is there a wildfire tracker?
https://app.watchduty.org/
This one is pretty good
LA wildfires force thousands to evacuate, NASA JPL closed
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Re: LA wildfires force thousands to evacuate, NASA JPL closed
#72Re: LA wildfires force thousands to evacuate, NASA JPL closed
#73Earlier quoted context omitted.
There's no air support to contain fire because of dangerously high wind. Asking for drones now is like a dumb person's idea of cheap science fiction.
> Asking for drones now He did not. It would be worth re-reading his comment. He's pointing out that we do have technology that could help with containment : quickly identify fires, communicate their location, and dispatch some local water carriers. He's also surmising that the cost of keeping these active would be less than the cost of damages, which could very well be true. Something like a Reaper drone, which he s…
Putting the cameras on flying platforms actually limits their functionality because the platforms have to be refueled/recharged and rotated out on a constant basis.
Water carriers fly close to the ground and make sharp turns because they need to pick up water and make targeted drops, so they are heavily affected by the wind. The water carriers weren't able to start flying until late this morning/early this afternoon due to the winds being too strong (>75+mph gusts).
Re: LA wildfires force thousands to evacuate, NASA JPL closed
#74Earlier quoted context omitted.
> it wouldn't really entail a huge privacy problem unless you show up on IR sensors as well as a fire If you’re hoping to do better than sighting a smoke column, you will absolutely have to be. We’re not at a loss of detecting entire houses burning.
To violate your privacy an IR sensor would have to be able to pick out people (98 degrees Fahrenheit, approx.) and put them on a map. Versus a sensor tuned to an actual fire which is substantially hotter and larger.
> Versus a sensor tuned to an actual fire which is substantially hotter and larger
Again, at that point you’re no longer adding value over the status quo. We don’t have a problem detecting large fires near population centres.
Re: LA wildfires force thousands to evacuate, NASA JPL closed
#75Re: LA wildfires force thousands to evacuate, NASA JPL closed
#76Los Angeles Fire Department funding was cut by over $23M only a few months ago. The fires are currently being fought by a skeleton crew of remaining fire fighters and volunteers. Can't say if that funding would have prevented it, but cutting it definitely has not helped. Source: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/01/08/los-angeles-fires-m... Edit: Changing a word, "gutted" -> "cut"
2% means gutted? 2% less funding means only a skeleton crew is left?
Re: LA wildfires force thousands to evacuate, NASA JPL closed
#77I see there are three separate fires several km apart. How do they start so synchronously?
Re: LA wildfires force thousands to evacuate, NASA JPL closed
#78I was in Pacific Palisades when the fire started yesterday. I've never seen one spread so fast. It went from there being smoke way in the distance and people going about their lives normally, then 90 minutes later the fire was everywhere and people were panicking and evacuating en masse.
Folks say the same thing about the 1991 Oakland firestorm. If there's a fire in your area, pay attention and don't assume it'll be contained, the situation can change very quickly.
Re: LA wildfires force thousands to evacuate, NASA JPL closed
#79Los Angeles Fire Department funding was cut by over $23M only a few months ago. The fires are currently being fought by a skeleton crew of remaining fire fighters and volunteers. Can't say if that funding would have prevented it, but cutting it definitely has not helped. Source: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/01/08/los-angeles-fires-m... Edit: Changing a word, "gutted" -> "cut"
Someone tweeted $23 million .. your linked article (thank you for source) follows that with: City budget documents show the department’s more than $800 million budget decreased by around $17 million compared to the previous budget cycle. Which makes the cuts less than %2.12 "Gutted" as a descripter seems extreme and the details that matter are whether these reductions simply trimmed fat, or denied something essential…
I'm not sure why the percentage matters? Whether it's 2% or 20%, it's still millions of dollars that could have been used here. More broadly, why are we cutting fire department budgets when wildfires are becoming more frequent, more intense and a year round phenomenon due to global warming? If you want to trim fat in the government there are much bigger targets to go after than an essential service like firefighting.
Re: LA wildfires force thousands to evacuate, NASA JPL closed
#80is there a wildfire tracker?