Rim Fire Casualty

[LongNLowGMC]

Now, if the 200,000+ acres burned (so far) wasn't bad enough, or the insane amount of smoke we've had to breathe and live in for the last two weeks in my neck of the woods (on top of my already bad asthma) wasn't bad enough, today I had to see this (not my house or truck, found the picture online today). This fire is a total bummer, the only positive for me was my friends and family near this area were spared any losses thanks to the great work of the firefighters working this blaze. And now they are saying it won't be contained for another three weeks. Fire sucks.

[Mister-B]

That's sad. But, on the bright side, this pic proves my point once again that 67/68 steering wheels are built better then the newer ones!
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[ItsRandy]

That will buff right out.

[ET702]

You guy's are funny, and i feel bad for the people in California!

[Sleeperc10]

You could save some parts on that. Use the sheetmetal and make a killer looking show truck with a patina style to it.

[Tinkermc]

That burnt to hell patina is hard to find most of the time.

[rsavage]

LongnLowGMC,
Sorry for your losses. I can't find ANYTHING funny about someone losing their property and belongings in a fire. Anything we on the board can do?

[big_al_71]

that's terrible...

[NGN]

Sorry for your loss. I feel for ya . I can only hope you get on your feet soon.
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[LongNLowGMC]

To clear up any confusion this was not my truck, I found this online today while looking through pics a firefighter posted. I'm fairly close to where this is happening, and some of my family had some close calls with the fire around Tuolumne City. My truck and I are far enough away where we thankfully don't have to worry. As far as helping they are really looking for stuff here locally, like food, water, supplies for the firefighters. The best thing I could think of would be to donate to Red Cross, they have a shelter setup down the street from where I'm at for the families that have had to evacuate. They got here early on and seem to be doing a good job for the people there.

[special-K]

Yeah,I agree. How can anyone find humor in this? Thanks for posting the picture so we can see just how real these fires are back east where it's been wetter than ever this year. Hot Shots are some of America's unsung heros

[richards72chevy]

My family is from Sonora.They have some bad fires in that area.I hope they can get these fires out.

[mgkgmc]

Unfortunately fire in the high country is getting to common for my liking. I'm afraid were going see more of this in the future. Hopefully insurance helps lessen the pain a lil bit for them.
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[Tx Firefighter]

You're absolutely going to see more fire as time goes on. Man holds wildfire at bay with his firefighting efforts and it causes too much fuel to accumulate. Nature burns for a reason, to rid itself of accumulated fuel load.
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[sboris]

Makes you pause for a moment, appreciate what we've got, and the men and women fighting or just having to deal with this. It's real easy to just live your life when things are clicking along. Thanks for posting that..
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[pritch]

Originally Posted by Tx Firefighter

You're absolutely going to see more fire as time goes on. Man holds wildfire at bay with his firefighting efforts and it causes too much fuel to accumulate. Nature burns for a reason, to rid itself of accumulated fuel load.
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Absolutely true. This is why we can see millions of acres of beetle killed pine forests out here in the west. Only fire can kill the pine beetles.

[classicchev]

Looks like the same devastation as what the floods have done in Southern Alberta in late June... I think I would rather deal with fire than having to deal with the water and all the lovely stuff that it brings and leaves when its gone..

Prayers to all upset by the fires,

[Tx Firefighter]

I hope I don't come across as callous, but stuff like this is to be expected. Nature will burn despite man's efforts to stop it. A lot of the devastation is due to where and how people build their homes. People like the rugged environment and secluded "back in the woods" thing, and build houses in areas where a fire is likely to devastate them eventually. Having towering trees around your house and undergrowth and dead leafs or pine needles is a recipe for disaster. A wide open area around your house with no clutter and well tended foliage is very unlikely to cause your house to burn down if a wildfire rages through. I've been fortunate to fight large wildfires with the Forestry Service and the BLM and have seen it so many times where fire is raging and running with flames as tall as 10 story buildings, then it hits a farmers field and it quits traveling such that the fire department can run down the fire line and mop it up easily. That's the reason the BLM uses gigantic Cat bulldozers. When you cut a swath 5 or 6 dozer blades wide, its a fantastic fire stop. Every spring here in Texas you see people running a plow around their property two or three passes. That way when some jerk throws a cigarette butt out the window and catches the ditch on fire, it doesn't travel across the fields and cause devastation. And it's the reason the smart little piggy keeps a wide yard around his house with few trees.
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[john]

Now they think it was started by an illegal marijauna grow site. Those are popping up all aver california forests and back country.

[Spartan]

this is sad.
TxFirefighter makes good points.
Metal roof and defensible space helps a little.
"they think it was started by an illegal marijauna grow site..." this wouldn't surprise me. I hike all through the sierra and cascades and stumble into some patches from time to time. Scary feeling, but if this IS the case it should be said that the "weed" plants didn't cause the fire... man did. A distinction needs to be made between what actually caused the fire and drug war dogma. In any case my heart goes out to those affected. The loss of life, heirlooms and even insured items is a dismal feeling... I've been there.

[special-K]

Lightning strike fires are nature's way,mindless tossing of burning cigarette butts (or other carelessness) is pure ignorance that more than doubles the likelihood of fires in the arid forests of the west. It's true in that part of the country you must accept the risk you are taking on,but back east the forests serve to retain moisture and the likelihood of forest fires is very low and generally only a concern during a rare drought. Rot,mold,and falling over mature trees are a bigger concern than fire.

[Patina'd_402]

I was just thinking, that would be a Dope patina truck...
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[LongNLowGMC]

Another beautiful day here in Sonora...

[LongNLowGMC]

Here's a comparison from a few days ago when it wasn't quite as smokey...