Fort Ross Volunteer Fire Department

It seems like the Red Flag warnings just keep rolling in, but brace yourself for a Big One. Writes meteorologist Daniel Swain: "this wind event is poised to become the strongest of the season so far (by a wide margin) and will likely approach the magnitude of the extreme autumn wind events in 2019 and 2017. Given that vegetation is now at or near record dryness levelsmuch as it was prior to the North Bay firestorm in October 2017this is a very concerning forecast." Details ...at https://weatherwest.com/archives/7691. You know the drill: stay alert to conditions, be super-cautious, and be ready to evacuate at a moment's notice.

Another RED FLAG WARNING starting tonight at 11pm running through 8am Wednesday. For the moment the red flag warning will be followed by a Fire Weather Watch through Friday morning. This pattern may continue for the next three weeks or so until we finally see some rain. Please refrain from outdoor activities that could risk causing a fire. Have your Go Bags ready, and if you see smoke or fire, report it!

As the great philosopher Yogi Berra said: "It ain't over till it's over." We are still in the thick of fire season, and there's a new Red Flag warning for Wednesday through Friday morning. (Sigh.) Stay aware of conditions, be super careful out there, and keep your Grab and Go kit handy.

Our Red Flag Warning has been extended through Friday night to 6am Saturday morning. Sorry, don't relax your guard yet. The real interesting news is the possibility of rain arriving the second half of next week. Maybe. If it pans out, it's not likely to end this fire season from hell, but it will help a lot. For those so inclined, prayers, spells, and rain dances welcome. See: ... https://www.latimes.com//will-a-former-hurricane-provide-t See more

Yet another Red Flag Warning has been issued for Thursday, starting 1pm, until Friday 6pm. Friends and neighbors, we are in the midst of the worst fire season ever, caused by a collision of climate change with other human factors. For now, all we can do is cope: stay alert to conditions, be prepared to evacuate if need be, and continue the ongoing work to harden our homes. We have another two months of fire season, or until the winter rains come. Hang in there, everyone.

The Red Flag Warning has been extended until Monday 9pm. Track real-time wind direction and speed at Windy.com. Be careful and stay safe, folks. And if you see clueless, stupid behavior, be rude and interrupt. There's no need to be polite if you can prevent a fire.

We now have a Red Flag Warning in effect from 9pm Saturday through 8am Monday. Nighttimes will be especially dangerous because the northeasterly offshore winds will pick up overnight. These Diablo wind events are predicted to be more moderate than those that drove major fires the last few years. Even so All those precautions we advised in the previous post? Do 'em. Be ready if the worst hits. Meanwhile, there was an overnight flare up on the Meyers Fire Thursday night. Stubborn bits of fuel continue to smolder there, and likely will until the rains come.

Here we go again. We are in a Fire Weather Watch, which will become a Red Flag Warning as the weekend approaches. Expect very hot temperatures, extremely dry conditions, and Diablo winds Saturday evening into Sunday and Monday. Any fire starts are likely to spread fast and become extremely dangerous. Meanwhile, firefighting resources are spread thin across the West. Please take extra care and stay alert to changing conditions. Disaster prep is a lifestyle: have your Grab and Go kit ready, with leashes and/or carriers for your pets. Clean off your roof and gutters. Move anything combustible a minimum of five feet away from your exterior walls (patio furniture, mulch, tools, firewood, trellises...). Visit FRVFD.org for lots more prep information.

Teamwork! CVFD and FRVFD are on duty, taking care of business, here and wherever the call comes in.

Red Flag warning issued for the North Bay hills, Monday evening through Wednesday morning. We're looking at combined hazardous heat, extreme dryness, and offshore winds. From Nat'l Weather Service: "Sustained north to northeast winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts 30 to 45 mph above 1000 feet." Please use utmost caution (for example, no Labor Day grilling or fire pits).

It's very hot, very dry, and the Labor Day holiday means we have extra visitors. NWS's forecast compounds all that with moderate to gusty offshore winds (the dangerous kind) starting Monday evening until Wednesday morning. There's a Fire Weather Watch that may become a Red Flag Warning soon. Stay cool, stay vigilant, stay informed (see weather links at https://www.frvfd.org/index.php/disaster-prep), and keep your Grab & Go kit handy.

We have another two or three months of fire season, folks, so don't let your guard down. Fire season continues. Keep prepping your home. Think like an ember: if an ember landed here, would it ignite? Move anything flammable at least 5 feet away from your structure -- 25 feet is even better. Consider door mats, wooden patio furniture, firewood, planter boxes, bark mulch, pet ramps, tools... Replace with noncombustible items, like metal or stone. Don't forget to keep your roof... and gutters swept. Meanwhile, keep your Grab & Go kit handy. If you evacuated recently, assess how it went. What did you forget, what did you wish you had with you? A good Grab & Go is a work-in-progress. Restock and be ready to do it again if need be. See much more information on preparing for fire and evacuation at https://www.frvfd.org/.

Newsletter from Lynda Hopkins, our county supervisor, has a great description of the Walbridge Fire's current behavior.

Unluckily, there is a 30% chance of more dry lightning coming on Sunday/Monday. A Red Flag Warning is now in effect. Get updates on the Red Flag at National Weather Service forecast. Read details of the just-past and upcoming lightning storms at https://weatherwest.com/archives/7459. Locally, join the Caz Hills Fire/Emergency group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/cazhillsfire/ for excellent crowd-sourced information as it happens. Be alert, be safe, and be ready for more (...dammit). https://www.wrh.noaa.gov/total_forecast/index.php

Saturday Update on Current Fire Conditions: Our incredible FR volunteer firefighters were continuously on the Meyers Fire from Sunday until Friday evening. They were released late Friday. Meals were brought in by our wonderful support crew of local cooks, a heroic effort in itself. Fingers crossed, it's looking pretty good at Meyers. The Walbridge Fire is still raging toward Guerneville and Healdsburg. Our western side of the fire is looking relatively okay with a lot of fire retardant and dozing, but it wouldn't take much -- a shift in winds -- to bring it down our way. Meanwhile, the southern section of our area remains under Mandatory Evacuation orders and all roads in are closed; those in the northern section, under Evac Warning, can of course drive out.