Time for a war story - throw another og on the -uh, fire (so to speak).

years ago, two fo us were camped on West Anacapa Island doing a project. A huge fire was raging near Ojai, which is orughly fifteen miles inland. We could look up the Ventura River valley and see pine trees crown out. Anacapa Island is roughly 15 miles offshore. As the ash from that fire settled onto our campsite, i thought that a firebreak fifteen miles wide was just about right. At least the ash was cool by the time it reached the island.

Also had a similar experience while on Santa Rosa Island. Enough ash was falling on our south shore camp that we were concerned about a possible fire on the island, causing us to drive to a high point to scout things out. It was just another burn in the Santa Barbara backcountry.

I am no expert on fire behavior, but i know enough to recommend extreme caution when fire danger is high. When conditions are right, a fire can easily travel faster than anyone on foot, or even in a vehicle. Steep terrain, and the so-called "chimney effect" makes them more dangerous, even to trained crews equipped with fire shelters.

I guess I can say that if the mainland is burning, go for a trip on the Channel Islands.....


Edited by oldranger (06/13/12 11:46 PM)