Inland Empire, WA and Idaho

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I don't know if the picture can do it justice, it's orange outside.

That is not really clouds in the sky it's a layer of thick smoke.

 

[OldeEnglish]

How far is the fire away from you wolfman?

 

[sawmill]

I can not believe the mentality of some of these so-called professionals.
This area is under extreme fire hazard conditions with fires all around us. All the forest service roads and back roads have dead grass in the middle and along side the roads. (Dead grass starts to smoke at 300 degrees). These forest service idiots are continually driving around on these roads. The catalytic converters on their rigs sometimes reach in the excess of 1000 degrees. Makes you wonder how many fires they start.

Then on top of that, our stupid highway department is out chip sealing the highway. (The only escape route from this area). We have thunderstorm warnings for this area for this afternoon. Possible lightning. The state department has trucks all over the highway with flagmen, pilot cars, etc.

What in the hell is wrong with these people!!!!!

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

How far is the fire away from you wolfman?

I would say 25 miles.

 

[patjsimpson]

When I left work today in Spokane it was like pictures of the smog I have seen in large industrial Chinese cities. I could barely make out signs about 1/2 mile away on i90 headed east. When I got home up by mt Spokane it was not nearly as bad as downtown.

 

[Tooljunkie]

I have been in some unnerving situations, a couple years back. Smoke so thick at times road was only visible beside truck. I was a mixer for the helitorch team. Backburning from helicopters using a overgrown driptorch.

Was in the northern part of the province. One of the few parts of my old job that i miss.

 

[Corney]

How you folks making out?

The skies were smoky up here until yesterday from those fires!

Either the wind changed or you got some rain and the fires died down?

 

[Corney]

first the Northern Saskatchewan fires then the fires down your way!

It is nice to see the sun again!

Hope all is well with everyone's ( youalls) homes and families!

 

[pendoreille]

We had rain! Not enough but we will take it. It scrubbed the air and helped with the fires a bit. The incident commanders say they will not be out till the snow puts them out. When it started raining (1st since May) I tried to get the wife out and do a little naked rain dance. She looked at me like I was a sick (old) man. She would have done it in her youth. We did go out a do a little naked faces to the sky though.

And a big thank you to our Canadian neighbors to the north and our Down Under neighbors to the south, both of which sent reinforcements.

 

[Corney]

What no naked dance, when did things change?

Glad to hear it's better!