Wildfires and smoke

[Gardenarian]

My dogs woke me at 2am, barking in the backyard. I got out my flashlight and the smoke was so thick that the light could only penetrate about 10 feet.

I'm in southern Oregon and we had a lightning storm that set off hundreds of wildfires nearby. The smoke wasn't bad when I went to bed, so I was really scared to see it so thick. I already had the windows closed, but I had the house fan running. I had to turn the fan off because the filter wasn't catching the smoke and the house is reeking.

I called our local hotline and they said no fire danger, so, whew. Our air quality is currently Unhealthy, inching towards Very Unhealthy. Because there are so many different fires, it's hard to know where the smoke is coming from or how long it will last.

Although we are not in imminent danger, I do have a Go Bag ready by the front door (food, dog food, journal, tablet, chargers, essential papers) and my car is stocked with water.

I tried, but was unable to fall back asleep. Usually there are mountain views from our windows; today it's just gray. I get very antsy not being able to walk or bike or swim. My plan was to take the dogs and drive to the coast but my hip is hurting - no way I can drive the 3 hours, and there is no closer place to get out of this smoke. DH is gigging out of state, so I'm on my own.

I need to get a better furnace filter, and I'll go to the gym to work off some of my jitters. I'll probably spend some time at the library, just to get out of the house. The dogs get crazy too; I'll have to strap on the smoke mask and walk them at some point.

We had over a month of this last summer, and I'm feeling anxiety that I'll be trapped like that again.

Thank you for listening. I think lack of sleep is making me feel particularly frantic and helpless in this situation.

[Teacher Terry]

We have the same issue in Nevada. A few summers ago we couldn’t walk the dogs for a month. I to get antsy without exercise so ran around inside the house to get my steps. The poor dogs really missed their walks. We are smoky today. Been here 21 years and the fires are getting worse.

[Lainey]

Gardenarian,
that's awful, especially that it's happened last year and not knowing how long the situation could last. Is there any way you could leave town for a few days or week? Seems like it would be a healthy thing to do despite any costs.

[Teacher Terry]

They just become a way of life just like tornadoes when I lived in Kansas and snow storms in Wisconsin.

[Gardnr]

We've got the Oregon smoke over here in Idaho too. The mountain valleys look awful. It's going to be a long time till October (when the smoke usually clears).

[Gardnr]

Gardenarian,
that's awful, especially that it's happened last year and not knowing how long the situation could last. Is there any way you could leave town for a few days or week? Seems like it would be a healthy thing to do despite any costs.

Getting away from smoke out in the west means going 4-500 miles away.... We are 400 miles east of the nearest fire and we're socked in with smoke.

[Gardenarian]

Thank you! It's really great to hear from you guys. Feeling isolated :(
No passers by, hardly any cars going by - just the sound of helicopters and the fire planes.

The forecast is now for smoke to be moving up the coast, so that idea is out for now. If it looks like it's going to last, I'll get the tent out and head North. Eugene and Portland are ok, according to the air quality maps.

I've only lived here a few years, but people say there didn't use to be a regular fire season here, just the past 5 years or so.

[ApatheticNoMore]

I don't think it's lack of sleep/exercise etc. that cause the anxiety. I think it's directly due to the smoke. Having breathed think forest fire smoke before, I absolutely believe thick smoke (more than just a scent of forest fire in the air or something) does a number one one's functioning including psychological. I've never been where I had to get 400-500 miles away to avoid it though, 40 usually sufficed. And my ability to breath and sanity returned. It's possible air filters might help, me I'd probably leave the area for the time being (I've taken off from work etc. but obviously this isn't always feasible, and it's never been for an entire month!).

[Teacher Terry]

the smoke has never affected me in any of those ways. It just kicks up my asthma. Yes probably the last 5 years since it became a regular thing. When I do leave the house I wear a mask and have learned to go out and about doing my usual things as long as that means inside somewhere. When I lived in KS tornado season was between April-Sept and I did a lot of running into the basement.

[Gardenarian]

I think that's true ANM. It seems natural that a real threat to breathing would trigger the fight or flight response.

We're at 208 (very unhealthy) now, no relief in sight - and another lightning storm predicted for Sunday.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do. Even with a better air filter, the inside air is getting really bad.

[Gardenarian]

Well, the new furnace filter helped tremendously inside, but the smoke just keeps getting thicker and thicker outside. The predicted storm never came.

The temperature will be over 100 here for the next few days, and that makes everything more difficult. Wearing a mask to walk the dogs is not so bad at 95 degrees, but at 105? Nope!

Air quality is now stuck at "Very Unhealthy."

On the plus side, my house is getting really clean :)

Blessings and love to all our firefighters out there ❤️✨

[iris lilies]

This sounds awful. It being hot is bad enough be ause it is likely that 100 degree tempersture is unusual there, but the smoke make is extreme. Ugh. So sorry!

[nswef]

I cannot imagine how horrible that is.

[Teacher Terry]

Luckily our air is not as bad. I absolutely hate it when conditions get as bad as they are by you. Luckily that doesn’t happen every summer here. When the air is good enough I try to walk the dogs at 8 before it gets too hot. I am assuming nights cool down somewhat for you guys as it does here.

[Gardenarian]

We do have cool nights, though it will still be 90ish at 8. The mornings are best and I've been pushing myself to get up really early and use that time.

Today I'm really feeling the physical effects - stuffy nose, headache, burning eyes - just from watering the garden, with a mask.

I'm finding fun things to do indoors. Yesterday I spent a long time at the used book shop, and I'm finally using the hula hoop I picked up at a garage sale. I wish I had more work hours but the library cut the substitute budget way back.

I keep thinking how a few days ago I rode my bike to the swimming hole and spent the day lounging and reading and swimming, so perfect.

This too shall pass.

[Teacher Terry]

The physical affects are bad and I have asthma. I love the West but hate the fires.

[Gardenarian]

I almost passed out at the farmer's market today. That's it, I'm staying out of the heat and smoke till this passes. No biking, no walking around outdoors except in the very early morning.

[Teacher Terry]

I am so surprised that you are so hot by 9. At 9 we are only 70. I don’t deal with heat well either. If we don’t walk the dogs early they don’t get one. Any idea if they are getting the fire under control?

[Gardenarian]

Thanks for asking, I feel like I'm just whining here.
No, there are many fires and none of them are more than 8% contained, from what I read.
We have an inversion layer here, and that is not forecasted to clear up in the foreseeable future.
They have now recommended that all pregnant women and young children go elsewhere.
Where are they to go?

[Teacher Terry]

You are not whining. I lived through a month of that crap 3 years ago and it was terrible. We also get inversions which are not fun. You can buy a mask to keep the smoke out for when you go out. How horrible to try and keep kids inside in the summer.

[JaneV2.0]

I hope the dogs have masks of some kind. It sounds terrible.
I know Portland got smoked in (was it last year?) from the Eagle Creek fire.
So far, we've been lucky; it's unusually dry here, as it was last year.

[Gardenarian]

No masks for the dogs, unfortunately.

It's the about the same here, still lots of smoke, but they are getting the fires under control.

DH came home through Redding/ Shasta (California) when the worst of the fires had just started there. He got photos of the smoke plumes - it looks like bombs going off.

Cabin fever. I may go to Target today just to walk around in a larger space.

[danna]

Gardenarian so sorry you and all there are going through this! So many fires
in so many areas.
I am in Southwestern Ontario so we are usually okay but, is there any norm for these anymore
Northern On is burning and much further south then usually.
And, of course British Columbia and the midwest always have fires.
One Firefight and others have died...sad

[Teacher Terry]

Our air is now unhealthy and we have a haze. We have one close fire and the rest is from Redding and Yosemite fires.

[Gardnr]

We will be smoked in until snow kills the fires. Unfortunately this is an annual event in Idaho be it fires from here or OR. Some of our smoke gets carried by "storms" coming from CA as well but not right now they say.

[Teacher Terry]

That’s awful! The longest we have had smoke was a month.

[Gardnr]

That’s awful! The longest we have had smoke was a month.

We've got a ton of land burning within 400 miles :-( Map of the west and it's fires. http://www.idahofireinfo.com/p/maps.html

[JaneV2.0]

I read reports that smoke from the southern Oregon fires are creeping into the Willamette Valley--bad news for my friends in Corvallis. And the season is young.

[mschrisgo2]

I drove home to the delta in California from Albany OR yesterday. Sky was relatively clear only for the first almost hour. After that, the smoke was so very thick! So weird to be driving for hours with no vertical visibility, tree tops just disappeared, no seeing mountains at all. Many times it looked like I was driving off the edge of the earth, could not see ahead or anything to the side.

I was shocked to see the rest stop on I-5 at Rogue River Valley full of people picnicking, sitting around tables outside!
So smokey I could hardly breathe, rushed to the restroom and back, only out of my car 6 minutes!

[Gardenarian]

I'm in the Rogue Valley. It's usually so beautiful here. That big clump of fire on the map in South-western Oregon? That's us.

Yes, people are out with their kids, no masks. AQI does vary a lot (from 120-250) hour to hour.

I'm glad I went to Target yesterday, just wandered about and forgot everything for a bit. Then back outside and it's so hot it feels like the parking lot is 1 degree from combusting and the air is like sitting on the wrong side of a campfire. Yeesh.

It is supposed to cool off (90s) this week... Though we usually get the most lightning strikes in August.

I have the firefighters in my thoughts; most of the fires have fewer than 1 firefighter per 150 acres. Can you even imagine?

In solidarity with everyone who's stuck in the smoke ❤️🔥👨*🚒👩*🚒

[razz]

Seeing the maps makes me aware of the efforts required to gain control. My prayers are with all residents, travellers, firefighters and other support services and including all the little critters who have no understanding of what is happening in their natural world.

[dado potato]

The Carr Fire near Redding CA produced a "fire whirl" or "firenado" on July 26 between 7 PM and 8:30 PM. The pyrocumulus cloud of smoke had combusting gases (orange flames) at its vortex, and circular winds of 140 mph, the equivalent of an EF-3 tornado.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-carr-fire-redding-20180728-story.html#

[ApatheticNoMore]

The Carr Fire near Redding CA produced a "fire whirl" or "firenado" on July 26 between 7 PM and 8:30 PM. The pyrocumulus cloud of smoke had combusting gases (orange flames) at its vortex, and circular winds of 140 mph, the equivalent of an EF-3 tornado.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-carr-fire-redding-20180728-story.html#

at least it's wasn't a sharknado ...

sorry, sorry, I know not funny

[mschrisgo2]

Gardenarian, are you under a evacuation advisory? not sure if I'm reading OR fire maps correctly, such a huge area of southern Oregon is Red right now, maybe that's High fire danger? I know someone who drove the southern route (199) from Brookings on the coast to Grants Pass, still complaining of eyes and nose burning today from all of the smoke...

[JaneV2.0]

I have friends spending the day in Newport--not too far from Brookings. They didn't mention air quality.

[catherine]

I am so sorry for all you guys suffering with this. Please continue to keep us posted.

[mschrisgo2]

Jane, Newport is about 200 miles north of Brookings, 4+ hr drive. If they went from the north, they would not be impacted by the fires and smoke in the southern part of the state.

[JaneV2.0]

I think they just drive west (from Corvallis). I didn't realize Brookings was so far south.

[dado potato]

More than 100 wildfires are burning in the US. For a current map of the fires in the US, Canada and Mexico, see
https://www.ospo.noaa.gov/Products/land/hms.html

[Gardenarian]

Hi,
We are not very close to the fires, but the smoke funnels into the Rogue Valley. Then we have an inversion later that traps it here.

This has been the worst year for smoke here in history (last year was 2nd.) So far, 17 days of unhealthy air quality. It's hotter, dryer, and there are more lightning strikes than in the past. Climate chaos strikes again.

We had a change in wind direction yesterday (Yay!) and the next few days are expected to be somewhat better. I was actually able to see the stars (and a few meteors!) last night.

We have had a lot of experts on fire giving lectures and it has been a learning experience. My town does a lot of mitigation - controlled burns, brush clearing, and other prep. Our fire department is awesome.

[Gardnr]

We're livin' in smoke. Can't see the foothills just 2m away. Pray for early snow to put out the big fires!

[Gardenarian]

The hoped for clearing of the smoke only lasted hours - there is a NEW fire. And lightning (no rain) expected today.
Greeting from Mordor 👹

[Teacher Terry]

Where is the new fire? My asthma has been bad lately. Ugh!

[Gardenarian]

There's a whole posse of fires near Grants Pass. I believe the Klondike fire is putting out the most smoke right now. I was up coughing till 2am last night, and I'm wearing a mask whenever I'm outside.

Anyone know the actual collective noun for "fires?" (Murder of crows, exultation of larks, etc.)

[Teacher Terry]

It is really getting old and we are not suffering as much as you are.

[Tiam]

There's a whole posse of fires near Grants Pass. I believe the Klondike fire is putting out the most smoke right now. I was up coughing till 2am last night, and I'm wearing a mask whenever I'm outside.

Anyone know the actual collective noun for "fires?" (Murder of crows, exultation of larks, etc.)

:D Good one! I don't think there is one. I'm wearing a mask in the day. At home I stay and almost never go out. Last night was highest number on the AQI yet. Right now it's at 245. It's toxic. It's sad.

[Tiam]

My dogs woke me at 2am, barking in the backyard. I got out my flashlight and the smoke was so thick that the light could only penetrate about 10 feet.

I'm in southern Oregon and we had a lightning storm that set off hundreds of wildfires nearby. The smoke wasn't bad when I went to bed, so I was really scared to see it so thick. I already had the windows closed, but I had the house fan running. I had to turn the fan off because the filter wasn't catching the smoke and the house is reeking.

I called our local hotline and they said no fire danger, so, whew. Our air quality is currently Unhealthy, inching towards Very Unhealthy. Because there are so many different fires, it's hard to know where the smoke is coming from or how long it will last.

Although we are not in imminent danger, I do have a Go Bag ready by the front door (food, dog food, journal, tablet, chargers, essential papers) and my car is stocked with water.

I tried, but was unable to fall back asleep. Usually there are mountain views from our windows; today it's just gray. I get very antsy not being able to walk or bike or swim. My plan was to take the dogs and drive to the coast but my hip is hurting - no way I can drive the 3 hours, and there is no closer place to get out of this smoke. DH is gigging out of state, so I'm on my own.

I need to get a better furnace filter, and I'll go to the gym to work off some of my jitters. I'll probably spend some time at the library, just to get out of the house. The dogs get crazy too; I'll have to strap on the smoke mask and walk them at some point.

We had over a month of this last summer, and I'm feeling anxiety that I'll be trapped like that again.

Thank you for listening. I think lack of sleep is making me feel particularly frantic and helpless in this situation.


Same location. A month later. It's really awful. It gets to you psychologically as well physically. No hope of reprieve till late September or October. :(

[Tiam]

I have friends spending the day in Newport--not too far from Brookings. They didn't mention air quality.

Newport is doing pretty good.

[dado potato]

I like "posse"...

"rash" is used a lot.

[Tybee]

Conflagratia?

[JaneV2.0]

It says on the news that Seattle's air quality is worse than Beijing's, due to BC fires. I'm not seeing or smelling smoke. It might be hazy; I just thought it was typical cloud cover.

[dado potato]

Conflagratia?


posse conflagratias?


The Mendicino (California) Complex is now the largest wildfire in California history... two fires:

Ranch (64% contained)

River (100% contained)

Involving a total of 364,145 acres, according to Los Angeles Times

[Gardnr]

Our worst fire ever was 1.1 million acres. It was unlikely in the news because so few structures were and I don't believe there were any deaths. that was 2010.

http://www.idahofireinfo.com/p/maps.html Western US current fire map >:(