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Post by Andorinha on Jun 30, 2020 20:52:49 GMT -6
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Post by Andorinha on Jul 2, 2020 10:40:19 GMT -6
West side of the mountains, things look good today, no local hotspots visible at night no smokes. The perimeters around Summerhaven and the observatories are stable but they still have some local hotspots in the subsidiary valleys. On the southeast side they have flames, but not moving toward human habitations. Straight north of us, the town of Oracle has good fire-lines, and no loss of structures.The direct east slopes around Redington Pass are still uncontained, and the fires are creeping down into the washes of the cottonwood/ mesquite vegetation of the San Pedro river. Everyone is worried about the duration of these fires, and it looks like only the monsoons will bring the active flames to an end. Again, Kudos to the fire teams who have managed this difficult situation so well! tucson.com/news/local/tucsons-bighorn-fire-crews-begin-mopping-up-today/article_666fe884-bc73-11ea-96c0-9feb6a3dbb6e.html#tracking-source=home-top-story-1
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Post by fanuidhol on Jul 2, 2020 13:04:34 GMT -6
Definitely some well earned thanks to the firefighters. Any rain in the forcast?
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Post by Andorinha on Jul 4, 2020 9:26:04 GMT -6
We've had some clouds, but limited in size and water content, they go floating over the mountains, a few drops only. But at least they provide some shade. "Mopping-up" seems the operative word just now, as side canyon fires among the peaks are being cut off and left to burn themselves out. Pictures of the aftermath are becoming available, vast slopes turned to ash, stumps and a few blackened finger-like tree corpses yet standing. I've heard that some of Marshall Gulch was saved, some lost -- it will be a month or so before they start granting casual, public access, and then we'll see what's left. Things usually green-up fairly soon after a big fire, just shrubby stuff, five feet high, but at least the depressing ash fields get covered up quite soon. Last I heard, 58% contained, and the Redington Pass fires are slow moving as they go through the grassland-scrub. Ah, even better news, just saw a new report: containment up to 73%! www.kold.com/2020/07/03/first-look-pima-county-transportation-photos-show-bighorn-fire-damage/I see from some of these shots that some stands of conifer remain, only marginally damaged -- yippie! tucson.com/news/local/tucsons-bighorn-fire-containment-jumps-to-73-percent/article_2b425f48-bdf0-11ea-b683-439d4692b813.htmlWeather forecast for the next 10 give slight chance of rain -- well, no flood-worry yet.
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Post by Stormrider on Jul 4, 2020 9:56:07 GMT -6
The aftermath of fires is always so sad to see. Glad homes have remained safe because of the dedicated firemen/women. But nature will repair itself more quickly than you realize.
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Post by fanuidhol on Jul 5, 2020 9:40:34 GMT -6
Glad things are getting better! If only COVID would....
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Post by Andorinha on Jul 6, 2020 11:34:01 GMT -6
Yes, fire situation is improving in Tucson area, but Corona Virus problems are making most of Arizona a national hotspot for disease...
A few subsidiary fires continue in Willow Canyon up in the peaks, but nothing that threatens the containment lines. Still some slow spreading fires in the grasslands east of mountains. Fire crews down to 450 now, no more injuries reported, and still no loss of structures. Great job firefighters!
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Post by Stormrider on Jul 6, 2020 11:39:16 GMT -6
Good job, firefighters. I hope the corona virus gets under control now. Prayers for all.
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Post by Andorinha on Jul 8, 2020 7:33:52 GMT -6
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Post by fanuidhol on Jul 8, 2020 8:55:01 GMT -6
I had thought about the suagaro (sp?) cacti and had hoped as many as possible had been spared.
I wonder if any groups will replant some plants in sensitive areas. That would be a worthy cause to donate to. Let me know if you hear of any.
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Post by Stormrider on Jul 9, 2020 7:22:57 GMT -6
It has been a long haul getting the fires out. Kudos to all who worked night and day to get it under control and stomped out.
I was wondering about regrowth, too. Replanting sounds like a great idea, but doesn't nature itself have its own plan to regrow? But a little help from friends can go a long way to help the natural plan.
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Post by Andorinha on Jul 10, 2020 9:36:31 GMT -6
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Post by Stormrider on Jul 10, 2020 9:42:19 GMT -6
Wow! Natural recovery will be a long time coming. Even if people replant, everything will need some amounts of water and that is a huge area to go out and water frequently, although air drops of water could help, if they fly low enough so it doesn't evaporate before hitting the ground.
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Post by fanuidhol on Jul 14, 2020 11:49:32 GMT -6
As fate would have it, Grandson and I are now on a science unit about desert cacti and their impact on the ecosystem. I told him about the fire and how it killed many of the saguaro cacti. I told him that they can live up to about 200 years, so this fire was devastating to them. I did a search for saguaro and bighorn fire and came up with this and a few others: belatina.com/bighorn-fire-tucson-destroying-saguaro-tohono-oodham/
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Post by Stormrider on Jul 14, 2020 14:46:26 GMT -6
I wonder if some larger saguaros can be replanted in those areas so there are a few to get things going again. 70 years!
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