In California, Fires So Fast Hesitation Proved Lethal

[Loyd]

Source: New York Times

By THOMAS FULLER and RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA 9
OCT. 13, 2017, 9:29 PM ET

SANTA ROSA, Calif. — With towering flames bearing down, one victim delayed escape in hopes of saving his new truck — but he could not find the keys. An elderly couple slept as danger erupted, not waking until it was too late to flee down their one-lane road. Another couple, who barely missed their chance to drive away, huddled in a pool, surrounded by fire and choking smoke; he survived, but she did not.

As widely varied stories emerged of how people died in the wind-driven fires that have ravaged Northern California, the element common to each tragedy — and to many of the tales of people who got out alive — was how quickly it happened. Advance warning was measured in minutes or seconds, or never came at all. Hesitation was lethal.

“My dad’s best friend was calling and calling my parents, but they were completely asleep,” said Trina Grant, whose parents, Arthur and Suiko Grant, died at their hilltop property just outside Santa Rosa. “By the time my dad finally picked up and his friend said ‘You’ve got to get out,’ it was probably already too late.”

The confirmed death toll reached 33 on Friday night, making this the deadliest wildfire outbreak in California history, and the figure is likely to climb. Thousands of homes and businesses have been destroyed, hundreds of people who have been reported missing remain unaccounted for, and emergency workers have barely begun the grim work of combing through the blackened, smoking ruins of houses, cars, forests and businesses.



Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/13/us/california-wildfires-victims.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

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Can you imagine how bad the situation would be if global warming actually wasn't a Chinese hoax?

[mchill]

1. During the fire in Weed, CA 2014

People literally had one or two minutes to escape (and this might be more than for some of the people in Santa Rosa and surroundings). The elementary school children were moved 3 times out of harms way. Someone called my friend to tell her of the approaching fire. Sitting in her house, she wasn't even aware until the phone call prompted her to look out the window. Tonite I have checked my escape plans as we also have Red Flag warnings (and dry vegetation) up in Northern California. The one thing I don't know is if Red Code Alert would actually notify me. It's scary to think one could sleep thru such an event.

[dixiegrrrrl]

13. The warning calls came at 3 am for some people

A lot of people are deep sleepers.

I find it hard to envision how fast those fires were moving. One survivor reported seeing a glow from 40 miles away and at his door in under an hour, he just happened to be up, and barely escaped.

[cstanleytech]

2. I gotta still wonder how much of this could have been avoided had there been stricter zoning laws

for how close so many of the homes were built as well as the materials being used to build them.

[montana_hazeleyes]

3. I live in the South Bay Area, watching the news for hours every day.

Most of the people who died didn't die because of hesitation. The fire was on them while sleeping or otherwise surrounded by fire and smoke suddenly and could not get out. They didn't stand a chance.

I've lived here all my life and this is the worst disaster here I've ever seen including the 1989 earthquake.

This is absolutely horrendous.

[mulsh]

15. 3am Monday in Oakland, smoke woke me up, I woke wife up we ran outside in our underwear to

see if we could see any flames. It smelled exactly as close as the '91 fire & I lived in that neighborhood then. I turned the TV one of the local stations was up in Sonoma so we figured we were safe.

I grew up in the Oakland firestorm neighborhood. part of the 91 storm ended about a block from my apartment.

Since the Oakland firestorms, '71 & 91, and the '89 quake I've always had a bug out bag packed and ready to roll. I also have extra long garden hoses on most of our outside faucets. Friends who rebuilt in the Oakland firestorm area have firehoses with the appropriate couplings stashed in their houses. These are illegal to own but I don't know anyone who cares considering the history up there.

I agree that this disaster is worse than any firestorm or earthquake we've had around here. As bad as things are now the really bad stuff comes as people in that area attempt to recover.

[cbreezen]

4. The resevoirs are full, but all that rain creates summer fuel...

lots of dry grass.

[marlakay]

5. I finally got with my daughter that lost her home

Tonight. She said they woke up and had min to go, her boyfriend wasn’t moving fast and she admitted she screamed at him to hurry and as they left fire was all over the neighborhood. She said she was scared for her life.

Boyfriend woke up smelled smoke, smoke alarm went off, then she got text from cousin get out immediately and a call from son saying the same she grabbed clothes and ran.

They lost one of their two cars not wanting to drive alone.

[deurbano]

7. Very scary! So glad they made it out!

[Ptah]

16. Oh my!

[madokie]

6. We had wild fires here a few years back

This is flat land. lots of grass and trees also. The fires were traveling 50 to 60 mph so it was almost impossible to flee if one didn't get out early. Fires cause an updraft which causes air to come back in so its one causes the other. fires and high winds mean the fire travel is quick. Its scary.

We live about 3/4 mile north of a major hiway with nothing but waist high grass between us and this time of the year we have a lot of south winds. Its not uncommon to see where an automobile has pulled off the side of the road and burnt down for whatever reason so the fear of a fire is very much front and center with me.

[Lochloosa]

8. The reason you see cars pulled over and burnt is the catalytic converter

Cars pull over onto grass and leave the car running. The CC gets very hot. It catches the grass on fire under the car and before you realize it, it's too late.

[NickB79]

10. I started a grass fire once on the farm in that manner.

17 yr old, screwing around in some swampy, grassy corner of our farm. Got the car stuck in mud, went back to get my dad and a tractor to pull it out. Came back to find smoke and flames just starting! We pulled out the car and let the fire burn a couple acres before it met open water.

Amazingly, the car was fine.

[BumRushDaShow]

9. I heard on the radio that the average age of those who died was 79

So due to the fast-moving nature of this disaster, the casualties are skewed towards seniors who could not escape in time.

[lunasun]

11. A fire went through a senior mobile home park. It wa hit hard &that impacted the age also I bet

[donotpissoffacow]

12. climate change is a hoax

Monday three fires broke out nearby, one a mile away, maybe, raging through a canyon. Another, about 20 miles away, was 300 acres in the morning and 7500 acres in the afternoon. I think the third went to 8000 acres. When you drive down the main road today, you can see two spots where the canyon fire licked over the ridge for a taste of town.
Firemen stopped it in its tracks and held the line in up-or-down territory for days. Days. They stopped and held the other two fires. For days. And the dozens of other fires in California which they fought, some while their own homes burned.
Everyone who fights fires earns hero, professional fire fighters or $1 an hour convicts or neighbors saving neighbors. Heroes. But, between my three minor fires live well over 100,000 people up in mountains with few roads where even heroes couldn't do much if the wind was wrong in this era of Chinese hoaxes. Fires are reaching inescapable ferocity where heroics cannot save a city.
Look around where you live: sidewalks, high-rises, running water, fire hydrants, neat lawns, clear roads, no way it could burn is there? In Santa Rosa a Hilton Hotel burned to the ground. Does your house have the safety features of a Hilton Hotel? Shopping malls burned...entire malls. What you see around you just might be at risk. And firemen will come...if they can.
Can our Dear Leader be charged with arson?

[dembotoz]

14. Seems we need to rethink alerts. What about air raid siren

They test ours every week and supposedly for tornadoes