October 11, 2017
"A boiling river of wine flows underneath smoldering debris at the Paradise Ridge Winery in Santa Rosa, California on Tuesday."
Reports The Daily Mail — with a photograph of the "river" (and other wreckage).
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55 comments:
Is this near Yosemite?
Heartbreaking, total devastation in some areas.
"Mulled wine, heavy on the cinnamon and light on the cloves"
Totally devastated houses with green trees in the yard. I hope these and other dry places will find room for fire breaks.
Yosemite is about 200 miles southeast of Santa Rosa.
It is of Biblical proportions.
Last year there was too much water.
This year, not enough.
We have had a lot of smoke in San Francisco.
Some employees in Concord (over 100 miles away and on the other side of the Delta) have gone home due to excessive smoke.
"It is of Biblical proportions.
Last year there was too much water.
This year, not enough."
Its not rainy season yet. Arguably the too much water of last winter created an excess of brush to burn after the summer. Besides this there has been very little maintenance of brush and deadfall anywhere. Small fires are put out, leading to accumulation of fuel.
Last year there was too much water. This year, not enough.
You're confused about the Northern California water year. It's a Mediterranean climate of the most dramatic kind -- roughly, six months with precipitation and six months without. There's been a bit more precipitation this summer than normal, which is none. The October Diablo Winds are always a fire threat because they come at the end of the dry period.
What will it take to recognize that there are more trees, not fewer, than when Columbus got here, and allow some intelligent logging and clearing of deadwood, which will both create economic benefits, and reduce the risk of fires?
Besides this there has been very little maintenance of brush and deadfall anywhere. Small fires are put out, leading to accumulation of fuel.<
Insane environmental policies have created these fire zones and I don't see any way to clear out these places. The White Mountains of Arizona had the same problem and it cost the lives of 23 firemen three years ago.
allow some intelligent logging and clearing of deadwood,
The people running California are the same ones that destroyed the northwest lumber industry for the "spotted owl" which is not endangered and never has been. They are lunatics.
Lots of them have second homes in the wine country. Sadly, the houses in Santa Rosa are mostly those of workers.
An article about devastation to wineries doesn't show any pictures of the vineyards, standing or burnt.
In other news, whiskey just became more budget friendly.
Very sad news, like any disaster. I hope for the best.
Last year there was too much water.
This year, not enough.
So average, then.
Insane environmental policies have created these fire zones and I don't see any way to clear out these places.
You're confusing the coastal live oak woodlands with the pine and fir forests to the north and east.
OMG - what a mess. Heartbreaking, indeed.
The Charles Schulz Museum, as in creator of the 'Peanuts' comic strip is in Santa Rosa. This morning my wife texted me, "the penis museum is safe" I said OK, but how did the Peanuts museum fare? She replied: "Boy, Siri got that wrong!"
I told her sometimes Seri is a real dick.
His wife Jeannie informed a few of our friends that her home burned to the ground.
Santa Rosa was a lovely place full of good people. My thoughts and prayers are with them. But Schulz always found humor where ever he looked, so I think he'd appreciate the story.
Isn't the Penis museum wherever Bill Clinton and Harvey Weinstein are in the same place? Sad that Harvey is pulling a Roman Polanski and has fled to Europe. He'll never come back. Hope Angela Merkel gets to be a "close friend" or something.
As for Napa and Santa Rosa... huge wildfires are scary things. I remember watching a large wildfire while my now wife and I were dating. We were sitting on the porch and looking across the valley at the ever creeping line of bright yellow just moving towards a town. Inevitable, it seemed. Thankfully the firefighters got it stopped about 200 yards from the town. Close though.
--Vance
"A boiling river of wine..."
That's quite a line, something akin to The Grapes of Wrath.
But I doubt the "river," and it's not a novel.
It's good for wine companies that are not there. Price rise.
I remember watching the Santa Monica Mountains burning from my parents house in West LA.
Thank God, this wasn't 90 proof whiskey territory. Can you imagine?
Smell of smoke has been strong in Sacramento in the mornings.
Very sad, but also very California. October seems to be when the biggest fires hit. In SoCal, where I spent most of my life, it was because of the Santa Ana winds.
The trouble is more that there's a lot of people and a lot of developments where there weren't before, even much more than 20 years ago. So, disasters impact more people.
I've been in about 5-6 evacuation zones over my life, with a few fires extremely close. The last couple were among the biggest in California history in the San Bernardino mountains. Woke up to a major fire across the street once, and had homes behind us burn. Shocking and beyond imagination. Watching 100 foot tall palm trees on fire is a memory I'll never forget, like torches swaying with the fire-driven winds.
California has some of the best firefighters in the world, and have some amazing technology, but the first burst of fire can really overwhelm before anyone can even get a response going. Shocking how fast it can move on a dry, windy day.
"The October Diablo Winds are always a fire threat because they come at the end of the dry period."
Diablo winds. I'm still learning my NorCal terminology.
And yes about the climate. Rarely rains at all from June to October. We had some rain, but only scattered drops.
One of the more amazing moments was when we were in the mountains, a week of nonstop fire, fires in every direction (we didn't evacuate for various and well-thought out reasons). Then at the end of the week, it snowed. That was late October.
Most all the big fires I can remember were in October. I remember because the power would go out and we'd be evacuated, and then I'd lose the leftovers of my ice cream cake I got for my birthday in mid-October. Many others lost their homes, so it wasn't something to complain about, but those baskin robbins cakes really are good, so I missed having the last few pieces.
Yeah, it's pretty bad. Smoke has been billowing down 45 miles south to Oakland and Berkeley.
My inlaws live in Sonoma, but they're ok.
I guess I'm thankful that it wasn't much worse. But a lotta damage.
Why does this strike me as such a pathetic story from todays 'journalists'....full of jump the shark journalism lines like "rivers of wine" and 'apocalyptic scenes" "Paradise Ridge Winery"...who?!?...combined with mucho multiple photos of burned barrels, bottles and trailer parks. Not a single word about the reported 17 killed?!? Is Harvey Weinkenstein suppressing the real human story?! Does he own Paradise Winery??
Lydia: "Yosemite is about 200 miles southeast of Santa Rosa"
Ha!
I really enjoyed that one for some reason.
Jimmy said...
Heartbreaking, total devastation in some areas.
This is the 1.5638th blog posting on boiling wine!
Clearly Althouse is trying to avoid discussing Trump!!
California has some of the best firefighters in the world.
The way they coordinate their air attacks is truly astounding, and their ground forces fight on the front line all night when temperatures drop and humidity rises (and when air attack is impossible). For their bravery and commitment we are profoundly thankful.
It seems as if there are many more deaths this year (21) than last year (7). I wonder why that is happening?
Cooked wine distillate into brandy.
An interesting picture I shot while kayaking on the Trinity River in Norther California, a helicopter taking up water to drop on a nearby fire:
@Fritz Great shot!
In other news, whiskey just became more budget friendly.
We have the same sense of value. Prefer wine, but cheap whiskey is acceptable. I don't even drink beer anymore.
> Fritz said...
An interesting picture I shot while kayaking on the Trinity River in Norther California,
Thanks for sharing. That's a wonderful picture.
I live more than 100 miles south of Santa Rosa. It's very smoky here today.
Some of these winery's are completely destroyed. All the grape vines - gone. You don't just re-plant. It can takes years to yield fruit from a new vine. Older grape vines produce interesting flavors and better wine.
So says a neighbor who sells wine.
Is this what MM as in Marylin Monroe, was talking figurative about when castigating in (was it?) The Seven Year Itch, no no, it was All Bbout Eve (or Eeve as likes betwixt) producer's looks? Feller named Add Witt played the hubristically-unmatched fool of the cinemas non-sundry atteptms at variety
How the wine fire transcends that particular both wine and fire (controlled) is the Kepler's ledge.
This poor winery - gone.
Fritz, that's a terrifying picture. Piloting a help deep in a river canyon, probably in turbulent winds?
12 on the pucker scale.
If only Harvey Weinstein owned a winery around Napa!
"Helo", not "help". Sigh.
My aunt and uncle have a house out Petaluma way. Last I heard they were all right. RH, do you even drink wine?
Www.pressdemocrat.com has coverage with maps. It's the local Santa Rosa paper. October is always a dangerous month in CA. East Bay Hills firestorm was Oct 20, 1991. This is worse. It is multiple fires heading different directions in well-populated areas.
By the way, Concord is about 30 miles west of SF and 65 miles southwest of Santa Rosa. It is well west of the start of the Delta. (Just correcting buwaya)
AllenS said...Thank God, this wasn't 90 proof whiskey territory. Can you imagine?
--
There would be the equivalent of the Cajun Navy taking it on..
By the way, Concord is about 30 miles west of SF and 65 miles southwest of Santa Rosa. It is well west of the start of the Delta. (Just correcting buwaya)
Concord is about 65 miles southeast of Santa Rosa, but otherwise you're exactly right: Concord is west of the Delta about 30 miles from San Francisco. Like many San Franciscans, buwaya needs to make his way into flyover country more often.
I can pump that off the ground and bottle it. Nice smokey notes and earthy finish.
North Tustin is on fire too. Nobody has reported anything about that.
Oh.
Wait.
It's Tustin.
Our daughter-in-laws parents' house, and their entire neighborhood, were destroyed. The police woke them up at 3 AM Monday morning and they had to leave immediately.
Also, the more rain you have during the rainy season, the worse the fire season tends to be, because the grass is much longer. And it always dries out during the summer, no matter how wet the winter was.
If that river hits a chicken coop, it's coq au vin for all!
The way they coordinate their air attacks is truly astounding, and their ground forces fight on the front line all night when temperatures drop and humidity rises (and when air attack is impossible). For their bravery and commitment we are profoundly thankful
CalFire and the FS are both very good at deploying for fire. many civilians don't see it, but a big fire is like a Corps level military op.
- front lines
- air support
- medivac
- major coms network
- 24 hour ops
- command centers
- supply and evac routes
- maintain reserves
- logistics
- sleep cycles
- hand to hand combat
- heroes
I could go on
By the way, Concord is about 30 miles west of SF and 65 miles southwest of Santa Rosa. It is well west of the start of the Delta. (Just correcting buwaya)
ah...Concord is:
East of SF
South East of Santa Rosa
East of the Bay
South of the Straight
perhaps South West of the Delta
So much for corrections late in the evening.... east, west...
One thing I know Concord is: hella hot in the summer.
And that I miss the drive to Santa Rosa through the Valley of the Moon, which is also on fire. Breaking my heart.
I'm heartsick about this. We're about an hour and a half from Napa/Sonoma and go there often. It's one of my favorite places. All that wonderful wine...
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