How long until the fires are under control?????

[brettdale]

Stupid question, I know, but how will people be in danger, it wont be like this for weeks will it????

In the past, when its been like this? How long has it lasted?

Can they use moonson buckets, or is it too smokey???

[KitchenWitch]

1. It really depends

This is Santa Ana Wind season and last year the Day fire burned for a whole month.

[PhD]

2. Depends on the Santa Ana winds

That's what is driving these fires.

[brettdale]

4. I hear

Its suppose to be bad tomorrow, but then a low is suppose to develop, which will bring cooler and cloudy conditions, do the santa ana winds blow in cool and cloudy conditions?????

[bluestateguy]

3. I remember the Oakland hills fire in 1991

We could smell the smoke from our house. My grandparents had to evacuate and nearly lost their home.

This happened at the same time of the month in Oct. 1991. 25 people were killed.

[Hekate]

5. The big thing right now is the wind -- sundowners or Santa Anas. They sweep out of the desert...

...and funnel through the canyons, picking up speed, and down the mountains, picking up heat. Right now the winds are predicted to last into Wednesday.

Other than that, the vegetation is crispy-dry. The wind picks up embers and sends them glowing up to a couple of miles away.

I don't know. During the summer the Zaca Fire burned for two months straight before it was completely contained. But we were all very lucky: the winds blew toward the back country, so something like 250,000 acres of century-old fuel in the forest was burned away, but no towns. The surrounding region got pretty well ashed, but the fire mostly stayed away from where people live, although there were some evacuations. The fire-fighters did an incredible job on that monster.

I have no way of guessing how these dozen fires will go. One reporter said there were three big ones that were expected to merge soon, so that's not good. But the Sedgwick Fire in my county stayed small and is now 100% contained, with mop-up continuing. Gods willing it stays that way.

Keep a good thought for all the many, many folks in harm's way.

Hekate

[brettdale]

7. So after wednesday and the winds change?

It will be easier to fight the fires???

[Hekate]

8. It'll be easier if the winds aren't gusting at 40 or 60 or 80 mph, & if there's not too much rugged

...terrain involved. Either way it makes it relatively safer to use equipment like helicopters and airplanes, and firetrucks.

But I really don't know much more than I've already said. Hopefully others will chime in,
and of course we'll know more in the morning.

Take care,

Hekate

[brettdale]

6. is everybody out???

So what else is in danger??? Is it just the houses and schools and business in the hills???

Could the fire effect Millions of homes???? ten of Millions?????

[Name removed]

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[piesRsquare]

10. The biggest problem right now is the Santa Ana winds--for many reasons

The Santa Anas are causing the fires to spread rapidly, the bone-dry brush providing plenty of fuel...

But the big problem on Monday was that the winds were so powerful, the firefighters on the ground couldn't get air support, as it was unsafe for water-dropping aircraft to go up.

Hundreds of firefighters from the SF Bay Area have now headed down to SoCal, and if aircraft can go up on Tuesday, it will help.

It will be a few days before this disaster is over. And it is not a stupid question--at all. Thank you for caring, for your concern.