I watched about 15 minutes of it (I don't have time to watch an hour of it) and it was authentically fascinating. But what it showed me was that this is some kind of widespread, commonplace phenomenon, as yet unexplained. I would be interested to hear what the professional firefighters would make of it.
I once watched the "Riviera" district of Santa Barbara burn to the ground in 1977 from an out-of-control brush fire. The city center is situated between two north-south running hills, and the Riviera was all across the western flank of the east hill. I viewed it from the opposing hill. It was---all I can say is "sobering." It put me in mind of Rome burning. Most of the 216 houses were ash afterward. I can't recall if there were any surviving trees. The fire did not start in a forested area and move into the city, so far as I remember.
In my neighborhood (down the street), a house was burnt to a total loss by an uncontrolled garage fire. The immediately adjacent houses (only feet away) were not touched. The house had to be razed and rebuilt.
The only thing I can think of to prompt investigation is the possibility that houses can create hotter fires, and that proliferation of fires from house to house may depend on fires being hot enough to have a significant component of thermal delivery from the heat radiation itself. That would bypass chemical effects and cook trees. I noticed in some of this fellow's photographs, the remains of basement walls. It crossed my mind that a basement could function like a woodstove, with the walls radiating heat back into the fire. (I have a cast iron stove insert, and the heat-ratiative environment within is a big part of how it works.) But I'm out of ideas. But this would be an indication that DEWs were not involved, because they would be certain to scorch any trees in the way of the beam. I will agree that something is "going on," but think it is a yet not-understood characteristic of fires in developed areas.
I watched about 15 minutes of it (I don't have time to watch an hour of it) and it was authentically fascinating. But what it showed me was that this is some kind of widespread, commonplace phenomenon, as yet unexplained. I would be interested to hear what the professional firefighters would make of it.
I once watched the "Riviera" district of Santa Barbara burn to the ground in 1977 from an out-of-control brush fire. The city center is situated between two north-south running hills, and the Riviera was all across the western flank of the east hill. I viewed it from the opposing hill. It was---all I can say is "sobering." It put me in mind of Rome burning. Most of the 216 houses were ash afterward. I can't recall if there were any surviving trees. The fire did not start in a forested area and move into the city, so far as I remember.
In my neighborhood (down the street), a house was burnt to a total loss by an uncontrolled garage fire. The immediately adjacent houses (only feet away) were not touched. The house had to be razed and rebuilt.
The only thing I can think of to prompt investigation is the possibility that houses can create hotter fires, and that proliferation of fires from house to house may depend on fires being hot enough to have a significant component of thermal delivery from the heat radiation itself. That would bypass chemical effects and cook trees. I noticed in some of this fellow's photographs, the remains of basement walls. It crossed my mind that a basement could function like a woodstove, with the walls radiating heat back into the fire. (I have a cast iron stove insert, and the heat-ratiative environment within is a big part of how it works.) But I'm out of ideas. But this would be an indication that DEWs were not involved, because they would be certain to scorch any trees in the way of the beam. I will agree that something is "going on," but think it is a yet not-understood characteristic of fires in developed areas.
I like it. Thanks.