Mount Lemmon Fire Department 2 2020-06-17

[Ptah]

[Mike 03]

1. Scary

It's going to be a long hot summer. I started packing my car this morning, just in case.

[Kali]

2. HOLY SHIT!!! looked crazy up there driving north on Kolb yesterday

excuse my filthy car, the dust is just a protective coating on the dash, cheaper than those little rugs. and the insects prevent windshield cracks, right?









I wonder how long the orange will last? Still there in Texas Canyon.

[RussellCattle]

3. Amazing video. Look at the brief bit starting at 0:50 seconds and watch a fire crew....

.....remove dry brush on the slope just below the fence. It only lasts two seconds.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

4. It looks like the buildings they were trying to protect still caught fire.

How are the telescopes up there?

[Kumbricia]

5. makes me wonder

how much is natural burning and how much due to invasive buffelgrass?

I've seen reporting from the AZ Daily Star indicating the burning was caused by buffelgrass, but also emails from Sky Island Alliance indicating that burning is normal part of the desert & forest ecosystem?

[Kali]

6. buffelgrass is a problem down on the desert floor

fire is up on the mountain, and it was caused by lightening. the beginning of it may have been down where there is buffelgrass (and lehmans love grass for that matter) fire is normal but past suppression creates problems as does a "normal" wet growing season and then a dry fire season. fire is NOT that normal down in the Sonoran desert, and that is why buffelgrass is a problem, it provides much more fuel than native plants. natives such as saguaros, especially young ones, are not adapted to fire.

[Kali]

7. a view from the ranch this evening, about 40-50 miles to the east of the fire

[Ptah]

8. Great photo, Kali!

The smell of the fire is strong here in midtown Tucson.

Grant and Dodge.

[Kali]

9. the smoke started hitting the house around 9 or 9:30 last night

wind changed direction sometime before 4:30 this morning when the dog rushed a skunk in the hallway.
been enjoying that aroma all day. fucker chased me into the bathroom and tried to bite my leg! skin too sunburnt and tough for it. LOL got it cornered on a porch with nothing handy to trap it except my snake stick. it was too fast for me and pushed the screen door open and got away. time to set the trap again.