Off-Topic Forum

Also meant to say stay safe as you fight the fires. I've seen how they are behaving and it can get ugly quick. I know the Commonwealth has started letting foreign firefighters in to help fight the blazes so hopefully you get some respite soon.

Thanks Jim. Yes, we are very grateful for the support we are getting from around the world, particularly from the US, Canada and NZ. I believe there’s going to be a lot of work for all of us to do for months to come. I’ve personally come to a point where I can no longer afford time off from my regular job, so have found myself on the fire truck on my days off, a situation many have found themselves in, given the majority of firefighters dealing with this thing are volunteers. I hope you’ve enjoyed your time here, and really do hope I get a chance to meet up.

We are all proud of what you are doing!! Stay safe and stand tall. =) 

@flyers yep.. going to be in the 80's down here all week.. picked a good time to come plus kids in school.. won't be as packed. i know its going to be busy as all heck for you.. im like 20 min from the parks.. if you need anything , just hollar.. have fun!

@Chuck - Double rainbow pics NEVER turn out as awesome as what you really see!!!

@Brendan - I certainly wasn't trying to downplay wildfires anywhere, especially when they take lives. But here in NC, Cali fires get more attention on the local news than even ones in our own state. We have wildfires annually in the mountains to the west and the coastal forests/swamps to the east. But they get less coverage here than Pacific Coast fires do. Ours are generally in sparsely populated areas but burn lots of acreage. Firefighters just set up a wide perimeter to keep it from getting to populated areas, so they have time to contain it while letting it burn acre upon acre. The benefit to that is they know that area likely won't catch fire again for at least a few years. Most fires here start from lightning strikes following a dry spell.

I do hope the firefighters are making faster progress in AUS. I know they've had some rain lately to help with the fight.

No problem.  I knew what you meant.  I have never seen a news report regarding fires in North Carolina.  This is the first time of me hearing about fires in North Carolina.  Most of our fires are caused by human related activity.  

Thanks for understanding my reply! We do have wildfires here in NC every year. Like I said before, most are in the mountains or the swamps. Even in NC, the news doesn't report about them unless they theatened human life. It's rarely started by a camper letting their fire get out of control. Lightning strikes are the most common cause here and always have been.

When I was stationed at Cherry Point we had a few in the region. On base itself they would do routine controlled burns to clear out the brush. A lightening strike caused on off base, but nothing big. The largest I saw in NC was in the Camp lejeune area. Leave it to the Marines to ignite fires on the ranges during dry season. Big enough to cuase issues down to Morehead City and Wilmington. With that said, still not on the scale or CA or down here.

So if anyone cares to know its -36C, -51C withwindchill right now. LOL at home becuae I can.

@randfordfan, that weather is nasty! I made the mistake in visiting Iowa from here one December/January, and I just could not handle that cold after coming from out summer where it was regularly 30-35C. I honestly don’t know how those of you on that side of the world deal with that kind of cold