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Old 03-27-2022, 03:46 PM   #1
wiredgeorge
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Texas Red Flag Life

https://www.banderaprophet.com/22032...ireupdate.html

The info in the news piece above is about 2 days old now. This fire was about 2 miles from our home and my business as the crow flies. Fire worked its way SSE from origin and went through the High Mountain Ranch subdivision then northward toward Diversion Lake. We are pretty much 2-3 miles EAST of the fire and everything is covered in ashes and it was hard to breathe that first day for all the smoke (Friday). We had go bags and critters ready to jump out as there was a voluntary evacuation order for us but we stayed and watched; Fire is somewhat knocked down now with no big smoke plume and the ashes have mitigated. Spent the day up in the camper getting things ready to roll if we have to. Spent the day trying to figure out how to get a wifi booster system working.... geesh I used to be technical but lost that when I stopped being able to see my toes I guess.
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Old 03-27-2022, 04:01 PM   #2
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George you guys take care of yourselves. Those fires can turn on a dime and when they get ramped up they can cover LOTS of ground fast. Might even hook the RV to the truck and get it ready to roll.

Technical.....well, I used to be on the front end of data as it was coming out and developing. Ran trouble at component level on various kinds of radio equipment, versed in all kinds of test gear etc. and then....time. I always wondered what might have happened and think you may have hit the nail on the head. The more I think back I think it actually may have been about the time I started losing sight of my toes!! Good catch!
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Old 03-27-2022, 04:44 PM   #3
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Stay safe George!
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Old 03-27-2022, 05:36 PM   #4
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Stay safe George. I am thinking good thoughts your way. Fire season sucks and have been through what you are going through many times here in Colorado.

Sounds like you are doing all the right things and you don't have a boat load of animals?
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Old 03-27-2022, 07:37 PM   #5
wiredgeorge
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I was a volunteer fireman with Mico VFD for 12 years and hold a Texas State certification. I fought MANY wildfires in my years and know about the volatility of fire in canyons where wind can really push a fire up to the ridgeline and then beyond. I attended Texas Forestry Service wildland fire fighting training in Bastrop and the guys that are pros are beyond belief. Texas Forestry took incident command of the many assets that were on the ground and air. There were constant shuttles of helos and fixed wings drawing water out of Medina lake and dumping where directed.

The fire is down right now and appears contained but definitely will be having flare ups over the next week or two. If anyone is familiar with mountain cedar, a scrubby little plant no native originally, they know that the oils in the center of the tree will burn for many days even after the outside has been seemingly extinguished. I fought a wildland fire where some wannabe Texan bought large acreage and had a company come in and cut 80 percent of the cedar and brush and they look the log and left the limbs and brush in huge piles and left. The owner pulled a big kerosene tanker in and doused a few piles and lit them on fire on a windy day and took off with the tow vehicle. We worked many hours to put this fire out, the next ranch over wanted to do bodily harm via lead poisoning to the careless owner and had to be restrained and the fool asked me to hook up to a firetruck and pull his kerosene tanker off his property. We had to go back out at least 6-7 times as reports of flair ups were called in over the next week or so. The only way to douse the oil burning inside a cedar tree is with foam and that is expensive and more difficult to apply. Geesh.

About 1100 acres so far and 3 homes gone. 37 homes saved. This is in a high end residential neighborhood where folks had big lawns which made structure protection easier; no mobiles but mainly masonary structures.
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Old 03-27-2022, 08:34 PM   #6
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Here on the high desert of Oregon, we are blessed with juniper trees, that have an interior much like the scrub brush George mentioned, full of sap that can burn for days.

The only way to effectively deal with those darned junipers was to cut them down, while burning, to mitigate the spread of chunks of the tree blowing into unburned areas.

George, you and your DW stay safe!
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Old 03-28-2022, 04:39 AM   #7
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George, take care and keep the family safe.
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Old 03-28-2022, 05:25 AM   #8
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There's not much in life that instills a feeling of vulnerability like being faced with the possibility of losing it all to something you can't control like a tornado, a hurricane, a fire that's out of control....

Stay safe, George, take care of your family and yourself. God's got this.
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Old 03-28-2022, 08:11 AM   #9
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Texas Forest Service (incident command on this wildfire - not sure how they came up with the name Das Goat btw...)

Das Goat
Status: Active

Last updated: 03/28/22 10:27

COUNTY
Medina

DISPATCH ZONE
South

FIRE SIZE:
1092 ac

CONTAINMENT:
70%

COORDINATES
29° 29′ 34.09″ N , 98° 56′ 17.03″ W

Attached is from google maps; note that this whole area is covered with mountain cedar and brush and not may homes. Head of the fire reached the red arc shown and yellow line directly at our home about 2 miles from the fire's head. There is a 50 percent chance of rain tomorrow and Wednesday.
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Old 03-28-2022, 08:17 AM   #10
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https://public.tfswildfires.com/

Lot's of fires
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Old 03-28-2022, 09:29 AM   #11
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There is also a fairly large wildland fire in the Natalia area of Medina County.
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