President Obama declares emergency in Washington

originally posted by: PresidentHeston
There is not global warming... there is not global warming... there is no global warming...

Let us pray...

It's El Nino ...

El Nino happens no matter what else goes on with the climate. The conditions that happen with an El Nino are conducive to fire.

Also, the American West/Southwest are historically prone to long periods of drought bad enough that they've killed off entire cultures in the past ... before the advent of the evil SUV. This current period of drought is a baby compared to the one that took out the Anasazi and some of the Northern Mexican cultures.

originally posted by: ketsuko
a reply to: InFriNiTee

No. Because instead of conservation, we've got a preservation mindset prevailing, and they tend to think that nothing, including fire ought to touch the sacred trees.

So they don't allow thinning or even periodic burns. So it builds up, and you eventually get this.

The Australian Aborigines knew this for tens of thousands of years. Every few years or so they would set fire to the bush around them and let it burn to not only clear the undergrowth and litter, but also to promote new growth.

Where I live it is absolutely necessary to backburn every few years, but the environmentalists get all huffy and try to prevent it, many of whom don't even live anywhere near the area. I am all for conserving the environment, but this goes too far and their stupidity has cost lives in the past.

a reply to: awareness10

I have nothing but compassion for those who have to deal with these fires. But i also wonder who deliberately started over half of them. Everytime something big is about to go down on this planet, ""something"" sidetracks the Sheeple. Things are beginning to feel most Precarious these days.

That was my very first thought when I saw the thread title; glad I'm not the only one.

To all of you guys who are in reach of these fires, please be safe. My thoughts will be with you and your families/friends. I have people in CA and WA, and I am very concerned because some of them are extremely close to the fires.

a reply to: khnum



This puts things into perspective for Americans size of hawaii 4,028 mi²

a reply to: Cinrad

Thank you.

I live in eastern Washington and the smoke is so bad here today I can't even see across the street and my wife and I both woke up with headaches. Sure glad we stopped smoking a while ago......

a reply to: Domo1


The fire started from an electrical storm (lighting). At that time, the people who run the county of chelan in Washington state declared it was to dangerous because of the terrain to fight the fire, and the lack of help, So they let it burn.

From a small fire (which it could of been put out) grew into a 200 square mile fire. This is when all hell broke out and the government of chelan county order evacuations of certain area residents. Those residents lost everything from the fire.

Now the fire has grown to 400+ square miles. Many residents have lost everything. (450,000 acres is 703.13 square miles.)

3 fire fighters have died from this fire.

Chelan county should be sued into bankruptcy.

We've had a good blanket of smoke here in the Willamette Valley the last couple days, nasty stuff. I can't imagine what it's like closer to the fires.

It's pretty scary around here. The little town I'm in is surrounded by some large fields. One thunderstorm or idiot with a cigarette butt and this area can go up quick. There's some very scary spots here in the Valley that could go up in smoke anytime. I'm originally from Colorado, and can vividly remember a major fire around 1999/2000. There were quarter size ash flakes in the air, the thickest smoke I've ever seen. During that same fire, I remember stamping out embers that were landing on the roof of a friend's house. Scary stuff.

My heart goes out to everyone involved in this year's fire season. Take the time to thank the firefighters and volunteers that are on the front lines of this.

Don't know about 'doing things right'.

Fire is part of the natural cycle, and renewal.

Just like storms, Just like tornadoes. Just like floods.

The problem is man building in areas he knows he should'mt be.

But hey never let a good crisis go to waste to spend someone else's money.