"Getting a little scary here ..."

[Ontario Hunter]

@Ontario Hunter Be safe and take care of your family. Material things can be replaced. The wind has brought down the haze to NJ.

Thanks. I don't have air conditioning and my dehumidifier is on the fritz (it keeps frosting up). But I'm toughing it out. Humidity and heat have thankfully both slacked off a bit but smoke still is very heavy. We used to call it the sweet smell of money. I made enough fighting fires during the summer of 1975 to buy my entire outfit: two horses, trailer, pack saddle, riding saddle, panniers, ropes, tack, etc. And I was in university at the time too. So now I just sit back, sniff, and reminisce ... and wheeze.

I had many different jobs over the years but not locomotive engineer. No regrets now! It would not surprise me if a couple of CN guys just decided to update their resumès. I never saw anything like that when I was fighting fires. Well, not that close anyway. As oily as those locomotives get I'm surprised that one didn't burst into flames.

 

[Pheroze]

I have been told Nolalu is being evacuated. That’s a little town much to the south and east of where you mentioned. I am not sure, but there must be more fires to the south.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I have been told Nolalu is being evacuated. That’s a little town much to the south and east of where you mentioned. I am not sure, but there must be more fires to the south.

Nolalu is essentially a nine hole golf course and club house/general store. About a quarter mile down the road is my club's rifle range. Actually, the club leases/rents from the guy who built it. Hope it makes it. I doubt he would rebuild.

 

[Pheroze]

Nolalu is essentially a nine hole golf course and club house/general store. About a quarter mile down the road is my club's rifle range. Actually, the club leases/rents from the guy who built it. Hope it makes it. I doubt he would rebuild.

I have never played the course, but I often get supplies from that store. Unfortunately, my camp sits between where the fire is now and Nolalu.

 

[Miletic]

View attachment 777162
We have a few fires burning in NW Ontario.

Terrible! I wish you to put out the fire in forest as soon as possible. If I were a little closer,would come to help right away!
This is how I send you only positive energy!

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I have never played the course, but I often get supplies from that store. Unfortunately, my camp sits between where the fire is now and Nolalu.

Do you use the range?

 

[Finprof]

I was born and raised not far from the fire location. One is the best fishing days of my life was with my uncle in Shebandowan, which is in the fires zone . To the best of my recollection, we did not have large forest fires as frequently or to the extent that we do now. Not that there weren’t precautions. The town had a mile-wide fire break all around the town.

What is the cause of the increase in forest fire outbreaks? The outbreaks have increased to the point that, at the Harrisburg show last February, one of the first questions that I asked an outfitter was whether their hunting area was affected by forest fires. And this was 6 months ago before the current outbreak.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I was born and raised not far from the fire location. One is the best fishing days of my life was with my uncle in Shebandowan, which is in the fires zone . To the best of my recollection, we did not have large forest fires as frequently or to the extent that we do now. Not that there weren’t precautions. The town had a mile-wide fire break all around the town.

What is the cause of the increase in forest fire outbreaks? The outbreaks have increased to the point that, at the Harrisburg show last February, one of the first questions that I asked an outfitter was whether their hunting area was affected by forest fires. And this was 6 months ago before the current outbreak.

These fires were all started by a massive lightning storm followed instantly by a massive heat wave accompanied by wind. The woods were actually fairly wet when fires started. The stench of burning wet timber is real nasty. Then it got HOT. Too many strikes to get under control before the heat wave. Then the fires generated their own weather and grew together.

 

[Trogon]

Visibility on Lake St Joseph today about 100 meters. No fun!
Rt 559 is closed at this point, may not be able to get out on Saturday to drive home.

 

[leslie hetrick]

the smoke haze is pretty thick this afternoon in central pa., i can just make out the mountain about 3 miles away. as a young man i was on a fire fighting crew in the late 50,s(small fires compares to the present fire), we carries 5 gallon tanks on our back to sprey the small fires and embers, along with others who carries chain saws and axes-rakes for fire breaks. it was hard job.

 

[Trogon]

Visibility on Lake St Joseph today about 100 meters. No fun!
Rt 559 is closed at this point, may not be able to get out on Saturday to drive home.

Highway 599, correction

 

[farmer_john]

Canada wildfires leaves train 'encased in flames' as smoke from drifts towards US

The crew was rescued after the close call. Meanwhile, blazes in Canada have left Toronto under a haze and smoke heading towards several major US cities.

www.bbc.com

Not far away from here. Bet those boys were glad CN switched to concrete railroad ties (you can see ties in adjacent track when camera pans to right). Creosote ties and they probably would have derailed and burned up. These guys didn't have a choice. They couldn't move without risking collision with oncoming freight train. The engineers were surprisingly cool headed.

Air is so thick the last two days you can cut it with a knife.

Itl be alright.

 

[Pheroze]

Do you use the range?

I have not, my camp is big enough for my purposes. I have passed it and wondered about it many times.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Cooled down considerably this afternoon and I felt a drop or two of rain while working on the car but could not see through the smoke to tell what clouds were like. Absolutely no wind all day and a lot less humidity. Much less smoke this evening. I heard another storm is coming from west. Nuts. That will bring wind.

It's fairly flat here on the Canadian Shield with lots of lakes (beyond numbering actually). So it is fairly difficult for fires to blow up badly without some assistance from wind. In the more rugged West the terrain can help fires generate their own wind and weather. I have seen burning logs carried through the air across a canyon in northern California. A fire storm that was essentially its own tornado. That was a sight. And the sound was scary. Fortunately we were a good distance away ... and getting further away as fast as possible! Gee ... that must have been '77? I do remember it was the same year as the Big Sur fire in southern California.

 

[Pheroze]

It certainly looks like the fire crews are busy! About 30 hectares are burning out of control near my camp.

 

[Pheroze]

But now for the good news

 

[Altitude sickness]

Hopefully the rain helps

 

[Ontario Hunter]

It certainly looks like the fire crews are busy! About 30 hectares are burning out of control near my camp.View attachment 777630

9:00 a.m. and just now started raining HARD. So far no wind or thunder. Only a light breeze. Oh ... wind kicking up and very black sky to the west. Now blowing very hard. Nuts. That was fast.

Now comes the lightning. Lots of lightning. Crap.

 

[Trogon]

Raining hard here but being told we need to evacuate and join a convoy from Pickle Lake going south on Hwy 599.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Aaaavgavaavvaaaacfia

View attachment 777703
Raining hard here but being told we need to evacuate and join a convoy from Pickle Lake going south on Hwy 599.

Probably not a bad idea. Kenora forecast is for things to get hot again over the weekend. But not real windy so maybe that will help MNR get a handle on some of the fires.

10:15 and wind disappeared here with just a drizzle still coming down. Hopefully sky will at least stay overcast through the day otherwise it will be back in the steam bath. Air is much cleaner. Hardly any smoke ... for now.

How was the fishing?