Flagstaff AZ human caused, again.

[Bob Wright]

So, Coconino County Sherriffs office arrested a 55 y.o. Oregon man for attempting to burn his used toilet paper, while in windy dry conditions. Realizing he just started what is now a massive forest fire he takes off in his truck, leaves the mess but witnesses point him out to the CCSO as the suspect.
Can people just get any dumber?
I hope this idiot pays for the fire for the rest of his miserable life.
Another fire just ignited is only 5 miles away. No cause assigned but probably human caused since monsoon storms and lightning are not widespread up north. Flagstaff and hunt unit 7 is in immediate danger now.
Morons...

 

[Deleted member 115360]

Burns don't kill off wildlife, not on any kind of scale. They escape fires and then benefit from the burn for the next few years. The terrain improvements for wildlife are strong. Even the natives here used controlled burns going back thousands of years. Makes better habit than anything man could create intentionally.

 

[Bob Wright]

Burns don't kill off wildlife, not on any kind of scale. They escape fires and then benefit from the burn for the next few years. The terrain improvements for wildlife are strong. Even the natives here used controlled burns going back thousands of years. Makes better habit than anything man could create intentionally.

We don't have healthy forests here. It all needs to be thinned to get back to those normal burns you described.
What we have is loads of fuel, crowning fires and devastated, sterilized soil for decades. None of that is good.
On top of that, mudslides are now common in the town due to last year's fire near Flagstaff, Globe-Miami, etc.
Your comment does not apply in many western states where fire suppression has been the norm. It was a disaster that only manual thinning can repair now.

 

[Deleted member 115360]

I know what you've said is the truth. Humans created these tinderbox situations. California is a case study of exactly how you mismanage a landscape and ruin it for all reasonable usage. Unfortunately many of the same idiots that were instrumental in ruining California have swamped the rest of the country, and they brought their politics with them.

 

[TRnCO]

"Burns don't kill off wildlife, not on any kind of scale. " I would put one exception on that and that is when it's fawning season, like right now. Fawns will not escape fire.
Most of the wildfires these days are human caused. Although the news likes to tell us it's all connected to global warming.

 

[Deleted member 115360]

"Burns don't kill off wildlife, not on any kind of scale. " I would put one exception on that and that is when it's fawning season, like right now. Fawns will not escape fire.
Most of the wildfires these days are human caused. Although the news likes to tell us it's all connected to global warming.

Solid point. I'd say that's probably right. I could see it being a real detriment to the fawn crop. We know they won't move, they just hunker down and die in place.

 

[DUCKMAN11]

We had 1,100 acres catch fire on the lease. It started at the highway so it could have been caused by a number of things. 6 months later and its now the best looking pasture on the property. The problem with the fires out west is they don't happen often enough. Too much fuel is accumulated over a few decades and you get "super fires" at the wrong time of the year that burn so hot rocks will crack. These fires suck but you gotta start somewhere. As far as manual brush control...... have you seen the price of diesel lately? And the guy burning his trash needs to be kicked in the nutz!!

 

[brcfo_outdoors]

As mentioned, CA is good example of what not to do from a forest management perspective, and in general an extreme case. During the Woolsey fire the flames could advance at something like 30mph under the right conditions. Someone I know had family members burned alive in their car, so I would imagine wildlife escaping on foot not having much of a chance. Habitat/resource loss, stress, heat, smoke inhalation, and general displacement of animals (especially those who are very territorial) I feel increases the mortality rate over just the flames themselves. We would see mountain lions at work with some frequency at night, and they pretty much always just went about their business. During the fire(s) is the only time we ever had an incident where one of my guys reported one acting agitated and aggressive and supposedly charged at the SXS he was driving. CA may be the exception not the rule, and the areas do recover in an incredible fashion, but I don't think that in any way minimizes the loss of life as a direct result of these fires.

People will always be idiots, and never learn. Whether it is forest "preservation" to the point of mismanagement, failure of utilities companies to maintain their own equipment, clueless campers/transients, or straight up arsonists.

 

[xsn10s]

All the Pacific Northwest states suffer from this mismanagement. An Oregonian should know better since we've had large fires every year.

 

[xsn10s]

I'll put my bet on puffy jacket.

 

[birddog 68]

People will always be idiots, and never learn

This is so true but why does it seem like there's so many more of these idiots nowadays?

 

[adam32+P]

The biggest fire in New Mexico history was started by the Forest Circus...

 

[brcfo_outdoors]

This is so true but why does it seem like there's so many more of these idiots nowadays?

I think there are several reasons. Probably the level of attention it gets nowadays, for those who want it from setting fires, infamy is still fame. Lack of two parent homes with role models that teach children ethics and an appreciation for the great outdoors. This mixed with pure negligence and the increased volume of people exploring the great outdoors, or otherwise homeless and displaced since COVID. The fact that common sense is anything but common, and sometimes you just can't fix stupid.

Ultimately money in one way or another, plays a role in all this too. Private fire fighting and prevention has been a fast growing industry in California over the last few years, and its big money. Utility companies like PG&E and SCE don't want to spend the money to maintain their equipment. Then they cause the Paradise and Woolsey fires and get sued so now they are actually taking an interest in it. These same companies will shut off the power you are paying for if it gets windy to protect themselves and act like they are doing you a service.

 

[Wisconsinvette]

The problem with the fires out west is they don't happen often enough.

They happen plenty. The problem is we dont let them burn enough.