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F10
Trad climber
e350 / Bishop
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Topic Author's Original Post - Mar 18, 2011 - 10:21pm PT
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Reports of a fire near Big Pine have closed Highway 395 south of Big Pine and north of Indepenence.
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pyrosis
Trad climber
Bishop, CA
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Mar 18, 2011 - 10:42pm PT
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Big Pine evacuated...
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kunlun_shan
Mountain climber
SF, CA
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Mar 18, 2011 - 10:42pm PT
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http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Brush-Fire-Closes-SoCals-Road-to-Mammoth-118278969.html
Brush Fire Closes SoCal's Road to Mammoth
Updated 7:13 PM PDT, Fri, Mar 18, 2011
Highway 395 was closed by authorities Friday southbound from Bishop, and northbound from Independence due to a massive fast burning brush fire in the Big Pine area.
Mandatory emergency evacuations were ordered for everyone west of Main Street in Big Pine. Other evacuations included the areas known as Night Manor, Rolling Green and Terrace areas of Big Pine
"A staging area for evacuees has been set up at Big Pine High School, and Bishop Fair Grounds. Code Red Emergency Notification announcements have been made and will continue to be updated as new information is received by Sheriff’s Dispatch," according to an e-mail from the Inyo County Sheriff's Department.
Highway 395 (also known as U.S. route 395) is a U.S. is the main road Southern Californian's use to get to world-famous Mammoth Mountain Ski Area.
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pyrosis
Trad climber
Bishop, CA
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Mar 18, 2011 - 10:59pm PT
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Numerous structures lost.
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rottingjohnny
Sport climber
mammoth lakes ca
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Mar 18, 2011 - 11:04pm PT
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That explains why i wasn't run off 395 by the usual friday evening onslaught of frantic so. cal. skiers..?
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pyrosis
Trad climber
Bishop, CA
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Mar 18, 2011 - 11:13pm PT
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24 homes and a trailer park so far...
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springwoman
Boulder climber
Bishop, CA
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Mar 18, 2011 - 11:56pm PT
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Hi guys - where are you getting your info about structures and the extent of the fire? I have waaay too many friends there (evacuated) and your posts have more info than anything else I can find...?
Thanks
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pyrosis
Trad climber
Bishop, CA
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Mar 19, 2011 - 12:22am PT
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Good to hear, Cragman.
I've seen some scary pics on facebook, of large flames on the north side of town. I have been getting my info word of mouth from those who have been listening to the scanner. Apparently the Roosevelt tree burned down as well. The fire would have seemed to have passed through town by now.
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Mar 19, 2011 - 12:55am PT
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Are fires of this kind frequent in the area, at this time (or any time) of the year?
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bergbryce
Mountain climber
Oakland
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Mar 19, 2011 - 02:44am PT
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50 is open although we ain't moving in Kyburz at the moment. I think they might be using pilot vehicles over the pass or something.
Trying to understand why as it is not snowing, temp is > 32 and the highway is basically clear.
Hope things around Lone Pine improve.
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F10
Trad climber
e350 / Bishop
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 19, 2011 - 09:57am PT
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Looks like 395 is open, hope Big Pine fared well last night. Winds are out of the north now, that should help.
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Tony Bird
climber
Northridge, CA
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Mar 19, 2011 - 11:48am PT
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are such wildfires unusual in the near-desert of the land of little rain?
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HighTraverse
Trad climber
Bay Area
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Mar 19, 2011 - 01:10pm PT
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That is sobering.
I too thought a Big Pine fire report in this weather would be a joke.
Any word on the fate of the cattle and horses?
Every time I've been on that road this time of year it's been full on rain or snow. I clearly have a limited perspective.
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rottingjohnny
Sport climber
mammoth lakes ca
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Mar 19, 2011 - 01:23pm PT
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It was blowing hard on the east side yesterday and rumor has it 65 degrees in big pine...Good conditions for a fire...The spring time winds get ratcheted up because of wide temperature variances and winter storms clashing with warm desert air.......Crowley Lake can get 100 mph winds that will strip roofs , blow big rigs over , and fray nerves..
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Batrock
Trad climber
Burbank
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Mar 19, 2011 - 10:14pm PT
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I just drove through Big Pine a few hours ago and had no idea of the destruction.
I had been in Mammoth the night befoe and there was no word of it but then again
clientele were more worried about where their next drink was coming from and not about local events that might have a great impact on local lives. I stopped by the hatchery to let the kids terrorize the fish and got the lowdown from one of the volunteers at the hatchery. I will be keeping the residents who lost their homes in my thoughts and prayers.
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rottingjohnny
Sport climber
mammoth lakes ca
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Mar 19, 2011 - 10:24pm PT
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The Roosevelt tree burned...? Very sad...that was a beautiful landmark and living time capsule....A large cedar at the junction of 395 and westgard pass...rj
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rottingjohnny
Sport climber
mammoth lakes ca
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Mar 19, 2011 - 11:14pm PT
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Sequoia Redwood..sadder yet...any salvageable lumber left...? rj
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rottingjohnny
Sport climber
mammoth lakes ca
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Mar 19, 2011 - 11:15pm PT
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Interesting note aside...Redwoods were abundant on the eastside until the climate dried out..rj
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John Moosie
climber
Beautiful California
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Mar 19, 2011 - 11:32pm PT
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The Roosevelt tree was planted in 1913. From what I understand, there are no groves of Sequoias on the east side. On the west side Mariposa grove starts at about 5800 feet and goes to 6800 feet.
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F10
Trad climber
e350 / Bishop
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 20, 2011 - 12:02am PT
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The Roosevelt tree was still standing unscathed this morning when I drove through Big Pine
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rottingjohnny
Sport climber
mammoth lakes ca
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Mar 20, 2011 - 12:04am PT
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Thanks for the good news moosie....RJ
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Oxymoron
Big Wall climber
total Disarray
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Mar 20, 2011 - 09:47am PT
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Sequoias & Redwoods are DIFFERENT trees.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Mar 20, 2011 - 11:58am PT
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Related but not the same.
Maybe sempervirens will weigh in.
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sempervirens
climber
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Mar 20, 2011 - 03:08pm PT
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Hi Jaybro, Yeah, they are in the same family, the Cupressaceae or Cypress Family. They used to be in the Taxodiaceae but have been "moved", probably due to some botanist nerd's genetic study of their ancestry. But they are each in a different genus.
They can be both called redwood, and often are, but it'd be "more correct" to call the Sequouia sempervirens the redwood; and the Sequoiadendron giganteum the giant sequoia. That really gets at the heart of the issue of using scientific names (aka botanical names or "Latin names") vs. common names. Common names vary, of course, and confuse. For example, Poplar are sometimes called cottonwood. But cottonwood is only one type of poplar, aspens are sometimes called poplar 'cause they're also in the same genus, Populus. "Poison hemlock" is not even in the same family as the Hemlock tree. So those long two-word scientific names are used to avoid confusion. They are the same all around the world.
Probably more than anyone wanted to hear. FWIW. I am a botanist, but not a botany nerd as I am not quite smart enough or dedicated enough to earn that title.
Link below to the Jepson Manual of California Plants, the accepted authority of plant names in the state.
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/tjm2/review/treatments/cupressaceae_all.html
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Oxymoron
Big Wall climber
total Disarray
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Mar 20, 2011 - 03:11pm PT
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Vindicated. Up yours, Ron A.
How about the fire? Remember that?
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sempervirens
climber
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Mar 20, 2011 - 03:42pm PT
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Also, about the "invasive" sequoias... I could see how that ranger might have considered them non-native to the area 'cause they weren't growing there naturally. At one time they did, but if they were planted now (or some 20 years agos) when they were'nt already there on their own, well then they'd be non-native. Still there's room for a little debate.
But they're not invasive. Invasive means they can proliferate and take over the habitat of native plants and therefore crowd out the desirable natives. That'd be like star thistle in california, or knapweed in Montana, or tall white top in the Carson City, NV area. It's possible but not too likely for the giant sequoia (or the redwood for that matter) to crowd out natives on the east side of the sierra.
I too originally checked into this thread to see about the fire along 395.
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TomCochrane
Trad climber
Santa Cruz Mountains and Monterey Bay
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Mar 20, 2011 - 03:57pm PT
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Dori and Martin didn't lose the house but lost garden, chicken coop, shop, and tools including canning stuff. It was their livelihood.
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Aerili
climber
Reno, NV
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Mar 20, 2011 - 04:04pm PT
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It was blowing hard on the east side yesterday and rumor has it 65 degrees in big pine I was in Bishop for a few days and it didn't feel anything close to 65 degrees!! Weather reports for Lone Pine were identical to Bishop, so I would have assumed Big Pine was similar. The wind never seemed to abate much, either.
The day my partner and I went down this week we thought maybe the wind was causing the poor visibility in the area, but a guy at the Mountain Light gallery told us that big dust/sandstorms in China were the cause: the dust had been lifted into the jet stream and then deposited right over the Eastside. I am sure the fire was not helping. We could smell it Friday night in camp.
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