2019 Wildfire Season

[AK47bp]

^ say wha?


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[el hefe]

Not a whisp of smoke here in southern BC. Tons of rain this summer but I'll take it. We have been getting about 2-3 hot days a week with rain in between.

[bodywhomper]

yo bodywompher, let’s hear about patchskiing Maui.
going there in October and trying to get my quiver set.
20yrs ago i actually slid the slopes on the Mauna Kea

Ha! No pics if ya go up Haleakalā, you can at least hope for some snow (or hail) to slide on the road.

most (or all) of my “dirt skiing” was down steep sand using the force of gravity and undertow.

[Meadow Skipper]

‘Sticker shock’ for California wildfire areas: Insurance rates doubled, policies dropped

[KQ]

Fire started near Handford yesterday - The Cold Creek Fire. At the top of the news hour they reported on the blaze and it was at 1000 acres by the end of the newscast, 30 mins later, it was 8000 acres. It's now at 14,000 and uncontained.

Glad I got my wheat harvested yesterday without incident. Nice to have it done and the potential fuel knocked down (and not to have it lost to a fire).

Interactive Wildfire Map

[Meadow Skipper]

FKNA! Crazy fire whirl on the Colorado River in Arizona.

[TBS]

Incredible. Awesome energy at work

[bodywhomper]

‘Sticker shock’ for California wildfire areas: Insurance rates doubled, policies dropped

It sucks pretty bad. Something is going to have to give soon. I have not yet heard much about this occurring in most of the Bay Area zones that has high wildfire hazard, which is odd.

[neufox47]

‘Sticker shock’ for California wildfire areas: Insurance rates doubled, policies dropped

There is basically no state more expensive to adjust claims in than California. #1 rebuild costs in Paradise have been coming in at 350-500 per sq ft. That 2,000 sq ft ranch that would have sold for $250,000 on 10/1/18 cost $800,000 to rebuild. Oh yeah the county charged $100,000 -$175,000 just to clear the lot of debris, and they issue a single line invoice. And the insurance commissioner recommended that insurers pay at least 75% of the contents values that were insured, which in CA are often 50% of the building limit. So they paid $200,000 - $300,000 for contents, another $50,000 for out buildings and $200,000 in additional living expenses. That house and lot that would have cost $250k just cost the insurer $1,500,000. Plus $30,000 + to adjust it.

Why would my homeowners insurance cost so much?....

[bodywhomper]

There is basically no state more expensive to adjust claims in than California. #1 rebuild costs in Paradise have been coming in at 350-500 per sq ft. That 2,000 sq ft ranch that would have sold for $250,000 on 10/1/18 cost $800,000 to rebuild. Oh yeah the county charged $100,000 -$175,000 just to clear the lot of debris, and they issue a single line invoice. And the insurance commissioner recommended that insurers pay at least 75% of the contents values that were insured, which in CA are often 50% of the building limit. So they paid $200,000 - $300,000 for contents, another $50,000 for out buildings and $200,000 in additional living expenses. That house and lot that would have cost $250k just cost the insurer $1,500,000. Plus $30,000 + to adjust it.

Why would my homeowners insurance cost so much?....

What's your info source(s) for this?

I ask because some of the details do not match my understanding. The "personal property debris removal program" for the Camp Fire was about 35% complete before I dropped offline a few weeks ago. The status/progress of the program is available online and updated daily. It's a federal program with approx 11k properties that have been determined eligible for funding. Property owners participating in the program cannot do anything on their property until their property has been "cleared" and considered "clean" by the grant subrecipient. For the Camp Fire, it's an approx $1B grant from FEMA. The funding goes: FEMA > CalOES > CalRecycle > contractors. I'm not sure how Butte County or private insurance companies play into this part of recovery, but I figure they do (that is info that I am missing).

Insurance companies do not rely on the state's wildfire hazard severity maps for determining wildfire risk, but media (LA Times?) a few weeks ago reported 25% of the population of CA lives in "high" or "very high" rated areas. Of course, those maps are now known to not be accurate as parts of Sonoma County that burned in 2017 were not rated as "high" or "very high," but instead were rated as "urban." I think one of the best long term solutions in California will be a state insurance program similar to what the state is supposedly planning to do when it drops out of the National Flood Insurance Program. We'd have a State Program that covers wildfire insurance. There are enough at-risk properties that it seems like it could work out. (The state should do some thing similar for EQ, too, imo).

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[Meadow Skipper]

Fire started near Handford yesterday - The Cold Creek Fire. At the top of the news hour they reported on the blaze and it was at 1000 acres by the end of the newscast, 30 mins later, it was 8000 acres. It's now at 14,000 and uncontained.

Glad I got my wheat harvested yesterday without incident. Nice to have it done and the potential fuel knocked down (and not to have it lost to a fire).

Interactive Wildfire Map

40k acres and rolling.
https://wildfiretoday.com/2019/07/20...in-washington/

[KQ]

40k acres and rolling.
https://wildfiretoday.com/2019/07/20...in-washington/

Wind driven. Not good but I did see this morning that it was 50% or so contained.

[Buster Highmen]

Not a whisp of smoke here in southern BC. Tons of rain this summer but I'll take it. We have been getting about 2-3 hot days a week with rain in between.

Great news. We've been dowsed in the Puget Sound for the last month and I was hoping some of it was going up Vernon/Kelowna way. Grillin in the rain is a small price to pay for the cool.

[Meadow Skipper]

Wind driven. Not good but I did see this morning that it was 50% or so contained.

Wind is the one element that determines if a fire is easily handled or if it’s gonna fuck everything in its path.

But wind usually lets up at night, and the temp usually goes down, so a lot of fine fuel fires, like grass, get caught at night.

[XXX-er]

I gauge the fire season by how many times I get taht last minute text asking me to drive a truck full of groceries and prep cooks to the fire camp

[neufox47]

What's your info source(s) for this?

I ask because some of the details do not match my understanding. The "personal property debris removal program" for the Camp Fire was about 35% complete before I dropped offline a few weeks ago. The status/progress of the program is available online and updated daily. It's a federal program with approx 11k properties that have been determined eligible for funding. Property owners participating in the program cannot do anything on their property until their property has been "cleared" and considered "clean" by the grant subrecipient. For the Camp Fire, it's an approx $1B grant from FEMA. The funding goes: FEMA > CalOES > CalRecycle > contractors. I'm not sure how Butte County or private insurance companies play into this part of recovery, but I figure they do (that is info that I am missing).

Insurance companies do not rely on the state's wildfire hazard severity maps for determining wildfire risk, but media (LA Times?) a few weeks ago reported 25% of the population of CA lives in "high" or "very high" rated areas. Of course, those maps are now known to not be accurate as parts of Sonoma County that burned in 2017 were not rated as "high" or "very high," but instead were rated as "urban." I think one of the best long term solutions in California will be a state insurance program similar to what the state is supposedly planning to do when it drops out of the National Flood Insurance Program. We'd have a State Program that covers wildfire insurance. There are enough at-risk properties that it seems like it could work out. (The state should do some thing similar for EQ, too, imo).

Sent from my SPH-L710 using TGR Forums mobile app

My source is multiple adjusters that handled claims. I’ve never seen the records but that is what everyone has said that worked those fires, same in Sonoma and SoCal. I’m not sure exactly, but it maybe that you don’t get the subsidy if you have insurance (and why should you as it is a subsidy to the insurance company). I’m sure I can find out. Frankly it never made any sense but I’ve heard it from a number of sources.

[bodywhomper]

My source is multiple adjusters that handled claims. I’ve never seen the records but that is what everyone has said that worked those fires, same in Sonoma and SoCal. I’m not sure exactly, but it maybe that you don’t get the subsidy if you have insurance (and why should you as it is a subsidy to the insurance company). I’m sure I can find out. Frankly it never made any sense but I’ve heard it from a number of sources.

Could be there may be a match costs for private property owners, and that might be covered by insurance, if the property was insured. There are some very nice properties destroyed in the camp fire and the Woolsey/Hill Fire (SoCal) that have had debris removed under the PPDR program, that I assume were well insured..... the debris removal in the paradise area is very behind schedule due to the heavy winter.

[KQ]

In other conflagration news - burning about 12 miles from me:

Fire alert: Crews are battling blazes on Butler Grade and the Umatilla National Forest
July 22, 2019 5:06 pm


At least five fires have been sparked by lightning on the Umatilla National Forest, and a truck fire has started a blaze on Butler Grade near Touchet, Washington.

East Umatilla Fire and Rescue has sent units, as have other agencies in the area, to help fight the Butler Grade fire as it spreads into the surrounding brush and grass. At last report, the fire line was a mile long, consuming an estimated 100 acres and moving into standing wheat. Electric power poles are fully involved in the blaze.

Fire crews on the Heppner Ranger District of the Umatilla National Forest are responding to new reports of smoke following Monday morning’s thunderstorms. Approximately five new incidents have been reported. Officials say the fires are staffed and most remain small at less than one acre.

The largest of the forest fires is Cabin Creek about 1.5 miles north of Rocky Flat. It’s reported to be about five acres in size and is burning in grass, brush and timber. An air attack has been used to supplement the ground attack.

More lightning is expected in the area Tuesday afternoon into Tuesday night. The National Weather Service has issued a fire weather watch, and warns that the abundant lightning and breezy conditions expected over that period, could cause a red flag warning to be issued.

[Angle Parking]

What a difference a year makes, BC went up in flames last summer and this summer it just won't stop raining. In Smithers anyway, rain has been a near daily occurrence.

Hang in there to those breathing in smoke this summer.

[KQ]

Yikes!

Chance of thunderstorms late today and tonight, some strong to severe. Breezy to windy conditions developing after thunderstorms impacting wildfire control of new fire starts or existing fires.
WEATHER & IMPACTS OUTLOOK Tue 07/23 Lightning followed by breezy to windy conditions will increase fire danger later today and tonight.

[KQ]

Photo and comment by Kurt Wilcox:



Crazy storm moved through Lincoln county [Idaho] started several fires. They exploded into major fires quickly. I hope there wasn't any loss of life but im sure property and livestock was lost

[2bjenny]

The Sheep Fire is south of us, near INL. Blew up to 85,000 acres this morning and is taking out the power lines now. Heard from a co-worker that they sent all the INL employees home earlier. Can see the smoke plume from my house/office, we are about 40 miles north of the site.

[neufox47]

I definitely don’t miss the smoke, counting our lucky stars.

[yeahman]

North Hills fire burning near Helena, 2600 acres and growing, they think it's going to jump the Missouri going east. Reports are fire is likely human caused. No structures burned so far but many people evacuated. Zero percent contained.

[evasive_MT]

It’s really cool watching the VLAT work the fire, but I’m sorry for the opportunity. We have friends who are evacuated.