Ever have a SNAFU?

[Nathan lassley]

My snafu took 14 days to form and could have cost me $40,000 . It started off as a burn pile on March 6 and on March 20 I walked out the back door of our cabin looking over the trees and said son of a *b-word.




Got caught on camera too.




Im glad I didn't talk myself out of heading up because the neighbors were completely oblivious to what was happening. Calfire only got 2 911 calls and they were both me. I got 2 20 person hand crews, 2 fed engines, 3 calfire engines, plus Auberry and bald mountain volunteers. The lady with calfire law enforcement was super nice and explained everything and I didn't get cited.

 

[hacskaroly]

I got 2 20 person hand crews, 2 fed engines, 3 calfire engines, plus Auberry and bald mountain volunteers.

I used to work as a PCF out of Fresno County Station 75 that covered the Burrough Valley area. Glad they were able to get that knocked down!

 

[Sloughfoot]

Calfire probably likes the preseason games.

 

[Seachaser]

Oh yeah. If you burn regularly , you have that happen. It happens to every landowner I know that burns. Happened to me twice.

 

[IffykidMn]

Oh yeah. If you burn regularly , you have that happen. It happens to every landowner I know that burns. Happened to me twice.
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Calfire probably likes the preseason games.

Has to be less boring than sitting around doing nothing.

 

[IffykidMn]

Oh yeah. If you burn regularly , you have that happen. It happens to every landowner I know that burns. Happened to me twice.
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Not saying it could not happen the next time I burn but it has not happened in my 66yrs thus far knock on wood.

Perhaps it had something to do with time served putting out other peoples snafu.

 

[Sloughfoot]

Finding that sweet spot where the brush is dry enough to burn off completely but not so dry that it gets away is a trick.

 

[hacskaroly]

Fire is some weird stuff, depending on the area, it can spread really fast, or it can smolder undetected for days and weeks before popping back up. We had some lightning fires up here that smoldered for months and didn't go farther than a couple of acres.

 

[Sloughfoot]

Yeh, big part of the mop up is finding where it's gone underground. It can stay hot indefinitely like the coal seams in Utah, CO..........

 

[Seachaser]

Not saying it could not happen the next time I burn but it has not happened in my 66yrs thus far knock on wood.

Perhaps it had something to do with time served putting out other peoples snafu.

We have a lot of pines that have tar around the bases. Think of it as an intense grease fire. It is impossible to put out and will send sparks everywhere. I hope I never have one again, but I burn almost every week, conditions permitting.

 

[IffykidMn]

Yeh, big part of the mop up is finding where it's gone underground. It can stay hot indefinitely like the coal seams in Utah, CO..........

Much like a peat bog burning, it is there but one would never really know it until it surfaces.

 

[Bill G]

It is interesting to hear folks that say they have never had one get out of control. I will say I most certainly have had fires get out of control. I am currently working on building some fire rakes that will look odd as poo but I hope they work.

 

[OnlyStihl]

Not saying it could not happen the next time I burn but it has not happened in my 66yrs thus far knock on wood.

Perhaps it had something to do with time served putting out other peoples snafu.

I burn every year, and take the following precautions. 1. Only burn during late fall or early winter. 2. After there is snow on the ground 3. Rain or snow forecast for the later afternoon 4. I sit by the fire when flames are active (6 to 7 hours) 5. and over the several days of burning I rake the coals inward and onto themselves.

I wish I had a chipper, as the burning always makes me nervous.

 

[IffykidMn]

It is interesting to hear folks that say they have never had one get out of control. I will say I most certainly have had fires get out of control. I am currently working on building some fire rakes that will look odd as poo but I hope they work.

And you learned something valuable in the process, if you are going to burn take necessary precautions tools before it gets out of control.
Do not burn during high wind low humidity conditions.
Have tools at hand to help contain or extinguish the fire, WATER, shovels, rakes, backpack blowers.
Do not let the fire get to a size larger than what you are capable of containing on your own, if you have never burned before keep the size much smaller than one would think and use it as a learning experience of your capabilities and the tools you have at hand, if cannot stay ahead of the fire you already mostly lost control if you are chasing the flank.
Anyone ever sit down to work on a chainsaw and find out you do not have the proper tool or knowledge needed to finish the project?
Boy Scouts would say be prepared.
Many would say use common sense.

We all generally learn from our own snafu some never learn, however I would much rather learn from others snafu whenever possible.

 

[IffykidMn]

I burn every year, and take the following precautions. 1. Only burn during late fall or early winter. 2. After there is snow on the ground 3. Rain or snow forecast for the later afternoon 4. I sit by the fire when flames are active (6 to 7 hours) 5. and over the several days of burning I rake the coals inward and onto themselves.

I wish I had a chipper, as the burning always makes me nervous.

If fire makes you nervous have you ever operated an older chuck and duck chipper? ever have a pile of chips start smoldering.

 

[hacskaroly]

We all generally learn from our own snafu some never learn, however I would much rather learn from others snafu whenever possible.

A stupid man does not learn from his own mistakes, a wise man learns from other people's mistakes!!

 

[Sloughfoot]

Before and after pics of dense old growth blackberries we sprayed and burned. About 3/4 acre. Growing back nice.

 

[Wilhelm]

I like to burn after rain & during a light drizzle, or when everything is snowed in (increasingly very rare in Croatia/in my area).
I do a sizeable pile and ad onto it as it burns down rather than to fear containment of a runaway big burn pile.
I prefer no windage when burning.

Croatia has an annual "summer" period during which open outdoor fires are illegal, especially burn piles & brush burns.

This was about a week ago, I burned at a slow pace for about 4-5 hours.
Then I spread the embers wide to glow/burn out, rummaged them repeatedly.
This was within city limits, my second back yard.

 

[Wilhelm]

One I did end of March