Visit our Popular Forums

doorgunner · 06-24-2007, 07:41 PM

Campgrounds evacuated, 50 homes burned, high winds lotsa dry fuel.Highway 50 closed- HOLY CRAP. Just wondering if everyone has a plan of action for these kinds of emergencies? how fast can you hook up and haul butt? What a crying shame, Tahoe is so beautiful. DG

janetb · 06-24-2007, 07:48 PM

DG, thanks for the posting! Terrible news. The 50 corridor to Tahoe is truly a gorgeous drive, and one that's already had more than its share of fires and slides. We're heading up to the Sierras next weekend, and will be sure to be prepared for the scary things that can happen in the mountains--including thunderstorms and lightning strikes in an already water-starved area.
Have you seen what's going on up in the Kenai peninsula in Alaska? We could easily be next.
Janet

Goin camping · 06-24-2007, 08:39 PM

Whats happening on the Kenai? I used to live in Homer AK.

FreshAir · 06-24-2007, 08:50 PM

Highway 50 is closed a few miles from us in Pollack Pines. The smoke is headed NE. If it heads west we could have ashy skies. Hopefully no embers but we are too far for that. I really feel saddend for those home owners. Beautifl forrest there. Our neighborhood had a fire awareness and evacuation plan meeting a few weeks ago. Fire dept people gave a worst case senario talk for our neighborhood. Really scarry.

Neil and Lynn.

str8strm · 06-24-2007, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doorgunner

Campgrounds evacuated, 50 homes burned, high winds lotsa dry fuel.Highway 50 closed- HOLY CRAP. Just wondering if everyone has a plan of action for these kinds of emergencies? how fast can you hook up and haul butt? What a crying shame, Tahoe is so beautiful. DG

DG: Thanks for the notice. One of our good friends, and fellow Fire Chiefs, works for the South Lake Tahoe FD. I'll bet he's got his hands full tonight. There's no news on right now. Any update on conditions? Ron and Deb

janetb · 06-24-2007, 09:18 PM

GC, The Kenai fire in the Caribou Hills is about 30 miles from Homer, but not threatening it yet, although it's shrouded in ash and smoke. We have family there, and visit often, noticing the spruce beetle damage getting worse every year, killing huge swaths of trees. As a result, there's lots and lots of fuel to feed any spark (this one was from a sharpening tool.) Coupled with weird dry weather, fires go straight to raging.
When did you live there? A wonderful part of the world full of hearty souls.

Goin camping · 06-24-2007, 09:34 PM

Thank you for the update.

I was there in 1976 working on fishing boats. Beautifull place full of great people.

Do all the Alaskan State Troopers still come in one size. Huge?

3Ms75Argosy · 06-24-2007, 10:02 PM

last year in Winthrop WA, there were huge fires in the area. We'd wake up to feeling like there was a camp fire IN the trailer - it hurt to walk around. The only reason we stayed was that winds in the afternoon would clear the area.

Our last day, we drove up to Sun mountain to look towards the fires... we could see the flames over the ridge. That was enough for us, we hooked up and left that evening!

I've read some scary blogs of people who go back to their cabins, with the fires miles away, only to run for their lives in about an hour. Those fires move fast!

If in doubt, I think I'd dump the trailer and just DRIVE!
Take care out there!
Marc

thecatsandi · 06-24-2007, 10:08 PM

Janet,
You can always drive the other end of Rt50. Ocean City, MD!
We have not been called yet to put it out!

**Stefrobrts** · 06-24-2007, 10:09 PM

We could be out of there as fast as we can throw the critters in the van and drive! I'm with Marc, you can always find another trailer...

We went to a rally in Sisters, OR a few years ago with a big fire in the hills not far away. It was cool to watch the smoke and the fire planes going back and forth, but I wasn't too comfortable knowing it was so close.

doorgunner · 06-24-2007, 11:22 PM

165 homes destroyed, 400 more highly threatened, 750 acres burned 5% contained, 30 mph winds, 6 airtankers 8 air choppers 1 jump chopper and about 400 on the groung firefighters with lots more on the way. not good.

BamCamper · 06-25-2007, 07:45 AM

So sad and scary. My friend (with the SOB) has a cabin in Tahoe.

And I love Homer Alaska. Beautiful! Those poor eagles...

I'm turning on the news for updates. If we'd only get some good rain.

Silvertwinkie · 06-25-2007, 08:31 AM

Yea, it's pretty bad round there. Problem is in some cases that even if you hitch up or not, sometimes you can be trapped inside the fire circle. Hard to know unless you have some form of communication.

I'm with Stef, if it's a matter of making it or not, the toys stay the people and pets go. Now if I needed to and could do it, I could be hitched up and on the road in about 15 minutes...maybe less.

Fyrzowt · 06-25-2007, 09:07 AM

Sacramento channel 3 reporting 220 homes destroyed, 2000 acres.
As of early this AM.

sunn · 06-25-2007, 09:29 AM

What a day! We have been staying at Tahoe Valley Campground (right there near Meyers) and hitched up last evening after the fire was getting too close for comfort. Luckily, we found a spot at Zephyr Cove. It was quite interesting to see different reactions in the campground. Class A Motorhome owners across from us sat there and got drunk while they watched us pack up and get away from the smoke/dark sky. Just goes to show that everyone has their own comfort (and smoke) level.

thecatsandi · 06-25-2007, 09:31 AM

it is up to 5000 acres and over 200 homes.

Fyrzowt · 06-25-2007, 09:41 AM

Here's a link to a cam in Tahoe. It is pretty smokey right now with poor visibility, sometimes it clears out some. Last night you could watch the trees torch off.
Dave

KCRA.com - Weather Cams

rambn · 06-25-2007, 10:23 AM

I have reservations in South Lake Tahoe @ Campground by the Lake in a couple of weeks. I just got off the phone with them and they said that their campground is full of smoke and ash right now. I'm going to wait and see if things clear up in a week or so.

On the other hand, even if they do, I don't know what kind of a destination spot a fire ravaged area is going to be.

Fyrzowt · 06-25-2007, 10:43 AM

Don't change your plans yet.
A few thousand acres is a drop in the bucket to the area up there that is available to see. We have had large 40 - 115,000 acre fires in our county, folks from out of the area assume that there's nothing left to burn, when it really was a very small percentage of the county involved. If you've been to Tahoe, you know that it's miles from one end of the lake to the other. The chances of the area you want to visit being directly affected are small.
On the other hand, smoke may still be an issue when you visit.
Dave

lovingtahoe · 06-25-2007, 10:46 AM

Hi Everyone... it's bad up here. We havelost over 225 homes. Many our friend's. So far, the firechief said our street is still ok. The streets below us are destroyed.

Melissa and Roman