[pct-l] Fire danger may close forests

[enyapjr at comcast.net]

It has been many years since I was a firefighter for CDF, but some things don't change - 
in this case how a wildfire can behave with the extremely low fuel moisture as already present in SoCal...
And it's only going to get worse as summer approaches...

Many people may not realize how fast a wildfire front can move, especially in SoCal's steep, rugged,
chapparal covered topography - even without high winds pushing it along...
In heavy fuel areas (and dense chapparal is considered 'heavy' fuel) a wildfire creates its own 'weather' - 
the extreme heat rises rapidly thus sucking in cooler air at the bottom, creating localized winds...
If on a slope, the fire preheats the already dry fuel ahead of it - the fuel at the leading edge doesn't just
catch fire', it explodes in an inferno...  The fire 'feeds' off all that released energy and gets stronger,
creating fire 'storms' - localized areas with such intense heat and fast burning fuel that there's hardly any
'air' left to be able to breathe...  Having had the unfortunate experience of being part of 3 crews
trapped in a flare up many years ago, there is only one word to describe it - HELL...

So when many of the SoCal natives are asking you to be extremely careful regarding the fire danger -
PLEASE, take it seriously!...  It won't be too long until the fire index reaches 100% - the probability of a 
dropped match starting a fire...  that is when the closures will begin - hopefully most of the nobos will
have passed thru by then...

Be careful out there.  Hike safe.  Consider eating 'cold' (not cooking) on the trail in most of SoCal...
Maybe it could still be - Happy trails!!! for 2007...
Jim