Burbank Fire (4 pics)

[thomascanty]

As you've probably heard, there are a few big fires burning around here, including one right here in the Verdugo Mountains above Burbank. I just took these shots from the roof of the building I work in. The edits aren't the best since my computer here at work only has Photoshop 5.5 on it, but they'll do for now. All were shot at 280mm (70-200 f/4L + 1.4x TC).

[thomascanty]

Oops, I mispoke. The first two were at 280mm. The second two were at the wide end of the lens, 98mm.

[Steve Parr]

We were evacuated during the Cedar Fire in October of 2003.

Hope it doesn't get too close, man. That can be some scary stuff...

Steve

[thomascanty]

Originally Posted by Steve Parr

Hope it doesn't get too close, man. That can be some scary stuff...

I think it would take an awful lot for me to be evacuated. Despite how close the flames look in the pictures, they're really a few (four or five) miles away, and it's all city/valley in between. If it burned all the way here, the damage would probably rival even Katrina...

By the way, I replaced the pictures with slightly better quality ones. Now that I'm home I can run them through my new workflow. Even though these were also quick edits, I get much, much, much better results now that I use Adobe Camera Raw to process the RAW files instead of BreezeBrowser... I don't know why it took me so long to switch...

[DwightMcCann]

I've been evacuated for fires two or three times in 30 years in Santa Barbara County. It is scary and people just don't understand how powerful and unstoppable wildfires are ... kinda like water, way more powerful than the inexperienced expect. Even if you are not threatened by flames, there is always all that smoke and ash falling for days. You keep safe, buddy!

[stoneylonesome]

WOW! Lonnie those are something else, I've been following the fires on the news and was wondering if you were anywhere near them. Guess you are. 4 miles isn't that far.

[thomascanty]

Originally Posted by DwightMcCann

Even if you are not threatened by flames, there is always all that smoke and ash falling for days. You keep safe, buddy!

Yes, there is that, too. The other major fire that was burning near here is on the other side of the valley, and I'm right in the middle. The smell of smoke has been pretty strong for a few days now, and there's a layer of dusty ash on everything.

Originally Posted by stoneylonesome

WOW! Lonnie those are something else, I've been following the fires on the news and was wondering if you were anywhere near them. Guess you are. 4 miles isn't that far.

No, it isn't very far, but like I said it's all city between the fire and me, not forest or brush. I don't think I'd ever have to worry about it getting any closer. It looks like they really got a handle on it today, too. I'm sure there are probably still hot spots up there, but I can't see flames from work today. Looks like it's out for the most part.

[nactos]

nice pics, I went there that night but I couldn't find a good spot to take pics, I was headin up to the Castaway and everything was blocked.... but I did get some day shot from Target parking lot. The Chatsworth fire still burning...it's been bout 5 days now. with all the smoke in the valley, my nose has been killin me

[RockOne]

They're amazing.

[thomascanty]

Originally Posted by nactos

I went there that night but I couldn't find a good spot to take pics, I was headin up to the Castaway and everything was blocked....

A guy I work with had a dinner party at the Castaway on Sunday. They had to park downhill from there and be shuttled up because the fire trucks and equipment used up most of the parking lot.

I took these pictures from the roof of Saint Joseph Medical Center on the other side of the city from where the fire was actually located.

[nactos]

Originally Posted by thomascanty

A guy I work with had a dinner party at the Castaway on Sunday. They had to park downhill from there and be shuttled up because the fire trucks and equipment used up most of the parking lot.

I took these pictures from the roof of Saint Joseph Medical Center on the other side of the city from where the fire was actually located.

wow, that's some long range shots.

[pakololo]

yea i sure do remember that fire, that day i came home, and the sky was lit up like crazy im not sure if it was cause of the fire but i know it had something to do with it .... the smoke maybe ... check,









**edit
it was a nasty feeling day but the sun was nice shot with a wide 18mm and a 300 mm long lens
oh yah and i did no tweaking, just a little sharpening

[DwightMcCann]

It is very hard to appreciate just how big those flames are and how much smoke is being generated by wildfires unless you get up real close and personal. I don't want to steal this thread but here are a couple from a wildfire last year. Same helicopter in both images I think, with the first one a few hours before the second ... the first is for size comparison.

[DwightMcCann]

In the first picture here, those flames are fifty to 100 feet tall. In the second image, I'm guessint that the little flame you can see on the left is behind the top of the hill and is likely 50 feet tall. The reason the helicopter have such a long tether to the water bucket is because the flames are so hot and can leap so high so quickly that that buffer is essential.

[pakololo]

wow good job on the pictures man, these look like a real big fire (which it was) oh my...