I see that there have been some terrible fires in Washington State, especially around the Wenatchee area. I know that we have several custom gunmakers from Washington State that post on here, and in fact my fading memory makes me believe that one or two either were from Wenatchee or used to reside there.

Anyway, I hope that nobody who posts here, or going forward nobody else period in Washington State, has their house or property destroyed by fire or drought.

I have a small working farm in Omak that concerns me from time to time. One of my associates has one in Twisp. Last year, he had to beat down the flames, but this year, we're both far enough north that we've not had problems.

I live on the wet side, with saltwater at the bottom of my hill. Not much chance of burning here.

Interestingly, I was at Duane Weibe's place yesterday. As I was leaving, three blocks down, the heat must have gotten to the landscaping, and the beauty bark was smoldering away in half a dozen places over a few square yards. I stopped because of the smoke and started to kick it out on the street. The home owner wasn't there, and I didn't see any hoses or other water accessible, so I had to call in the fire department to douse hot spots.

Wow, spontaneous combustion?! We are having a crazy summer here... Fires are even burning in the rainforest on the Olympic peninsula!

I'm on the wet side too, just north of Seattle, but my lawn browned up and looked in June like it usually does in August. The humidity and haze reminds me of my time on the East Coast.

Good to hear your place is OK Stokes. The Eastern half of the state takes a beating every summer. My first hunting trip as a kid was an early high hunt up Andrews Creek just North of Twisp. I hadn't been back to the same place again until a couple years back when I drove up to the trailhead with a friend for a day hike while staying at his place in Mazama. The whole area was scorched from a big fire years before. Pretty sad...

Wish I lived closer to Duane, I'd sweep his shop floor just to watch and learn what I could...

The dry side is pretty dry! but we've been dry before and will be dry again. all the smoke sure is making things hazy, though!

I have family in Carlton/Twisp. They lost some grass on their mountain property last year but thankfully their house on the Methow was unaffected.

I am down here in portland and its dry here too !
So far no big fires but i'll bet its coming !
You folks from less green places may not have experienced a bad fire season, i have been a trucker around the western us for many years and have seen the orange glow of several fires at once,
Its kind of spooky at night , an ominous beauty !
...tj3006

Why is the Wenatchee are so vulnerable to fire?

Roger Green is up that way.

quote:

Originally posted by lindy2:
Why is the Wenatchee are so vulnerable to fire?

There's nothing special about Wenatchee, it just happens to be on the eastern side of the cascades, which wring moisture out of clouds rolling off the pacific, dumping rain on the western half of the state. All of eastern Washington is vulnerable.

quote:

Why is the Wenatchee are so vulnerable to fire?

Kevin (aka Blue) Wenatchee is located between the Columbia River and the foothills of the Cascade Mountain range. When you get into those foothills you find sage brush and wild grasses, all good fuels for a fire. It is difficult terrain to fight fires.

There were 29 homes lost in this fire and all of them in the Broadview subdivision. Most of the homes in that subdivision had cedar shake roofs. One street that bordered the native hillsides had a total of 19 homes burnt right to the ground. A friend who owns a home there took me on a drive through last Monday. He had two homes that bordered his house burn. Two years ago he had his shake roof sprayed with a fire retardant and it seemed to work. He has numerous scorch marks on his roof but it did not ignite.

Wenatchee has a very dry climate and our annual precipitation is only 9 inches and 6 of that comes as snow fall. This last winter we had no snow. So we had a very dry spring.

We had a similar fire in 2012 and there is a dramatic photo of that fire posted below. It was taken (not by me) from across the Columbia River. At the same time there was a photo taken of an electrical storm that preceded this fire.



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From the sounds of it, if one resides on one side of the mountains you get flooding and on the other side of the mountain you have to worry if your house will burn down.

The only driving I have ever done there was along the Columbia River (stayed at a place called The Dalles) and then in some Mountain forests where there was moss hanging on the trees everywhere.

What is the main attraction or the main industry or the main reason for the city of Wenatchee. Is there mining there? Agriculture?

Thank you for those photos Customstox. And Yes, I hope you are alright where you reside.

Kevin, that is a gross exaggeration of reality. On the west (wet) side of the Cascades and you live in a flood zone you are liable to be in a flood. Kind of a no brainer. The news agency tend to make incidents like this a lot bigger deal than they actually are.

If you live on the east side, it is very unlikely to be a problem. If you live up in the mountains or in the foothills, there is always that possibility but there are a lot of things you can do. If you have trees on your property, you can trim the lower branches to a height of about 7 feet or so and keep all brush removed and you will be in good shape.

Wenatchee area is mainly agricultural. We are known and marketed as the Apple Capitol of the World. We just "grabbed" that name first, doubt that there is any concrete validity to it. They also grow a lot of cherries, pears, apricots and peaches as well as a lot of wheat. As far as attractions, we have elk and deer hunting in very close proximity. We have excellent fishing (salmon, steelhead and walleye) in the Columbia River and skiing 20 minutes from town. We have a nice climate and the lowest power rates in the nation.

Flooding is real. In 2007, I had 9ft of water in my house. I never moved back in.

If you've ever dealt with insurance companies during a disaster, you'll learn why there is never a single person that you talk to. They do it for their own safety.

For me, since I didn't live within the 500 year floodplain, insurance for flooding isn't subsidized. At a cost of $4000/yr, and not living in the supposed flood, I declined. That cost me six figures. And, since it was a municipal power production companies decisions to manipulate water levels, they have sovereign immunity.

Sometimes, fire seems easier.

Stokes

I wouldn't wish all of that on my worst enemy. But from the looks of it you have somewhat recovered as you are able to speak of the custom guns you own and wish to own. Just gotta keep moving forward.

Hahaha! Money is just a tool, it's just that my toolbox is pretty small right now. Before Obama, it looked like it was growing. I haven't felt that though!

Flood, fire, and wife going nutso/divorce all can empty a wallet. Some have more value than others.

E, SCOTUS found in a case where the USACE manipulated water levels leading to property damage that it was a takings issue. That was recent though.

Lindy2, the Pacific Northwest has a lot going for it. I live 35 miles from The Dalles. We have more members/former members of the ACGG living here than any other USA location. So there are great resources to draw from in my profession.
Having traveled our great nation and lived on both sides of the Cascade Mountains...I'll take the high desert anytime. Four seasons, 260+ days of sunshine, great hunting, fishing, skiing, mountain climbing, rock climbing, wind surfing, kite surfing, and any other sport you wish readily at hand. Since I also have lived in central Missouri and have family in all four corners of the USA ...fire and rain are just part of being aware of your environment.
We never used to have twisters or lightning stormslike we do now. I thought I was in the MidWest just last week during the lightning storm that moved thru. My father(83 years young) says he never experienced the weather we are having now...he was born in eastern Washington State in the town he now resides in. The weather be something you adapt to or find somewhere else to be....right Chic? HaHA!

I noticed on another site that Jim Dubell passed away recently. Wasn't he from around the Washington/Oregon area?

I recall him posting on here years ago, and I distinctly remember a matched pair of mausers that he customized where he actually cut the rear bridges off and replaced them with ones that were square rather than weld a piece of steel on and machine.

Anyway, may he rest in peace.

Lindy2, yes Jim is gone. He live outside Colville, WA. He was a good friend and craftsman. His home was in the mountains but he had a nice place in an old meadow. He was a master craftsman in wood and steel.

Very sorry to hear about Jim Dubell. Last year, he did the work on my .375FL NE 2-1/2" Ruger #3, including a custom modification of the lever. It was excellent work. Sad to hear of his passing.

I have never seen as many roadside fires as I have this year. I travel up and down 405/5 four days a week and the amount of charred roadside never ceases to amaze me. It is a tinderbox, even on the wet side; the east is just that much worse.

I've family just north of Walla Walla. Yesterday, they said that the neighbors have been evacuated, but the winds have turned, and they might be OK.

They have an old fire pump that they bought from government surplus a few years back. It'll siphon off of a irrigation canal, and they can hose down most of their living area, including their home and shop. The other 100 acres might just get turned to ash and dust.

As another fucked up side note in how government can make you have a bad day... they don't want you using irrigation water for fire suppression. And, they don't want you doing your own fire suppression. Thankfully, they have enough sense to know that fighting fire is todays issue, fighting government can wait.

quote:

Originally posted by Stokes:
I've family just north of Walla Walla. Yesterday, they said that the neighbors have been evacuated, but the winds have turned, and they might be OK.

Is it the Blue Creek fire that is threatening them? my dad's place is thankfully on the western edge, but a lot of neighbors to the east have lost a bunch of timber and habitat! bummer deal!

This is one hill over from the farm. I've no real worries, as it looks like it'll stay away. Lots of folks are having a hard time this year. I suspect with our water issues, this kind of thing is going to be the new norm.

Very large fires burning in Montana, Idaho, and British Columbia as well. I went down to Kalispell yesterday and the fire at Fortine looks to be getting bigger. We have been very fortunate near my home in that, when fires have started, wind conditions have been such that fires moved away from homes and were easily contained. Conditions are exceedingly dry and windy this year so we are always concerned. If a fire does start, it will blow up quickly. All the forest fuels are very dry.
Best wishes to those in Washington and to my friends in the Harvard and Emida, Idaho area. Regards, Bill

Are all of these fires having a significant effect on large numbers of wildlife?

The effects on wildlife are not as great as one might think except in specific circumstances. In general, wildlife seems to have sense enough to abscond but not always, of course. In many cases, ungulates benefit greatly from the emergence of new growth, post fire. On the other hand, there is little question that animals are temporarily displaced and some are killed. A couple of years after a big fire is going to be prime time for elk if it's elk country. Regards, Bill.