Jump to content

Southern CA Fires- Extreme Santa Ana Winds


Recommended Posts

11 minutes ago, Sgt Hulk said:

Last night I pulled a Zillow search of rentals in my area and I stopped at 12 that all raised their rents 1500-2000 in the last 3 days. There were six listings alone that were listed for rent for several months and were boosted in the last three days. I sent the nastiest emails last night. I’ll probably lose my real estate license but I don’t give a shit IThere were six listings alone that were listed for rent for several months and we’re boosted in the last three days. I sent the nastiest emails last night. I’ll probably lose my real estate license but I don’t give a shit. I went hard in the paint on these pieces of shit   The rental market is already fucked and it’s about to get super fucked 

Did you email the listings to the AG's office? Maybe it does nothing but jamming up those pricks would be a nice possibility. 

https://oag.ca.gov/contact/consumer-complaint-against-business-or-company

  • Hook 'Em 4
  • Like 1
  • Drool 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's so infuriating, there are people opening their houses to displaced neighbors for free, and yet there are people jacking their rates through the roof to take advantage of those who are down on their luck.  I can see charging my normal fee, but not a penny more, and likely less.  Be a fucking human being with a heart.

  • Hook 'Em 3
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

It's so infuriating, there are people opening their houses to displaced neighbors for free, and yet there are people jacking their rates through the roof to take advantage of those who are down on their luck.  I can see charging my normal fee, but not a penny more, and likely less.  Be a fucking human being with a heart.

Image of Thank God we're back in Hollywood, where people treat each other right.

  • Hook 'Em 2
  • Like 1
  • Haha 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

It's so infuriating, there are people opening their houses to displaced neighbors for free, and yet there are people jacking their rates through the roof to take advantage of those who are down on their luck.  I can see charging my normal fee, but not a penny more, and likely less.  Be a fucking human being with a heart.

Capitalists gonna capitalize.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Gatorubet said:

I would like to see the defense of the guy who dressed up like a fireman in order to loot some houses

”Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, who among us has not engaged in cosplay because of our admiration for the heroes defending our cities?  While my client is not a fireman, wearing the fireman outfit created a strong desire to see if fire was still smoldering in that home - and if so, could he put it out?    The large sack he was also caring was only his effort to bring a dignified burial to any deceased pet he ran across.  

And for this, he has been arrested and is now on trial. I thought this was America?”

Edited: don’t want to derail what has finally gotten on track due me being snarky.

Edited by Hate
Link to comment
Share on other sites

29 minutes ago, SquishMitten said:

How effective are the scooper planes? Doesn't seem like there are many available. Are they crazy expensive or something? Maybe it gets too tricky from a flight control/safety standpoint, but what if there were 10 more being used right now? 20 more? Would that make a meaningful difference?

While amazing, these planes don't seem to scoop up that much water. This WaPo story says they get 1600 gallons per run. That doesn't seem like much.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2025/01/12/la-fires-super-scoopers/

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, C-Man said:

While amazing, these planes don't seem to scoop up that much water. This WaPo story says they get 1600 gallons per run. That doesn't seem like much.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2025/01/12/la-fires-super-scoopers/

Yep, a lotta choppers can carry that much or more.  Would seem to me that having a bunch of military Chinooks or Sea Knights (yeah, the marines down in SD still fly 'em) rigged to handle buckets would be a good plan.  I'm sure that's already part of the plan, but those birds are the ones with real lifting capacity, and choppers give you more precise drops.

  • Hook 'Em 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, C-Man said:

While amazing, these planes don't seem to scoop up that much water. This WaPo story says they get 1600 gallons per run. That doesn't seem like much.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2025/01/12/la-fires-super-scoopers/

I think the value is also in the ability to reach difficult terrain.  It looks like a large fire hose can source ~ 250 gallons per minute, so a 1600 gallon dump is 6-7 minutes of equivalent water out of a big line.  BUT, if you can't get the hose to the fire, then things change.

  • Hook 'Em 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Sgt Hulk said:

Last night I pulled a Zillow search of rentals in my area and I stopped at 12 that all raised their rents 1500-2000 in the last 3 days. There were six listings alone that were listed for rent for several months and were boosted in the last three days. I sent the nastiest emails last night. I’ll probably lose my real estate license but I don’t give a shit IThere were six listings alone that were listed for rent for several months and we’re boosted in the last three days. I sent the nastiest emails last night. I’ll probably lose my real estate license but I don’t give a shit. I went hard in the paint on these pieces of shit   The rental market is already fucked and it’s about to get super fucked 

Can't remember which Surly poster said it right away, but the best advice I passed to friends who lost their homes was theirs.

"If you lost your home, find a rental NOW." 

Two were lucky enough to do so before the craziness started. 

Gracias

  • Hook 'Em 2
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Yep, a lotta choppers can carry that much or more.  Would seem to me that having a bunch of military Chinooks or Sea Knights (yeah, the marines down in SD still fly 'em) rigged to handle buckets would be a good plan.  I'm sure that's already part of the plan, but those birds are the ones with real lifting capacity, and choppers give you more precise drops.

From the article that no one read:

Similar to Super Scoopers, fire-attacking helicopters can collect water using buckets and drop the load directly above a fire, albeit at lower volumes and with less efficiency than the Super Scooper. The helicopters can collect only freshwater — saltwater corrodes their pipes — preventing them from replenishing from the Pacific Ocean, which the Super Scoopers can do.

Also:

The speed with which the Super Scooper can replenish its water tanks — repeating the process until it runs out of fuel — makes it a “phenomenal” tool for fighting fires, the Los Angeles County Fire Department has said.

  • Hook 'Em 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Yep, a lotta choppers can carry that much or more.  Would seem to me that having a bunch of military Chinooks or Sea Knights (yeah, the marines down in SD still fly 'em) rigged to handle buckets would be a good plan.  I'm sure that's already part of the plan, but those birds are the ones with real lifting capacity, and choppers give you more precise drops.

The Pentagon said Friday that two military C-130 Hercules aircraft equipped with a firefighting system are now flying over Los Angeles and helping with efforts to put out the massive fires that have devastated the area.

The update comes two days after Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters that 10 Navy helicopters equipped with water delivery buckets would be deployed to the fire while several firefighting C-130s were being readied and standing by.  Speaking to reporters Friday, Singh stressed that the size and scope of the Pentagon's response to what has already become California's costliest wildfire was entirely up to the state and other federal agencies and not the Defense Department.

Read Next: Trading Dip for Zyn? Nearly One-Quarter of Soldiers at Fort Liberty Are Using Nicotine Pouches

Los Angeles has been beset by some of the worst fires in the city's history for several days, and the situation has only been made worse by intense seasonal winds. The inferno has killed at least 10 people -- a number that's expected to rise -- and destroyed thousands of structures and triggered evacuation orders for 180,000 people, according to The Associated Press.

Both Singh and Navy officials said that the helicopters are now functionally ready to go -- though Singh noted they did have to be certified by California's Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or CALFIRE, first.

Several Navy helicopters were spotted by a photographer practicing using firefighting buckets in San Diego harbor on Thursday.

"They're preparing and ready to go for when California is ready to receive them," Singh said.

Military.com reached out to the Navy for details about what squadrons and helicopters are being tapped for the effort but did not hear back in time for publication.

Meanwhile, Pentagon officials have said that, since the fires have come outside the traditional firefighting season, some of the C-130s had to be refitted with Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System units -- technology that turns the cargo planes into firefighting aircraft without major modifications -- which also took time.

Singh said six more C-130 airplanes are expected to be ready by Sunday.

She also announced that 500 active-duty personnel currently stationed at Camp Pendleton, California, are preparing to support firefighting efforts.

A Marine Corps official told Military.com on Friday that, while the Marines were ready to respond "just as we would from a MEU for any crisis across the globe," they had not received a formal request from the Federal Emergency Management Agency or the Department of Homeland Security.

While laws vary from state to state, outside of extraordinary circumstances, the military cannot simply deploy troops or assets to aid in disaster relief without authority from a governor.

Furthermore, active-duty troops require additional logistical considerations like lodging and transportation that become major issues during an ongoing natural disaster.

In the case of these fires, Singh stressed that the Defense Department was "in a supporting role and FEMA is coordinating the federal assistance and response."

Meanwhile, more than 600 California National Guardsmen have been activated, "including 14 hand crews for fuel mitigation, 200 military police for security operations, and 10 helicopters for firefighting and search-and-rescue operations," Singh said.

"We're going to work with California with whatever they need when it comes to addressing these fires happening on the ground," she said.

-- Drew F. Lawrence contributed to this report.

Related: Pentagon, California National Guard Deploying Aircraft and Personnel to Fight Raging LA Wildfires

  • Hook 'Em 1
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/8/2025 at 9:03 AM, Vintner said:

@Sbbruin @Foosters Thoughts are with you more than you know right now. Wanted to pass along some insights from our experience through a multi-day Santa Ana driven fire down here in San Diego a few years ago. 
 

a. Weird things happen in neighborhoods. Fire jumps around leaving some houses fine. Don’t give up hope. 
 

b. Not that you need more things to worry about right now but if you are concerned about losing your house it’s been my experience that rentals are going to double and triple in the next few hours/days. I don’t know the areas you are in but it might be wise to spend a few minutes on trulia/zillow looking at rentals in suitable locations and find some possible spots you’d be able/willing to stay for a while. Repairs/rebuilding was a multi-year experience for many people down here. We had hundreds of homes lost which resulted in a lot more time than you would think to get insurance issues sorted plus contractors will be in short supply. Not trying to be a downer but just trying to share what we observed. 

Nailed it.

 

Thank you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, SquishMitten said:

How effective are the scooper planes? Doesn't seem like there are many available. Are they crazy expensive or something? Maybe it gets too tricky from a flight control/safety standpoint, but what if there were 10 more being used right now? 20 more? Would that make a meaningful difference?

 

  • Hook 'Em 5
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The analytical brain in me wonders how much trial and error went into finding the right size probe that would pull a sufficient amount of water quickly without jerking the nose down too hard towards the water.  That's some serious science at work right there.

Edited by SurlyGator
  • Hook 'Em 5
  • Like 2
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

does anyone know of specific local animal rescue orgs helping here?? i'd like to help them out as well,  something other than ASPCA who i assume has more resources (and overhead) than smaller hands-on places.

Pasadena Humane Society is doing heroic work right now.

Foosters beat me to it.
  • Hook 'Em 2
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The big Skykorsky chopper holds 3,000 gallons of water.

Following this fire I learned about 69 Bravo, a LAFD helispot. This is at the top of Topanga canyon off of Saddlepeak. It has four  water tanks that are supplied by a well that the choppers fill up at while airborn, either by dipping their buckets or sucking with hoses. Has bluetooth actuated sprinklers to keep the dust down while the choppers hover. Also two separate fueling pads. They also have 24 hour cameras, so you can watch the birds come and go, watch the fire, or on more simple days, just enjoy the beautiful views from the top of the Santa Monica mountains.

69bravo.com

 

  • Hook 'Em 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Sgt Hulk said:

Last night I pulled a Zillow search of rentals in my area and I stopped at 12 that all raised their rents 1500-2000 in the last 3 days. There were six listings alone that were listed for rent for several months and were boosted in the last three days. I sent the nastiest emails last night. I’ll probably lose my real estate license but I don’t give a shit IThere were six listings alone that were listed for rent for several months and we’re boosted in the last three days. I sent the nastiest emails last night. I’ll probably lose my real estate license but I don’t give a shit. I went hard in the paint on these pieces of shit   The rental market is already fucked and it’s about to get super fucked 

I would actually like to read the full version of said emails.  Leave the names in to expose the guilty.

  • Hook 'Em 2
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

another option is the la belle foundation - 

https://www.labellefoundation.org/

https://www.instagram.com/thelabellefoundation/

they are great, but i'm biased on this.

image.thumb.jpeg.2ea05ea694946897b5704c535b884f62.jpeg

 

we fostered chuggy ^ and his siblings last july and kept chuggy (#fosterfail). one of our best friends adopted his brother so they get to hang out all the time. we were dogsitting the brother (snarls) last week when we evacuated, but timed it perfectly to get to his place in marina del rey right when he got back in town.

they've got a huge following and have already gotten a bunch of help. several celebrities have fostered/adopted from there so they have a big presence on ig. glen powell's dog brisket is from la belle. the problem is that other shelters who get dozens of dogs (and other animals) rely on them pretty heavily and they're a small operation.

we get occasional texts like "are you interested in a new lab puppy for 2-3 weeks?" last week we got an email that said something like "we have 225+ new dogs and cats, send help." we dropped a bunch of beds, toys, pee pads, and other assorted stuff we either purchased or had leftover from the chaos of fostering 3 puppies at once.

long story short, they're local, they do a good job, and they take in animals from about 12-15 different shelters (and that was before the fires). our pups were dumped at some shithole shelter in kern county at 3 days old and somehow made their way to la belle (west la). i can't imagine the shit going on over there, but on their instagram they were like "we have bunnies now!" so who knows.

bottom line, you can go on amazon and order them pet supplies and it will get used asap. sometimes that can be better than sending $, especially if you're worried about a % disappearing, which unfortunately is a real issue.

 

  • Hook 'Em 6
  • Like 1
  • Drool 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, otisdog said:

The big Skykorsky chopper holds 3,000 gallons of water.

Following this fire I learned about 69 Bravo, a LAFD helispot. This is at the top of Topanga canyon off of Saddlepeak. It has four  water tanks that are supplied by a well that the choppers fill up at while airborn, either by dipping their buckets or sucking with hoses. Has bluetooth actuated sprinklers to keep the dust down while the choppers hover. Also two separate fueling pads. They also have 24 hour cameras, so you can watch the birds come and go, watch the fire, or on more simple days, just enjoy the beautiful views from the top of the Santa Monica mountains.

69bravo.com

 

I would have expected a different type of content on a site called "69 bravo"

 

 

Meanwhile, from Michael Connelly, the author of Bosch and Lincoln lawyer

Spoiler

It’s hard to express what I am feeling but I feel I should express something. It’s just hard to come up with the words. Los Angeles has always had its ups and downs, from devastating earthquakes, fires, floods, mudslides, even riots. It is part of the bargain in living here. You trade immense beauty and opportunity for the possibility of calamity. But when the calamity comes, this place has always been resilient. It has always bounced back. I think that is one of the things I love about the place and why I write about it. This latest catastrophe raises the bar for sure. There is no one in this place who has not been hit by the devastation – either directly through life or property loss, or indirectly through the psychological hit of seeing the place you love burning and seemingly in chaos. You don’t have to be directly touched by the flames to not feel burned in some way. But I know we will bounce back.
 
I know so many people who have lost everything, who don’t know where to go, or what to do. Or what comes next. As I write this there are red flag warnings all over the place in regard to the winds picking up again. We may not be finished with this. But we will bounce back.
 
You can’t say anything about this disaster without mentioning the fearless work of the first responders and their efforts to combat mother nature. I watch the water-bearing helicopters fly over my house every day. Whether in the air or on the ground, they are heroes through and through. They inspire us. Already the outreach from the community to those who have lost from those who have not is growing exponentially. We are already bouncing back.
 
I write very contemporary novels. They are usually set in the year they are published. Last month I began work on a novel to be published in the fall. I set it in this month, with the start of the new year coinciding with a new challenge faced by the Lincoln lawyer, Mickey Haller. Now I must start over and rebuild the story to include what has happened here in the last week. I don’t want to be exploitive or merely put it in as background. I have to find a way to make it mean something in the story and maybe to the people who read it in the fall.
 
Meantime, the greater question I grapple with is what this means. Is this the new new? Will we need to face the possibility of nature turning against us again and again in these extreme ways? Are we now to pay the price for building a city in a desert so long ago? I have no answers. But I think that whatever happens, we’ll be ready and committed. I still love L.A. We always bounce back.
- Michael Connelly, January 13, 2025

 

  • Hook 'Em 1
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Foosters said:

SIAP. Detailed satellite view of Altadena and Pasadena post-fire. Gives you a sense of the scale.

https://wilg.github.io/la-fire-maps/images/1050010040277300.html

Interesting that it appears there is a straight line running east-west and kind of north-south where one row of properties may have not burned (north of the major road) 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/10/2025 at 1:46 PM, C-Man said:

As mentioned further up the thread, several of the HNW insurance carriers have their own "wildfire defense" fire fighting teams that can be deployed around the country when properties insured by these carriers are in direct peril of an approaching wildfire. These teams do all the mitigation (clear/cut brush/vegetation, pre-treat with water, etc) they can to save a property before it catches on fire. Their last gasp effort is to coat the home in a fire-retardant/proof substance that is supposed to protect a home from the fire. The substance washes off with water after the fire is no longer present.

I do not know if they do anything once a home has caught on fire. I guess they'll try and put it out if the house is still worth saving. But they're more likely to move on to the next house insured by the carrier if they can't save the one they're working on then.

I haven't looked into the details in awhile but when these programs started 10+ years ago and only AIG and Chubb had the capability -- one had teams that were employees of the carrier (think that was AIG) and the other used private contractors who were vetted for quality, etc. Guess those were "private."

Can you just buy the spray on fire retardant?  I might want to have some of that on hand, just in case.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, henrygandorf said:

another option is the la belle foundation - 

https://www.labellefoundation.org/

https://www.instagram.com/thelabellefoundation/

they are great, but i'm biased on this.

image.thumb.jpeg.2ea05ea694946897b5704c535b884f62.jpeg

 

we fostered chuggy ^ and his siblings last july and kept chuggy (#fosterfail). one of our best friends adopted his brother so they get to hang out all the time. we were dogsitting the brother (snarls) last week when we evacuated, but timed it perfectly to get to his place in marina del rey right when he got back in town.

they've got a huge following and have already gotten a bunch of help. several celebrities have fostered/adopted from there so they have a big presence on ig. glen powell's dog brisket is from la belle. the problem is that other shelters who get dozens of dogs (and other animals) rely on them pretty heavily and they're a small operation.

we get occasional texts like "are you interested in a new lab puppy for 2-3 weeks?" last week we got an email that said something like "we have 225+ new dogs and cats, send help." we dropped a bunch of beds, toys, pee pads, and other assorted stuff we either purchased or had leftover from the chaos of fostering 3 puppies at once.

long story short, they're local, they do a good job, and they take in animals from about 12-15 different shelters (and that was before the fires). our pups were dumped at some shithole shelter in kern county at 3 days old and somehow made their way to la belle (west la). i can't imagine the shit going on over there, but on their instagram they were like "we have bunnies now!" so who knows.

bottom line, you can go on amazon and order them pet supplies and it will get used asap. sometimes that can be better than sending $, especially if you're worried about a % disappearing, which unfortunately is a real issue.

 

Chuggy looks a little like the greatest movie dog of all time -- Anwar Sadat from I LOVE YOU MAN

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 minutes ago, C-Man said:

Chuggy looks a little like the greatest movie dog of all time -- Anwar Sadat from I LOVE YOU MAN

lol, he is a chug (chihuahua+pug). i think sadat is a full pug. chuggy looks similar in the face but has regular (shorter) legs so i think he's more handsome.

he also has the forehead wrinkles which make him look like he's always concerned about...something. his siblings don't have that. vet says he should stay around the 5-6 lb range which would be amazing. my wife thinks his eyebrows and resting concerned face make him look like shemar moore, but that might be a different thing happening.

chuggy is a whole vibe.  

  • Haha 1
  • Drool 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, henrygandorf said:

lol, he is a chug (chihuahua+pug). i think sadat is a full pug. chuggy looks similar in the face but has regular (shorter) legs so i think he's more handsome.

he also has the forehead wrinkles which make him look like he's always concerned about...something. his siblings don't have that. vet says he should stay around the 5-6 lb range which would be amazing. my wife thinks his eyebrows and resting concerned face make him look like shemar moore, but that might be a different thing happening.

chuggy is a whole vibe.  

Anwar Sadat was a puggle (pug+beagle). I want one when the JRT kicks the can, which might be never, but I don't think the old lady will sign off on that. Instead, I'm sure we'll end up with a second lab which is OK by me.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you have a few minutes. This dude did an awesome Job filming the slowly motion freight train that consumed his neighborhood and just how quickly a house burns to the ground and how easily it jumped house to house. 
prob the best video I’ve seen and the firefighters trying their best and them running out of water 

 

 

Edited by Sgt Hulk
  • Hook 'Em 4
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 minutes ago, Sgt Hulk said:

If you have a few minutes. This dude did an awesome Job filming the slowly motion freight train that consumed his neighborhood and just how quickly a house burns to the ground and how easily it jumped house to house. 
prob the best video I’ve seen and the firefighters trying their best and them running out of water 

 

 

Wow. That’s brutal. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 minutes ago, Sgt Hulk said:

If you have a few minutes. This dude did an awesome Job filming the slowly motion freight train that consumed his neighborhood and just how quickly a house burns to the ground and how easily it jumped house to house. 
prob the best video I’ve seen and the firefighters trying their best and them running out of water 

 

 

Very poignant.  

Kinda surprised they let him stick around as long as they did.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, Parliament said:

Let’s presume a person prepped as best they could.  Steel roof, steel siding, not a lotta bushes.

How much water would you need to stock in a bladder or cages tanks to save your house?  2000 gal do it?

No. 

Think of a typical golf course sprinkler head. They pump about 60 gpm. Let's say you had 6 to cover your entire property for fire suppression.  Let's pretend the power stayed on to power your pump, you're getting about 6 minutes out of that bladder. 

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...