, return in an hour, and then both drive off again a few minutes later. No idea what they are up to or why they can't ride together, consolidate trips, etc.
 
squatting dog said:
Now, in ordinary times, you'd think they would drop the restriction, but, after seeing them hold up fire trucks from out of state for emission's, I'm afraid they're just to stupid to do the right thing.
Click to expand...

There are online rumors that some trucks from Oregon were held up but that's been proved false by the Oregon State Fire Marshall.

Oregon State Fire Marshal: Don't believe everything you read online about California wildfire response

The real story? The state fire officials said fifteen strike teams from Oregon rolled into Sacramento Wednesday for an overnight pit stop. Come Thursday morning at 6 a.m., they went through what the fire marshal's office calls a "routine once-over" with CAL Fire — the kind of basic safety check you'd want for any fire truck about to battle a wildfire hundreds of miles from home.​
​
By Thursday afternoon, every single Oregon truck had made it to Southern California. All passed their safety checks with flying colors, and crews were ready for their first 24-hour shift early Friday morning.​
​
"Firefighter safety is our number one priority," officials explained, noting that while their equipment is top-notch, it's not every day these trucks make such a long journey south.​
 
I'm going to quote something I read by Van Jones. I couldn't possibly state it better:
"I want to thank everyone for loving and caring about the people of LA. We need it!

I also want to say -- YOU ARE BEING LIED TO in a massive, monumental way about what's happening here (good and bad).​

We were hit by a FIRE HURRICANE -- something unprecedented in human history. In California, we fight big wildfires with air tankers and helicopters dumping millions of gallons of ocean water on the blaze. (We don't fight them with little fire hydrants!) But nobody can fly planes or choppers in a hurricane!!!

Not Republicans. Not Democrats. Not straight people. Not lesbians. Nobody."

There are at least six big lies that I debunk in this video. They include:
  1. DEI is to blame. (WRONG AND DUMB)
  2. LA has burned to the ground. (NOPE)
  3. Bad forest management is to blame. (LAUGHABLE)
  4. Low water reservoirs caused fire hydrants to run out of water, which is why the fires got out of control. (TOTAL BULLSHIT.)
  5. We shouldn't care because only rich people got hurt. (INACCURATE AND IMMORAL).
  6. This disaster should cause everyone to lose hope in our future. (OPPOSITE OF THE TRUTH ON THE GROUND)"
 
dilettante said:
Now I'm hearing about looming gasoline shortages in California and Nevada. Nevada is looking at importing fuel from eastern states, but of course that won't meet Californian demand.

Food prices and the price of other goods will follow.

And the smoke and carbon dioxide being spewed dwarfs other sources of emissions.
Click to expand...
Can't imagine where you hear this garbage, but am more curious about why/how you apparently get joy from regularly passing along unvetted misinformation, deliberate disinformation and BS speculation.

p.s. Smoke and CO2 from massive fires will dwarf other sources of emissions? Gee whiz, ya' think?
 
StarSong said:
I'm going to quote something I read by Van Jones. I couldn't possibly state it better:
"I want to thank everyone for loving and caring about the people of LA. We need it!

I also want to say -- YOU ARE BEING LIED TO in a massive, monumental way about what's happening here (good and bad).​

We were hit by a FIRE HURRICANE -- something unprecedented in human history. In California, we fight big wildfires with air tankers and helicopters dumping millions of gallons of ocean water on the blaze. (We don't fight them with little fire hydrants!) But nobody can fly planes or choppers in a hurricane!!!

Not Republicans. Not Democrats. Not straight people. Not lesbians. Nobody."

There are at least six big lies that I debunk in this video. They include:
  1. DEI is to blame. (WRONG AND DUMB)
  2. LA has burned to the ground. (NOPE)
  3. Bad forest management is to blame. (LAUGHABLE)
  4. Low water reservoirs caused fire hydrants to run out of water, which is why the fires got out of control. (TOTAL BULLSHIT.)
  5. We shouldn't care because only rich people got hurt. (INACCURATE AND IMMORAL).
  6. This disaster should cause everyone to lose hope in our future. (OPPOSITE OF THE TRUTH ON THE GROUND)"
Click to expand...
Very glad to see you are alive, well and still feisty! And thanks for your input from Ground Zero.
 
So glad to hear from you, @StarSong! I can’t imagine your stress. The times I’ve been in close proximity to a tornadoes, they felt like living, stalking monsters instead of wind on some primal level. I’m guessing winds with fire are many times that.
 
these are the faces of lowlife scum, looters and burglars who tried to steal from the people who had lost their homes and belongings

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Cops charged more than 40 detainees with various offenses including burglary and drug possession since the fires broke out on January 7.

Remarkably, none of those arrested were actually living in the evacuation zone and seemingly travelled with the intention of taking advantage of the devastation.
Santa Monica Police said each suspect was arrested within an evacuated area and most of them were in violation of the overnight curfew law from sunset to sunrise.

The fires have claimed at least 24 lives, with weary residents now preparing for another 24 hours of hellish weather conditions which are expected to propel the fires in new directions.

The four fires have destroyed more than 40,000 acres across the most affluent neighborhoods of LA, with A-list celebrity homes and restaurant hotspots among the 12,300 structures wiped out.

A gallery of shame shows the people accused of taking advantage of the destruction by thieving possessions from evacuated homes and by combing the rubble for hidden treasures.

Santa Monica Police said officers detained ten burglary suspects within the Palisades Fire evacuation zone and six of those arrested were carrying 'burglary tools'.


Two people have also been arrested for lighting fires, including Ruben Montes, 29, who was detained for arson on Sunday in Irwindale, roughly 16 miles away from Altadena, where the deadly Eaton Fire continues to rage.

Mexican national Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva, was also taken into custody after allegedly being caught on video walking with a yellow blowtorch before he was confronted by residents in Calabasas, west of Beverly Hills.

Extreme dry weather conditions due to a prolonged drought, dry vegetation and powerful Santa Ana winds that reached up to 80 mph in some areas this week created the 'perfect storm' for the fires.
 
Amid this ongoing crisis, law enforcement has arrested 60-year-old Gloria Lynn Mandich for felony arson. She is accused of starting the Freddy Fire, a brush fire near Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) close to the Ventura County line.

gloria-lynn-mandich.jpg
 

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