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Idyllwild Evacuated Due To Mountain Fire

PostPosted: Thu Jul 18, 2013 8:07 pm
by Dave Daly
22,000 acres already burned and has hopped South Ridge. Center of the fire is at Red Tahquitz and approaching Saddle Junction. 3000 personnel, including a DC-10 on scene. More here...

http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum ... -Idyllwild

Re: Idyllwild Evacuated Due To Mountain Fire

PostPosted: Thu Jul 18, 2013 9:30 pm
by johnm
Smoke was visible in the sunrise this morning here in Glendale.

Well wishes to asmrz. I hope he and his family and their home remain safe.

Re: Idyllwild Evacuated Due To Mountain Fire

PostPosted: Thu Jul 18, 2013 9:52 pm
by Scott
Stay safe!

Don't know what else to say.

Re: Idyllwild Evacuated Due To Mountain Fire

PostPosted: Thu Jul 18, 2013 10:32 pm
by lcarreau
They'll be an investigation into the cause, but the dude was right in saying that most new cars don't have ashtrays.

Still, two wrongs don't make a right.

Re: Idyllwild Evacuated Due To Mountain Fire

PostPosted: Fri Jul 19, 2013 2:56 am
by willytinawin
It's very sad. The fires nowadays don't open pine cones for new seedlings, they destroy everything it the path, everything incinerated, steralized and destroyed for centuries. A lot of smoke at my place today, but my concern is the destruction af a beautiful place. Of course, it was started by somebody, it is not a natural fire. Very sad indeed.

Re: Idyllwild Evacuated Due To Mountain Fire

PostPosted: Fri Jul 19, 2013 4:48 am
by artrock23
Wow... this is sad news indeed. :(

Idyllwild/San Jac Wilderness is a gem in SoCal. I hope they get this contained quickly.

Re: Idyllwild Evacuated Due To Mountain Fire

PostPosted: Fri Jul 19, 2013 6:05 pm
by asmrz
The area of Red Tahquitz, the Western Divide, the south flanks of San Jacinto, they all burned and still do. There is some hope (at present) for Idyllwild as the fire seems to be moving ever slightly east from the Devil's Slide Trail area and the Saddle above the town...

We are so sorry to see the huge damage (cc 25,000 acres so far) to this beautiful hiking and climbing area. It will take years to recover the beauty that was there just a few days ago. We are very, very sad to see that.

Thanks for all your good wishes, Pen and I are doing ok. We are still on the Hill, we were allowed to come back after we drove some of our stuff to friends in Beaumont.

Deb, the "kooky" shirt is safe...(so far)

Re: Idyllwild Evacuated Due To Mountain Fire

PostPosted: Sat Jul 20, 2013 1:48 am
by willytinawin
Image
Image

Re: Idyllwild Evacuated Due To Mountain Fire

PostPosted: Sat Jul 20, 2013 2:35 am
by Tom Kenney
Time lapse from Torro Peak (ESE from fire?):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1pijoVcEes

Re: Idyllwild Evacuated Due To Mountain Fire

PostPosted: Sat Jul 20, 2013 6:29 pm
by willytinawin
—3-D Map of the north side of the Mountain fire, at 10 p.m., July 19, 2013, looking north. The pink line was the perimeter at 10 p.m. Friday, and the red line was 24 hours before that.
The Mountain Fire continued to spread to the north Friday, coming closer to the highest point in the area, Mt. San Jacinto, and within 0.7 mile of the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. The 3-D map above which shows the north portion of the fire illustrates the very steep slopes the firefighters have as their work environment. The fire spread very slowly on the south side, while the east and west sides were relatively quiet Friday.


Image

Re: Idyllwild Evacuated Due To Mountain Fire

PostPosted: Sat Jul 20, 2013 10:17 pm
by lcarreau
willytinawin wrote: ... the north portion of the fire illustrates the very steep slopes the firefighters have as their work environment.



Indeed.


Image

Re: Idyllwild Evacuated Due To Mountain Fire

PostPosted: Sun Jul 21, 2013 1:50 am
by willytinawin
My comments were cut and paste from here (the best info I could find on the fire, including webcam links)
http://wildfiretoday.com/2013/07/15/cal ... fire+Today)

My personal opinion is that I never thought I'd see the day the Tram route would possibly burn, and it's a possibility now. All these fires sadden me, last month Charleston had a big fire, now San Jac. It really is a nice piece of forest between the tram and summit. Some really beautiful forest has already burned. I wonder if Hidden Lake is already burnt toast.

Re: Idyllwild Evacuated Due To Mountain Fire

PostPosted: Sun Jul 21, 2013 4:37 am
by asmrz
Pen and I are here in the middle of it and our feelings are the same. A lot of damage to the forest, those beautiful places from the Saddle up toward San Jac are gone, Desert Divide burned, it will take years to recover. But yesterday, my dear friend Miguel called and reminded me what the 90's fire in Yosemite looked like. We were there climbing at the time of the fire and it was a huge disaster. But look at it now. Maybe there is a hope, at least for those much younger than we are. The forest might recover. Well that's our hope anyway.