Okanogan 14x24 by a lurker :)

MountainDon · August 17, 2015, 05:23:28 PM

It's always nice to have other homes between you and a wildfire... you know the fire fighters will be trying hard. Let's hope the winds are kind and the fire fighters fortunate and that nobody's homes get burnt.

Can you see fires in the dark?

OlJarhead · August 18, 2015, 08:11:29 AM

Not much between us now

Can't get up there today but plan on being there tomorrow. It's 2.8 miles south of me now (was 6.8 just a couple days ago) and I have a plan with my neighbors to put in some fire breaks. We have 3 tractors and a cat between us to get to work and a neighbor down the hill has a tractor too....we're damn sure gonna try to stop that sucker! Or at least make it go around us.

Have chainsaws ready!

August 18, 2015, 09:19:12 AM

Black is your best friend now (good well aimed back fire) - next best dust and dirt. The USFS neighbor we have - in the 92 Foothills Fire (largest in the nation) roared through here. He and the fire boss had a plain and he did catch the wind just right. He set his own back burn that knocked down enough fuel to force the fire around our properties. Pretty much saved our bacon!

Be very careful when it comes to running at piece of farming equipment on USFS or BLM property. If you get caught disking a fireline on their property = $$$$$ in fines if they see you. At least that is the way it is here. Common sense goes right out the window with most of the eco bosses. Three or four bosses got in a shouting match with one - then almost a fist fight in the 2013 fire up here. Just to get one to claim down and drive off....... It is not over with from what I understand. Statute of limitations are about over with in days I think!

We here seem to have ample help around houses and cabins.

OlJarhead · August 18, 2015, 09:54:09 AM

Don: Haven't been up there at night to look yet but my neighbor above me says "yes".

Rick: Only firebreaks we'll put in will be on private land and we won't back burn...so dry here we'd probably burn everyone else out. Our plan is to divert the fire around us as much as possible and to give the firefighters a reason to help us save our places

rick91351 · August 18, 2015, 10:20:23 AM

Quote from: OlJarhead on August 18, 2015, 09:54:09 AM
Don: Haven't been up there at night to look yet but my neighbor above me says "yes".

Rick: Only firebreaks we'll put in will be on private land and we won't back burn...so dry here we'd probably burn everyone else out. Our plan is to divert the fire around us as much as possible and to give the firefighters a reason to help us save our places

Don't get me wrong I am NOT advocating any private back burn. Terry our neighbor the guy that set the 92 backburn is a USFS trail and timber guy but all and all pretty smart fireguy as well. He will stop in and if you ask give you a good critique - BTW I seen way too may back burns go bad. More went bad in the 92 fire than good. I mean they went real bad.... From their little golf ball or ping pong ball fire starters out of helicopters to the guys on the ground they just went stupid wrong that year. Fact I told them when they wanted to back burn this in the 92 fire to take a hike. My dad and a couple neighbors about choked when I told them that.....2013 fire they were way more better it lighting them and not letting them get away. However they the firefighters will all tell you black is the best color right now.....

August 18, 2015, 11:29:08 AM

Back side of the cabin was one of my main concerns but at least now there is dirt between it and anything combustable (for the most part anyway). I plan to do more work here this week.

Another shot behind the cabin showing the propane tank. I put in those bricks as a temp wall though I doubt they do any good I figured they can't hurt. I've got more and plan to put some behind the tank too. I'm thinking they might work as a bit of a heat shield if nothing else.

Shot from the other side of the tank. Still need to remove some of the saplings near the tank and get more dirt in there. That's the next phase.

OlJarhead · August 18, 2015, 11:39:30 AM

Generac has called and agreed to replace the controller on the generator under warranty

Now we just need to wait for the fire concern to abate a little before making that move

Meanwhile I ordered a battery cutoff switch so it will be easy to disco the battery when I leave the cabin with the inverter off.

With luck we'll have the gen back up and running in a couple weeks and of course, with a little more luck the fire will have been contained!

Redoverfarm · August 18, 2015, 11:56:56 AM

Quote from: OlJarhead on August 18, 2015, 11:39:30 AM
Generac has called and agreed to replace the controller on the generator under warranty Now we just need to wait for the fire concern to abate a little before making that move

Meanwhile I ordered a battery cutoff switch so it will be easy to disco the battery when I leave the cabin with the inverter off.

Good news from Generac.

Eric does your inverter have a SOC setting. On mine if I disconnect the batteries the generator has to run on manual to get it out of the "thinkin" mode and establish what 100% SOC is again. Once that is established I can switch it back to Auto.

MountainDon · August 18, 2015, 01:25:33 PM

Quote from: OlJarhead on August 18, 2015, 11:29:08 AM

Back side of the cabin was one of my main concerns but at least now there is dirt between it and anything combustable (for the most part anyway).

A suggestion.... too late for right now, but assuming the fire bypasses you, file this away for future thought.

The reason we skirted the bottom of our cabin was for keeping windblown wildfire embers from being blown under the cabin. Wildfire embers are not what we see when we have a campfire. They can be as big as your fist. Even bigger.

OlJarhead · August 18, 2015, 04:29:41 PM

Quote from: MountainDon on August 18, 2015, 01:25:33 PM
A suggestion.... too late for right now, but assuming the fire bypasses you, file this away for future thought.

The reason we skirted the bottom of our cabin was for keeping windblown wildfire embers from being blown under the cabin. Wildfire embers are not what we see when we have a campfire. They can be as big as your fist. Even bigger.

Sadly that has been a plan for some time but I've just not gotten it done! I think I may put some wood skirting in to try to limit that problem....good idea!

OlJarhead · August 18, 2015, 04:30:44 PM

Quote from: Redoverfarm on August 18, 2015, 11:56:56 AM
Good news from Generac.

Eric does your inverter have a SOC setting. On mine if I disconnect the batteries the generator has to run on manual to get it out of the "thinkin" mode and establish what 100% SOC is again. Once that is established I can switch it back to Auto.

Nope. I use a battery meter that does all that. It uses AH removed, charging voltages and amps going in (drop off point etc) to determine 100% soc

rick91351 · August 18, 2015, 05:08:58 PM

Quote from: OlJarhead on August 18, 2015, 04:29:41 PM
Sadly that has been a plan for some time but I've just not gotten it done! I think I may put some wood skirting in to try to limit that problem....good idea!

Got tin? Even old with holes will work.

kenhill · August 18, 2015, 06:39:40 PM

We had a fire 7 miles away from our cabin in Willow, Alaska. A neighbor was wiping the ash off of the white seats on his platform boat. He said some of them left scorch marks. Very scary. many have hooked up water pumps to sprinklers on their cabin and plan to run them if there is a fire. There is no power, so all of it would be run by generators.

OlJarhead · August 18, 2015, 11:16:37 PM

Sadly no old tin. Only old plywood but I can wet it...I can berm up sand though and put bricks down too and rocks...I'll be working it!

August 19, 2015, 09:14:02 AM

Getting pretty crazy in the Okanogan!

Less than 2 miles from me now and I'm heading back today! Wish me luck!

MountainDon · August 19, 2015, 09:37:07 AM

Fingers crossed Eric

OlJarhead · August 19, 2015, 08:05:51 PM

Put in more fire break roads and filled a 2nd 55gal drum of water. Installed a hand pump on one drum and filled 4 5 gal buckets and set on the deck. Also put a sprinkler on the deck so I can turn it on if needed.

Fire is close and wind is not going the way we want right now but also not directly at us so it's a toss up. They are evacuating or recommending to do so, the area around me but also from Riverside (north of Omak) all the way to Tonasket and wast to Waukonda so it's really tough to say where is safe these days. At a fire meeting though they basically said they just wanted people out of the way but if you wanted to protect your home you could do that.

Meanwhile the Tunk fire is headed north now and there could be an issue with it but it's a lot further away. At this point I plan to stay and work until I feel it's just no longer safe. Wish me luck! (and thanks Don!)

John Raabe · August 19, 2015, 08:47:55 PM

Sending you cooling thoughts from Puget Sound. Even Whidbey Island has high fire danger this year.

rick91351 · August 19, 2015, 10:44:45 PM

Quote from: John Raabe on August 19, 2015, 08:47:55 PM
Sending you cooling thoughts from Puget Sound. Even Whidbey Island has high fire danger this year.

Was just up your way John and it was the great brown out in Emerald City....... But I remember when I was a kid some summers up there were very hot and dry when visiting my grandmother.

rick91351 · August 19, 2015, 10:52:55 PM

Quote from: OlJarhead on August 19, 2015, 08:05:51 PM

Meanwhile the Tunk fire is headed north now and there could be an issue with it but it's a lot further away. At this point I plan to stay and work until I feel it's just no longer safe. Wish me luck! (and thanks Don!)

Need not say this but will - just do not forget to give yourself a safe bug out route. As some one that has been there a couple times... Best of luck my friend........

August 20, 2015, 09:35:36 AM

Hope all goes well Eric, I'll send some of our special horizontal rain from Scotland !

upa · August 20, 2015, 12:06:23 PM

Sorry to hear of your troubles Eric. Know how you feel we had to deal with this same problem 3 years ago, fires came within 3 miles of our cabin. Did what we could but ultimately felt helpless. Best wishes.

OlJarhead · August 20, 2015, 02:03:19 PM

Looking South

Closer look -- trees were blowing up on that hill last night and it's 1.5m south of me

South East

Staging water

Still at it and hoping to get more done.

UK4X4 · August 20, 2015, 02:19:00 PM

Going by the map it looks like the valley between you and the fire is a road and has less tree's in the valley, are they prepping a fire defence line ?

OlJarhead · August 20, 2015, 09:52:10 PM

I've pulled out. We had a madatory evac and I had water problems on top of it so left. Good thing I did! The Tunk fire (several miles east of us) jumped north over 4 miles! They have closed the hiway out of Tonasket for 12 miles east to Aeneas Valley road (where our place is) and if that fire jumped 4 miles in that short time the fire south of us must have also! That would mean it jumped right through us if it went north.

They are evacuating Tonasket and telling them all to go to Brewster which is about 50 miles south! Things are getting out of hand!