New Mexico is going up in flames

[Nemont]

If I was in hospice, give me some morphine and leave me alone! See ya out

I agree but some people don't see it that way. I was down there for Christmas and my daughter had to do a visit, the night before she said, "I hope my patient can just die tonight". I was a little taken aback

 

[elkduds]

I agree but some people don't see it that way. I was down there for Christmas and my daughter had to do a visit, the night before she said, "I hope my patient can just die tonight". I was a little taken aback

Hospice care as a profession is not for everyone. Nemont's example is not unusual in that occupation.

 

[hank4elk]

Woke up to high winds for the 3rd day in a row. Now out of the south, SW.
It blew all night & for the 1st time the alerts did not go below critical overnight. 30-40, gusts to 60mph.
Fires in the north are very bad.
Los Alamos is on set to leave. Ready ,set, go... 3rd time in 10 years.
More small villages north of Las Vegas under threat, way north. Most of east unit 45 is burnt....all the trees.
Fire near Magdalena has grown , but limited.

I do not smell smoke so no new fires in the Gila ,or near me. They jumped on the recent ones and they are contained.
Only 3 more days of high winds.

 

[Redmt]

Our winds topped out at 84.8 yesterday. Constant in mid 30's gusts to 62. I'm glad you don't have our winds and glad we don't have your fires,,,,yet. Be safe.

 

[hank4elk]

Our winds topped out at 84.8 yesterday. Constant in mid 30's gusts to 62. I'm glad you don't have our winds and glad we don't have your fires,,,,yet. Be safe.

75-85 coming off the Sangre de Christos into the fires.
Apache county AZ added to critical this morning west of me.

 

[Redmt]

Cal Fire claims to have the largest fire fighting fleet of aircraft in the US. Where is it? Canada has or had the fleet of MARS bombers. Where are they? I have fought many of our fires from the seat of my dozer and on hand crews. Never have I had the feeling that the IC Commander knew what they were doing.

 

[hank4elk]

Cal Fire claims to have the largest fire fighting fleet of aircraft in the US. Where is it? Canada has or had the fleet of MARS bombers. Where are they? I have fought many of our fires from the seat of my dozer and on hand crews. Never have I had the feeling that the IC Commander knew what they were doing.

Grounded due to wind or over here flying when they can.

 

[Redmt]

Grounded due to wind or over here flying when they can.

I'm not a pilot or know anything about aeronautics. From a ground perspective it would seem to me that 60-80 mph winds mean very little to the larger aircraft. Even though the high winds would dilute the intensity of an air drop, something would be better than nothing. I could be wrong.

 

[David658]

I'm not a pilot or know anything about aeronautics. From a ground perspective it would seem to me that 60-80 mph winds mean very little to the larger aircraft. Even though the high winds would dilute the intensity of an air drop, something would be better than nothing. I could be wrong.

Those winds are terribly dangerous. Add the velocity to the turbulence from being close to the mountains, low AGL, and you'd end up adding the plane's fuels to the fire after the crash.

 

[mrcowboy]

Woke up to high winds for the 3rd day in a row. Now out of the south, SW.
It blew all night & for the 1st time the alerts did not go below critical overnight. 30-40, gusts to 60mph.
Fires in the north are very bad.
Los Alamos is on set to leave. Ready ,set, go... 3rd time in 10 years.
More small villages north of Las Vegas under threat, way north. Most of east unit 45 is burnt....all the trees.
Fire near Magdalena has grown , but limited.

I do not smell smoke so no new fires in the Gila ,or near me. They jumped on the recent ones and they are contained.
Only 3 more days of high winds.

Schools cancelled in Los Alamos. Essential staff at the lab.

 

[sapperJ24]

I'm not a pilot or know anything about aeronautics. From a ground perspective it would seem to me that 60-80 mph winds mean very little to the larger aircraft. Even though the high winds would dilute the intensity of an air drop, something would be better than nothing. I could be wrong.

These maneuvers are done at low speed and only a few hundred feet off the ground, there is already little room for error on a calm day. Wind speed can be drastically higher just off the ground, so 200 feet AGL it is likely much higher than 60 mph. And then the retardant or water gets dispersed and blown all over making it basically ineffective. For the pilots, it is not worth it.

 

[Redmt]

Like I said, I know very little about fighting fire from the air. I do know that more than once I have prayed for a water drop to avoid being burned over. I can be very critical when it's me that needs the drop. You cannot outrun a wildfire on a dozer.

 

[Randi]

Woke up to high winds for the 3rd day in a row. Now out of the south, SW.
It blew all night & for the 1st time the alerts did not go below critical overnight. 30-40, gusts to 60mph.
Fires in the north are very bad.
Los Alamos is on set to leave. Ready ,set, go... 3rd time in 10 years.
More small villages north of Las Vegas under threat, way north. Most of east unit 45 is burnt....all the trees.
Fire near Magdalena has grown , but limited.

I do not smell smoke so no new fires in the Gila ,or near me. They jumped on the recent ones and they are contained.
Only 3 more days of high winds.

Stay safe Hank. I am sure you know this but watch Rio. Air quality, water quality. Do you have horses and cattle that may have to be moved ?

 

[hank4elk]

Stay safe Hank. I am sure you know this but watch Rio. Air quality, water quality. Do you have horses and cattle that may have to be moved ?

Just went out and turned on the drip again. Clear and very windy. Rio is on his bed ,he doesn't like it this windy.
New fire start north of me now in the Zuni mtns.

No livestock. Elk are scattered or up in the mesas. Summer conditions and my dirt tanks have dropped 6 inches.
Ground thawed and the heat & winds I guess. Still plenty of water and some windblown elk tracks.

 

[hank4elk]

Oh, 26,000 homes evacuated in state. 17,000 on standby.

 

[Wallydeuce]

Like I said, I know very little about fighting fire from the air. I do know that more than once I have prayed for a water drop to avoid being burned over. I can be very critical when it's me that needs the drop. You cannot outrun a wildfire on a dozer.

I can assure you the aircrews are anxious to help. If they're flying 20 knots above stall speed into a 60 knot headwind and that 60 knots suddenly becomes 30...you can't outrun a fire on a dozer and you sure as hell can't recover from a stall a few hundred feet agl. They'd be flying if they could.

 

[mrcowboy]

Just went out and turned on the drip again. Clear and very windy. Rio is on his bed ,he doesn't like it this windy.
New fire start north of me now in the Zuni mtns.

No livestock. Elk are scattered or up in the mesas. Summer conditions and my dirt tanks have dropped 6 inches.
Ground thawed and the heat & winds I guess. Still plenty of water and some windblown elk tracks.

New fire in Zuni's cause? There hasn't been any lightening strikes. Will folks start to use their brains. Saw big turkey camp site last weekend. Huge stack of firewood next to fire pit. Crossed my fingers that they read the FS signs or had half a brain.

 

[hank4elk]

New fire in Zuni's cause? There hasn't been any lightening strikes. Will folks start to use their brains. Saw big turkey camp site last weekend. Huge stack of firewood next to fire pit. Crossed my fingers that they read the FS signs or had half a brain.

Not determined yet. Most likely human caused. No lightning nor clouds around.
I'm not on a ladder nor cutting firewood due to wind conditions.

 

[Valley1320]

Jus pulled off a fire at Santa Rosa got it contained thank goodness. Jus about burnt part of town.

 

[LuketheDog]

Very smoky up here south of Denver today, I'm guessing from your fires in NM...