California Wildfires: Major Weather Event Tomorrow Will Test The Incredible Progress Firefighters Have Made.
Also, no... Oregon engines were not turned away.
Current fire activity on the California wildfires has dramatically diminished over the last 24 hours. That doesn't mean that everyone is out of the woods yet.
The National Weather Service has issued a Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) for the fire area and surrounding communities, on top of Red Flag Warnings and Fire Weather Watches. A PDS is announced to convey special urgency in unusually extreme and life-threatening severe weather. This incoming fire weather will test all the existing fire lines put in by crews.
If they pass the test, things will be looking very good going forward.
This morning, the Palisades Fire was mapped at 23,713 acres, and containment is up to 14%. A staggering 5,123 personnel are assigned to the fire, including 86 crews, 519 engines, 39 helicopters, 67 dozers, and 62 water tenders.
A massive force.
For today, sunny skies with north to northwest winds gusting up to 45MPH. Tonight, a strong north to northeast wind with low humidity levels is expected. A RED FLAG WARNING is in effect.
Sunday through Wednesday, widespread critical fire weather conditions are expected with strong Santa Ana winds. The strongest winds are likely on Tuesday with the RED FLAG WARNING expected to extend till 6:00PM Wednesday evening.
Cal Fire
The Eaton Fire in the Angeles National Forest has seen significant progress on containment. Crews are working around the clock to build the fireline. The fire is 33% contained, and growth has been held at 14,117 acres. This fire has 3,408 personnel assigned, including 50 crews, 375 engines, 29 dozers, 90 water tenders, and 16 helicopters.
For the next 48 hours crews will try to hold what they have through extreme winds and adverse conditions.
Current Situation: Last night, firefighters continued active patrol and mop up, mitigating smoke and heat sources. Minimal fire activity was observed overnight, with smoldering and creeping. Individual pockets of unburned fuel continued to present challenges. A mobile retardant base has been set up at Mount Wilson to support air operations. Urban Search and Rescue efforts, infrastructure assessments, hazardous material response, and damage assessment operations continue in the communities along the southern edge of the fire. These operations are unprecedented in size and scale which are critical for mitigating existing hazards, confirming missing persons reports, and obtaining accurate number of structures loss.
Angeles National Forest
One thing that has been getting a lot of attention is the false claim that the resources sent down from Oregon were stopped at the border and not let through due to emission standards. For starters, all vehicles coming to and leaving a wildfire incident have to undergo safety checks. Do they sometimes cause problems and get nitpicky with their inspections? Absolutely. But this is standard Ops for all large wildfire incidents.
But I know folks from Oregon who went, and they made it through and are on the incident. Oregon actually sent more resources after the first batch made it to California. Rumors went so far online that the Oregon Fire Marshal wrote a press release clarifying the entire situation.
One of the most frustrating things, especially for firefighters, is when a substantial and publicized emergency breaks out like this. Everyone suddenly becomes an expert and starts posting things that drive us nuts. Also, firefighters love the support, but let’s not forget that a 40% pay cut is still possible in March… I hope everyone is vocal in their support a couple of months down the road when these fires disappear from the news.
Structures damaged and destroyed continue to rise… over 12,000 now. The estimated recovery costs have ballooned to $100B+. I believe we will see insurance companies file for bankruptcy over this, or a federal bailout will happen to prevent that. The death toll has increased again as well to 24 fatalities.
The fires span over 60 square miles, and this morning, 92,000 people remain under evacuation orders. Power and water are still out for thousands.
Over the next couple of days, Mother Nature will test the hard work and labor of these crews. She is a force to be reckoned with, but I think they can accomplish the task at hand. The next real issue will be any new starts today or tomorrow. Hopefully, Southern California will catch a break, and we won’t see that.
I have attached today’s Monday Morning Workout below. Get that blood flowing; a healthier you is a healthier world.
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Monday Morning Workout: It’s a burner.
Round 1: 3 Times
100 jump ropes
Bulgarian Split Squats: 10 each side with weights in hand
Farmers Carry - Weights in each hand, 100 feet+
1 Min Plank
Round 2: 3 times
1 Min high knees
1 Min of body weight lunges
Russian twists: 30 (weight or no weight)
7 Pull-Ups
Round 3: 3 Times
100 Jump Ropes
10 Box jumps
15 Kettlebell swings
1 Min weighted wall sit
Round 4: 3 times
100 jump ropes
10 Donkey Kicks each side {Hands and knees, Kick leg straight back and up. Hold for 1 second at the top}
15 Kettlebell swings
10 burpees
Round 5:
When you finish the workout, burn 100 calories on any machine for time. Elliptical, stair climber, assault bike, row machines, treadmill.
Thank you for this balanced report about what’s really happening.
I fell for the Oregon rumors (but, sanely, did not spread them).
That workout just about killed me: and I only read about it 🤣. As an always non-athletic non-muscular person, now 71, I stay active; do Pilates, stretching, and balance exercises; and take an hour brisk walk (while picking up litter) each day. But all that other stuff literally would kill me. I admire those who can do *any* of those moves, much less all of them.
Thank you, Hotshot Wakeup, for all you do to educate us and keep people safe.
No matter your experience, this event is a one of a kind slide show. I like what I see in the work accomplished by professional hand crews doing what they do best getting busy in the brush fields, but structure/exposure protection is replete with lessons learned. All risk incident assignments for Fed Wildland firefighters deserves all risk pay and respect.