Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: RoadKingLarry on August 04, 2012, 07:05:01 PM
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With the drought and the heat we've had it was just a matter of time before things started burning.
They've ordered the evacuation of 2 whole town so far.
http://www.newson6.com/story/19196911/wildfire-rages-on-ash-falls-on-surrounding-cities (http://www.newson6.com/story/19196911/wildfire-rages-on-ash-falls-on-surrounding-cities)
http://www.newson6.com/story/19190887/grass-fires-erupt-in-parts-of-oklahoma (http://www.newson6.com/story/19190887/grass-fires-erupt-in-parts-of-oklahoma)
Nothing close to me, maybe 40+ miles away but we can still smell smoke in the air. Still keeping an eye out, we are popcorn fart dry and it wouldn't take much.
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Good luck, RKL. Hopefully nothing will light off in your area. Are you taking any preventive measures?
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I keep the underbrush well away from my house, 50 yds min, for starters but and I've got hoses hooked up with pressure nozzles that will reach all around both the house and shop and I've got my 25 Gl sprayer filled and hooked up
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If you have any eaves troughs, make sure they are clear of any type of flamable material.
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Freakishly enough, the eaves of my house are at this minute dripping with rain water form the little pop up thundershower we just got. Not enough to break the drought but it sure knocks down our fire danger for the moment.
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Dumb question moment: Would something akin to those small tube string misting garden sprinklers rigged across a roof be useful in such a situation as to keep the house from catching due to embers and such (assuming you've already cleared firebreaks 50 yards around the house)?
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The roof isn't too much of a hazard assuming it isn't wood shake, unless a pile of leaves or twigs has accumulated in a valley.
Any horizontal wood (or other fuel) surface is susceptible to hot embers: decks, porches, eave braces, etc. Lawn furniture cushions can burn down a house.
Any fuel such as grass, weeds, or debris around the house can ignite wood siding. I saw a little bit of dry weeds burn down a shed when the flames crept up the ribs of the metal siding and ignited straw inside.
Are you on an electric pumped well ??? The power will likely go off when or before a fire comes through, so your hoses won't be much good unless you have a generator or an alternate water supply with a fuel driven pump.
Take care and good luck. We've had a few days since our last fire, but we remain one lightning strike and a bit of wind away from disaster.
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I'm on municipal water. Even though I'm 2 miles outside city limits I'm only about 150 yards from the city water plant and tower so my water supply is fairly secure. I also filled my rain barrels so I could refill my 25 gallon tank sprayer if it came to that but with the rains we had this evening I'll sleep well tonight with out worrying about wildfire.