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Bastrop County Wildfire

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hookemATL

hookemATL 11834

Posted
Posted
8 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

 

 


It really is jaw-dropping. A controlled burn….on a high fire danger day. What the actual fuck?

 

 

It’s in basically the exact same area as the bad fire in 2011. Lots of folks going through some serious flashback trauma tonight. All for fucking nothing. Somebody needs to pay the goddamn piper for this shit. My money is on an aggy making the call. There aren’t exactly known for their prowess with fires if you catch my drift. 

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hookemATL

hookemATL 11834

Posted
Posted
8 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

 

 


It really is jaw-dropping. A controlled burn….on a high fire danger day. What the actual fuck?

 

 

It’s in basically the exact same area as the bad fire in 2011. Lots of folks going through some serious flashback trauma tonight. All for fucking nothing. Somebody needs to pay the goddamn piper for this shit. My money is on an aggy making the call. There aren’t exactly known for their prowess with fires if you catch my drift. 

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bolverk

bolverk 29708

Posted
Posted
40 minutes ago, hookemATL said:

It’s in basically the exact same area as the bad fire in 2011. Lots of folks going through some serious flashback trauma tonight. All for fucking nothing. Somebody needs to pay the goddamn piper for this shit. My money is on an aggy making the call. There aren’t exactly known for their prowess with fires if you catch my drift. 

Not going to point any fingers, but there are a couple of names on here that may have been the decision makers.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/landwater/land/wildland_fire_management/resources/docs/TPWD_Fire_Management_Directory_Map.pdf

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Wally Pryor

Wally Pryor 5262

Posted
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11A Statesman

 

The Rolling Pines Fire that ignited Tuesday afternoon was 30% contained and has burned through 783 acres in an area east of Bastrop in central Bastrop County.

No homes have been damaged so far and there have been no injuries, Kari Hines, spokesperson for the Texas Forest Service told reporters Wednesday morning. 

Bastrop County and local fire management officials told reporters Wednesday morning that though they are not certain about the cause of the wildfire yet, Carter Smith the executive director of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said they "absolutely believe" that it sparked from lingering embers from a 150-acre prescribed fire on Tuesday. 

Prescribed fires are a critical tool in preventing wildfires, Smith said. 

Hundreds of firefighters from dozens of agencies across the state including the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department have been working overnight to contain and extinguish the blaze. 

"We know that our operation crews last night were able to make very good progress constructing containment lines with our heavy equipment, the bulldozers" she said. "We also had multiple fire engines throughout the residential areas patrolling and mopping up, which is an operation where they seek out heat near our containment lines and extinguish it."

It is estimated that more than 250 families have been asked to evacuate, of which 11 people found refuge at the Elgin Recreation Center overnight. One family stayed at a local hotel. 

"So that means the majority of people do what we know that they do, they found shelter with family and friends," Hines said. 

Wednesday's weather, Hines said, will cooperate with firefighters. Temperatures are expected to be slightly above normal in the afternoon, she said, but colder winds will blow through the area at around 5 p.m. ahead of a strong cold front. 

Crews are working to prepare for the colder weather. 

There currently are two helicopters dropping water on the fire, three air crafts dropping retardant and two overhead air crafts supervising the area. 

Bastrop County Judge Pape said he is "personally frustrated that we're having to go through this." 

The Texas parks department initiated the prescribed burn at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, and Pape said that sometimes, there are risks involved with taking safety precautions. 

"This is part of what taking care of our citizens involves, sometimes things happen that we can't predict and that we didn't want — fires, floods, freezes, pandemics," Pape said. 

"We will find out what happened here, and we'll get to the bottom of this and we'll be better for it."

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High Plains Drifter

High Plains Drifter 11050

Posted
Posted

 

Here's the thing:

These fires should happen every 10 years or so. The longer between fires, the bigger they are. A combination of drought and decades of fire suppression have set us up for the big ones. If these fires did happen every so often, then they wouldn't be bad enough to kill adult trees, the burned areas would not burn as hot, the nutrients in the soil wouldn't be baked, soil microbes wouldn't be killed, animals can escape and repopulate, and everything recovers much more quickly. Rinse and repeat every so often.

<I'm not defending a controlled burn on a high fire day> Controlled burns are desperately needed. When you are desperate, you take chances you normally wouldn't. This fire  has made an even worse fire down the line less likely, with apparently no loss of structures or life. There should be fires somewhere pretty much all the time. You live on the gulf coast, you should expect a hurricane every so often. You live in a forest or rural area, you should expect a fire every so often. If your land isn't properly prepared for a wildfire, that is on you. Clear out the brush, cut trees back from your house, trim the lower branches (which allow fire to climb into the canopy, which is very bad), mow or graze (but don't overgraze) the open areas, etc. Because there will be fire at some point. Those fires can be more frequent but less severe, or they can be rare and catastrophic. Choose wisely. For two hundred years, we have been choosing poorly. <I'm not defending a controlled burn on a high fire day>

 

tldr: We fucked up our forests and grassland areas. These fires are the new norm. Get used to it.

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deadshank

deadshank 24653

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, High Plains Drifter said:

 

Here's the thing:

These fires should happen every 10 years or so. The longer between fires, the bigger they are. A combination of drought and decades of fire suppression have set us up for the big ones. If these fires did happen every so often, then they wouldn't be bad enough to kill adult trees, the burned areas would not burn as hot, the nutrients in the soil wouldn't be baked, soil microbes wouldn't be killed, animals can escape and repopulate, and everything recovers much more quickly. Rinse and repeat every so often.

<I'm not defending a controlled burn on a high fire day> Controlled burns are desperately needed. When you are desperate, you take chances you normally wouldn't. This fire  has made an even worse fire down the line less likely, with apparently no loss of structures or life. There should be fires somewhere pretty much all the time. You live on the gulf coast, you should expect a hurricane every so often. You live in a forest or rural area, you should expect a fire every so often. If your land isn't properly prepared for a wildfire, that is on you. Clear out the brush, cut trees back from your house, trim the lower branches (which allow fire to climb into the canopy, which is very bad), mow or graze (but don't overgraze) the open areas, etc. Because there will be fire at some point. Those fires can be more frequent but less severe, or they can be rare and catastrophic. Choose wisely. For two hundred years, we have been choosing poorly. <I'm not defending a controlled burn on a high fire day>

 

tldr: We fucked up our forests and grassland areas. These fires are the new norm. Get used to it.

This right here.  Keep putting them out and the deadfall / underbrush trash will continue to pile up and when the fire starts it goes to out of control in short order.

I understand that people live in the area and their property is valuable.  It is a risk just like living on the gulf coast is a risk.  

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deadshank

deadshank 24653

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Posted
25 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

I don't think anyone here is faulting the idea or need for controlled burns.

Doing them at times of "high fire danger" is the problem.

The lack of "controlled" burns now that every fire must be extinguished at any cost is a problem.  

California is a prime example.  

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Brisketexan

Brisketexan 105269

Posted
Posted
10 minutes ago, deadshank said:

The lack of "controlled" burns now that every fire must be extinguished at any cost is a problem.  

California is a prime example.  

It seems we're talking past each other.  I am all in favor of controlled burns.  Lots of them.  Our fire management approach for decades was dumb.

But I also think they should be done safely.  Like, not on a "high fire danger" day.  That's all.

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deadshank

deadshank 24653

Posted
Posted
Just now, Brisketexan said:

It seems we're talking past each other.  I am all in favor of controlled burns.  Lots of them.  Our fire management approach for decades was dumb.

But I also think they should be done safely.  Like, not on a "high fire danger" day.  That's all.

Of course, they need to be done in a safe manner.  No disagreement there.

Other wildfires need to burn themselves out.  The problem with letting them burn themselves out is billions of dollars of structures in the path of wildfires.

(but really I just want to fight you because it's Wednesday)

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Brisketexan

Brisketexan 105269

Posted
Posted
7 minutes ago, deadshank said:

Of course, they need to be done in a safe manner.  No disagreement there.

Other wildfires need to burn themselves out.  The problem with letting them burn themselves out is billions of dollars of structures in the path of wildfires.

(but really I just want to fight you because it's Wednesday)

[Gets out calendar]....okay.  Tuesday is "bird eating day."  Wednesday is "fight deadshank day."  Gotta tell you, my dance card is getting pretty full.

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atomheartbevo

atomheartbevo 89777

Posted
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Posted
2 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

I don't think anyone here is faulting the idea or need for controlled burns.

Doing them at times of "high fire danger" is the problem.

1234.

https://www.kxan.com/news/local/bastrop-county/it-shouldnt-have-happened-neighbors-want-leaders-held-accountable-for-bastrop-wildfire/

Quote

In a press conference held earlier in the day, county and state leaders said the blaze began as a controlled burn for 150 acres around 10:30 a.m. Bastrop County Judge Paul Pape said fire specialists noticed “spotting outside of the prescribed fire boundaries,” later that day. 

“They think that that spotting was likely caused from embers from the fire. We don’t know the particular cause or genesis of that,” Pape said.

Episode 5 Reaction GIF by The Office

Quote

Pape said there was no county burn ban on Tuesday but Texas A&M Forest Service said there was a wildfire risk alert. 

“Our team does not commence a fire unless they believe it’s safe to do so,” said Carter Smith, executive director of Texas Parks & Wildlife Department.

Quote

Texas Parks and Wildlife said once the fire is contained, they will conduct a thorough investigation of how the prescribed burn spread.

Episode 5 Reaction GIF by The Office

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Deej

Deej 76897

Posted
Posted
20 hours ago, burntorangebongos said:

wait. They warn about increased wild fire condition being bad today but they go ahead with a prescribed burn? They could have postponed that for a better day. Now it is up to 600 acres. Way to go, morons.

"Whoop!"

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Biff Tannen

Biff Tannen 45711

Posted
Posted (edited)
19 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

[Gets out calendar]....okay.  Tuesday is "bird eating day."  Wednesday is "fight deadshank day."  Gotta tell you, my dance card is getting pretty full.

Wednesday night is the night that we make love. It’s business time. 
 

You know when I'm down to my socks, it’s time for business, that's why they call em business socks. 

Edited by Biff Tannen
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Bevo

Bevo 13596

Posted
Posted
40 minutes ago, Biff Tannen said:

Wednesday night is the night that we make love. It’s business time. 
 

You know when I'm down to my socks, it’s time for business, that's they call em business socks. 

Umm, brisket is married and Wed. is his fight deadshank day, anyway. Between his wife, deadshank, and his pet coyote, I don't think he has time for you - not that I'm his legal assistant or anything.

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atomheartbevo

atomheartbevo 89777

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Size: 783 acres
Containment: 58%
Date Started: January 18, 2022 
Cause: Under Investigation 
 
Crews will be working this evening to continue to prepare for the predicted wind shift occurring tonight. Fire personnel are widening and improving containment lines as well as removing vegetation along the southern wildfire perimeter. In addition, incoming crews will remain overnight to patrol and monitor fire conditions. 
In addition, evacuations have been lifted for all areas and Highway 21 is reopened to the through traffic. Residents and citizens are urged to use caution as emergency vehicles will remain in the area. 

Latest as of 15 minutes ago.  Not so bad, as long as you’re not south of it.  

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Horn Under a Bad Sign

Horn Under a Bad Sign 20471

Posted
Posted
On 1/18/2022 at 3:58 PM, High Plains Drifter said:

 

every tree and brush pile that burns today is one less tree and brush pile that will burn in the next fire. Or the next. Or the next.

Those pines will be completely gone in less than a generation.

 

 


I read that they've planted 6.5 million of them since 2011.

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texasdago

texasdago 7577

Posted
Posted (edited)
11 hours ago, Horn Under a Bad Sign said:


I read that they've planted 6.5 million of them since 2011.

Going to take a while before that glorious pine-laden drive on 71 will be back... long after many of us probably.  Not only were they beautiful, they hid all the mobile homes, backyard mechanics and aspiring insurrectionists.

Edited by texasdago
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Ten Bears

Ten Bears 2483

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, texasdago said:

Going to take a while before that glorious pine-laden drive on 71 will be back... long after many of us probably.  Not only were they beautiful, they hid all the mobile homes, backyard mechanics, meth labs and aspiring insurrectionists.

fify

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WBT

WBT 20653

Posted
Posted (edited)
Quote

Each burn unit was rated with a complexity analysis individually. When the decision was made to ignite two burn units at once, a collective assessment of the complexity and resource needs for the larger footprint was not conducted.

Changing things on-the-fly last minute without doing the necessary prep is how fuckups happen.  I also like how their plan said they needed a bulldozer but they decided not to wait the extra 30 minutes for the bulldozer to get there before setting their fires.  Fitting that aggy decided to slap their name on this agency.

Edited by WBT
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