California's air quality = worst in the world

cabfrank · 2018-11-20T02:41:36.000Z

Teacher, the Camp Fire (a really stupid name that conjures images of scary stories and roasted marshmallows) started the 8th of November. It is the deadliest, and most destructive fire in CA history, and is only about half way done burning. 77 people are already dead, and 900-1000 are still missing. The air quality has been horrible here since then.

teacher · 2018-11-20T02:56:53.000Z

BlancoFire:

A couple of weeks, or forever, depending on your point of view.

cabfrank:

Teacher, the Camp Fire (a really stupid name that conjures images of scary stories and roasted marshmallows) started the 8th of November. It is the deadliest, and most destructive fire in CA history, and is only about half way done burning. 77 people are already dead, and 900-1000 are still missing. The air quality has been horrible here since then.

Wow… thanks for the info guys. Best wishes… looks like y’all need them.

“Camp Fire”… interesting name, wonder how they came up with that??

CalvinIS · 2018-11-20T02:58:03.000Z

It's supposed to rain on Wednesday, hopefully that helps with the fire. The wind direction will also change, but that means our smoke problem is going to Nevada, not a solution.

Lightbringer · 2018-11-20T02:58:51.000Z

freeme:

Finally, air purifier is highly recommended for your home. Regular air-con is not sufficient to shield you from those tiny harmful PM2.5 particles.

I got blasted before for recommending “unconventional” devices before, but negative ion generators do work.

The walls next to the critter will eventually be covered with dark ick (better’n floating around and/or getting into your lungs, though).

They attach a charge to the particles, which then stick to whatever’s around. Again, preferably a wall or even furniture, instead of your juicy internals. Kinda like rubbing a cat on your sweater and sticking him to a wall, to be held there by static electricity.

Lightbringer · 2018-11-20T03:00:57.000Z

teacher:

Your comment has made me hungry for some crawfish & shrimp my friend…

Just had shrimp foo young for lunch today, so I know the feeling.

cabfrank · 2018-11-20T03:02:58.000Z

Thanks. I haven’t heard, but it is a ridiculous name for such a devastating event.

mmalive · 2018-11-20T03:04:49.000Z

So Cal is not doing very good at all. The smoke is very bad. One can see a layer of grey over the sky.

On related note, dusk, respirator masks flying off shelves. No seems to have any in stock.

teacher · 2018-11-20T03:05:44.000Z

CalvinIS:

It’s supposed to rain on Wednesday, hopefully that helps with the fire. The wind direction will also change, but that means our smoke problem is going to Nevada, not a solution.

WOW…. That does look bad!! . Hopefully it will rain a lot!

I can’t even imagine…… :person_facepalming:

hank · 2018-11-20T03:31:52.000Z

box fan filter.

That’s a good idea. Even better, tape some cardboard flanges around the output of the fan to direct it away otherwise the air will just circle round and round. ’oogle “ducted fan” for how that works.

teacher · 2018-11-20T06:09:41.000Z

leaftye:

See if you can get him a box fan filter. It’s literally a box fan with a HEPA filter taped to it. It’s a cheap and effective, although they may need more than one for different areas of their home. People in Seattle were using it earlier this year when their city was shrouded in forest fire smoke.

What a wonderful idea!! And economical compared to a ’real’ one!! It probably works just as good too. I may make one to purify the air in my house…

hank:

That’s a good idea. Even better, tape some cardboard flanges around the output of the fan to direct it away otherwise the air will just circle round and round. ’oogle “ducted fan” for how that works.

Yep, the “cardboard flanges”…. essentially a shroud; would up the preformance to the next level! :+1:

teacher · 2018-11-20T06:25:23.000Z

cabfrank:

Thanks. I haven’t heard, but it is a ridiculous name for such a devastating event.

I just read that it was first reported at Camp Road near Pulga. I guess maybe that is how it got the name “Camp Fire”. :person_facepalming:

I did some reading about it HERE …. the devistation is utterly amazing!!! .

eas · 2018-11-20T06:55:42.000Z

Take care, folks. We had some experience with that up here this summer. Seattle had heinous air (200+) last August because of fires in north central WA and British Columbia.

A friend recommended this story from the LA times on the CA wildfires. I just started reading it.

cabfrank · 2018-11-20T07:43:15.000Z

Thanks guys. I will read both of those.

Alen · 2018-11-20T09:14:15.000Z

Really sorry for the disaster Fires on the Chaparral.
California is a beautifull naturalistic place,
I have on dream to visit

teacher · 2018-11-20T14:28:37.000Z

leaftye:

teacher:

“Camp Fire”… interesting name, wonder how they came up with that??

Camp CREEK Fire, but people started dropping the CREEK, and the name stuck.

Thanks leaftye, that makes sense. :+1:

deleted-200707 · 2018-11-20T19:12:09.000Z

Drove south on 101/880 through Oakland/San Jose Sunday. It was pretty bad and I bought a P100 mask with huge pink round filters screwed on the sides. I looked like a preying mantis eating princess Leia’s face. Thankfully the car’s hepa cabin filter was effective enough to avoid using the mask. We are now in Morro Bay and can even see the rock and rain coming tomorrow. Our condolences to the ppl having to live daily in those conditions, and those who suffered the fires directly.

ChrisGarrett · 2018-11-20T18:47:30.000Z

Ehhh, it’s temporary.

I grew up in the San Fernando Valley in the mid 60s when leaded gas and big blocks were in every garage.

You couldn’t play outside for more than 30 minutes without developing ‘smog throat.’

I remember it raining down ash after Mt. St. Helens blew her top.

We survived and so will they.

Chris

RobertB · 2018-11-20T19:55:23.000Z

ChrisGarrett:

Ehhh, it’s temporary.

I grew up in the San Fernando Valley in the mid 60s when leaded gas and big blocks were in every garage.

You couldn’t play outside for more than 30 minutes without developing ‘smog throat.’

I remember it raining down ash after Mt. St. Helens blew her top.

We survived and so will they.

Chris

I lived in So. Cal (Dana Point/Laguna Beach area) through the 80’s and 90’s. (moved in 98). There wasn’t any smog there, but the urban sprawl from 1980 to 1997 that I witnessed, was incredible. For example, I remember when the town of Encintas was just a small town on the ocean side of I-5, and just a few homes on the east side of the highway. Now, the sprawl extends east miles and miles with 10’s of thousands of homes, and big box stores. That is the case for all those coastal towns from San Diego on north.

Yearly wild fires have always happened throughout CA history, but the sheer number of homes and neighborhoods built up in these fire prone areas, is astonishing along with sub par forest management. Along with the burning brush fires, which was bad enough, came burning home materials, car tires, plastics, you name it. Santa Ana winds blow that toxic soup into the cities and out into the ocean.

I experienced the Laguna Canyon fires in 93, and know what it’s like when it’s pitch dark at 2 o’clock in the afternoon. terrifying to say the least

eas · 2018-11-21T09:13:26.000Z

ChrisGarrett:

Ehhh, it’s temporary.

I grew up in the San Fernando Valley in the mid 60s when leaded gas and big blocks were in every garage.

You couldn’t play outside for more than 30 minutes without developing ‘smog throat.’

I remember it raining down ash after Mt. St. Helens blew her top.

We survived and so will they.

Chris

Except, of course, for the people who didn’t survive.

As for those that did, >50,000 people were evacuated due to the Camp Creek Fire. >10,000 homes were destroyed, burned to nothing, which means that most of those 50,000 people don’t have a home to return to.

Temporary? Maybe, but for those who were hit, it’s not over, and it won’t be for a long time.

BlueSwordM · 2018-11-21T13:58:18.000Z

And let’s not forget global warming is affecting this too.

A 1°C average temperature increase may not seems like much, but a 1°C difference on AVERAGE can actually mean the difference between a small fire and an unstoppable one.

1°C is also the one factor that can either lead to a tropical storm, or a hurricane if the water reaches at least 28°C.