Conan's sensitivity training about Colorado fires

[Conan The Librarian]

Pardon me for being a cynic, but were those houses that buned in colorado built in a place that is susceptible to frequent fires? I see so many cases, often in california, where they build houses in a flood plain or on a hill that gets mudslides or in a dry windy area. I'm not sympathetic in those cases.

[R.W.Dale]

When you live outside the concrete jungle EVERY house is potentially subject to being burnt in a wildfire. EVERY HOUSE.

Many times the actual fire may be hundreds of yards away but embers on  asphalt singles make a prime ignition source

[PowPow]

Pardon me for being a cynic... I'm not sympathetic in those cases.

I'm cynical about New Orleans. It's below sea level. It's always going to be below sea level.

[BBF]

Pardon me for being a cynic... I'm not sympathetic in those cases.

I'm cynical about New Orleans. It's below sea level. It's always going to be below sea level.

Now the question is how low and how long do we need to wait.

[powderman]

A big part of America is fire prone rt now. We are bone dry here, grass mostly dead and brown. We cut the grass as close to the ground as we can in case a fire would get started close by, as has happened before. POWDERMAN. 

[Old Syko]

For the folks that are properly insured and know their situation I truly feel sorry.  For those without insurance who take no precautions to limit liability I feel nothing but contempt.  We have flood prone areas around here where time after time the same idiots lose all they have and stand with their hands out expecting to be bailed out.  They get absolutely no help from me. 

[kennyd]

Partly right.  Colorado is becoming a California suburb.  But a lot of those houses were on the edge of town, regular neighborhood, not horse property or woods retreats. 


Other than being butted against the mountains, we had very little snow all winter, it had been 20 degrees hotter than normal, and the wind blew at a CONSTANT 60 mph.  I followed an Aurora (my home--70 miles away) fire engine coming back; those boys were whipped, the truck sooty-anything white was grey  Every jurisdiction within 100 miles rotated fire, police, and all in to help.  One of those situations where you hope they can never repay.


As for fire, my house backs onto an self seeding wheat field; every year they cut it and let it lay..  This year they reaped, windrowed, and baled the straw for a change.  If a cigarette had gotten in there, it would go faster than you could run.


So to a certain extent some people are asking for trouble, but we all live in flood plains, fire areas, wind, bad neighbors.


It is interesting to note that the Fort Collins area fire had virtually no looting, Colorado Springs had a lot.  Fort Collins is a liberal college type place, the Springs is conservative--lots of army, Air Firce.  We all would like to think our neighbors are like ourselves, and wouldn't enter an unlocked home to do any more than help save someone or valued items.  Judging by the posts on GB, I would trust a lot of you with anything I have.

[BBF]

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It is interesting to note that the Fort Collins area fire had virtually no looting, Colorado Springs had a lot.  Fort Collins is a liberal college type place, the Springs is conservative--lots of army, Air Force.  We all would like to think our neighbors are like ourselves, and wouldn't enter an unlocked home to do any more than help save someone or valued items.....................

Do I understand this correctly that there was looting in a conservative neighborhood and none in a liberal mindset place??
 
I would have expected the reverse for sure.

[PowPow]

Do I understand this correctly that there was looting in a conservative neighborhood and none in a liberal mindset place??

Could be there was nothing worth stealing in Ft Collins.

[Old Syko]

Liberals don't steal from their own kind.  Nothing to gain by raiding your own neighborhood.  They had to travel to Colorado Springs to find any value.

[kennyd]

The looting partly had to do with the fire evacuation being in the city vs. rural.  The TV showed just plain old vandalism, slashed sofas, broken furniture.  I would expect that in Colorado Sjprings, the chance of being shot by a homeowner is greater, but noone was allowed to stay.


Radio interview:  "40 fire engines standing ground on a street, 200 foot wall of flames advancing at 30 to 35 mph.  Unhooked and retreated 5 blocks and stood their ground."  I don't think I would have stopped at 5 blocks.  This how in the old days, whole cities (Chicago) burned.   Nearly every town in Colorado has at some time in history had a fire that leveled the whole place, and probably the whole country

[Old Fart]

We went through the hottest year on record with one of the worst droughts ever here in Okla. last year. I worried costantly that some jackwagon would flip his cig butt out down wind and cause a grass fire. It's an uneasy feeling living through something like that. Fire has no agenda, it just strikes everything in it's path. I hope it gets better up that way and anywhere else facing this situatioin.