The Non-Stop Smell of Wildfires

[Dynasty]

During the last two days here in Las Vegas, you can't step outside with noticing the smell of up to 32 fires burning in Southern Nevada. It actually smells kind of good- sort of like your neighbor has started up a BBQ.

Has anybody else lived close to wildfires (hopefully without being threatened by them)?

If you're interested in the wildfire story, here it is (http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2005/Jun-24-Fri-2005/news/26774954.html).

[[censored]]

we get them in southern OR every year. I was around them one summer for work and it was quite intense. I remember the freeway being shut down on two occasions and hoping that out hotel wasn't in the path.

[Boris]

I ran a chainsaw on fire crew for 5 years. best job I ever had. Fought fires in WA, ID, MT, WY, CO, UT, AZ, NM, FL, KY, NV, CA, OR, Alberta and Ontario. Best job I ever had but I didn't realize it at the time.

[ThaSaltCracka]

I lived in Motana from Aug 2000 till May 2001. Montana had some horrible wild fires during the summer of 2000, and I thought the smell was horrible. Hurt your sinuses and nostrils.

[Blarg]

We had some in Guam where I spent a lot of my growing up years. Our idiot neighbors actually set them on purpose because they were too lazy to beat back the sawgrass. They also cooked and generally made fires outside a lot and that would sometimes get out of control too. They were complete idiots. A few times the fire got pretty close to our house and my family and I had to water down around the house, on the roof, etc. Stuff grows so fast in the real hot tropics that there's always stuff to burn around, and always encroaching. It was a little scary once or twice.

A lot of people in California have been exposed to a lot of wildfire worries. There are laws about how close you can let trees get to your house, etc. It can be pretty scary for them every single year, during the dry season. I've always lived in the city here in L.A., so it's never really been a concern of mine, though I've had fire in pretty close apartment buildings once or twice. But fires are a real threat to some parts of L.A.

[Ray Zee]

all the time around here in montana. my main house and a vacation one are in the woods in prone areas. the forest service spends the majority of their fire fighting money for protecting homes for people that build in the woods so the insurance companies can keep their losses down. you pay for it.

[wacki]

[ QUOTE ]
you pay for it.

[/ QUOTE ]

in billions......

However, most fire experts agree that, because of fuel types and loadings, topography, and temporary weather conditions (lasting a few hours to several weeks), some fires simply cannot be stopped and some cannot even be influenced. Substantial funds are spent on efforts to suppress what are uncontrollable wildfires. Such efforts contribute to the belief in our ability to stop all wildfires, and lead the public to believe that damages from wildfires only occur because of the Government has been inefficient and ineffective .

http://www.ncseonline.org/NLE/CRSreports/Forests/for-5.cfm?&CFID=3024496&CFTOKEN=47075822

[OtisTheMarsupial]

[ QUOTE ]
It actually smells kind of good- sort of like your neighbor has started up a BBQ.


[/ QUOTE ]

You're right, it does. Until my asthma kicks in.

[trying2learn]

it looks like someone dropped bombs in the hills though...scary looking around here...

[TimTimSalabim]

I love the smell of wildfires in the morning.

[Mike Gallo]

In order to get to Atlantic City I have to drive on the Garden State Parkway.

The Garden State runs through the Pine Barrens ( home of the legendary New Jersey Devil.

A few years back the Pine Barrens caught on fire due to brush fires. It smelled of smoke and fire for a few years following the fires.

[goofball]

meh. I can no longer see the strip from the grocery store.

[Dynasty]

[ QUOTE ]
meh. I can no longer see the strip from the grocery store.

[/ QUOTE ]

Albertsons? That's a little more than two miles east of the Strip. I just came back from there and there was a definite haze obscuring the Strip.

The only time it's every been completely obscured from my old place (one mile east of Strip) was during a sand storm.

[scalf]

as gwbush once stated: if we chopp all the trees down; we won't have any forest fires...truer words never spoked

think about it!!!

gl

/images/graemlins/grin.gif /images/graemlins/diamond.gif

[jason_t]

I grew up in the interior of Alaska and the wildfires during the summer are legendary.

[Boris]

[ QUOTE ]

I grew up in the interior of Alaska

[/ QUOTE ]

Where? I spent a summer in McGrath. Great fun.

[jason_t]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

I grew up in the interior of Alaska

[/ QUOTE ]

Where? I spent a summer in McGrath. Great fun.

[/ QUOTE ]

Near Fairbanks.

What were you in McGrath for? Flew out there once; little town on some river whose name I can't remember.

[TimM]

Very rare around here, but I remember this (http://physics.umbc.edu/~mcmillan/PROJECTS/MOPITT_val/MOPITT_Canadian_workshop/node11.html) one. I was living about 30 miles NE of the fires and could remember the smell.

Another link (http://www.bnl.gov/bnlweb/pubaf/pr/1995/bnlpr082595.html)

[goofball]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
meh. I can no longer see the strip from the grocery store.

[/ QUOTE ]

Albertsons? That's a little more than two miles east of the Strip. I just came back from there and there was a definite haze obscuring the Strip.

The only time it's every been completely obscured from my old place (one mile east of Strip) was during a sand storm.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, yes Albertsons, but one of the other 8 zillion albertsons in vegas :-).

I live near Flamingo and Durango, about 5 miles west of the strip. THere's an albertsons right at that intersection.