Fires in and near cities

 

Saturday afternoon, we had fire climbing up Beacon Hill. One house burned.  It stopped at the first ridge top, thanks to the work of our firefighters.  On Sunday, six hundred homes and structures burned in Spokane.  MSN wrote, “The fires exploded in size over the weekend amid strong winds, hot temperatures and critically dry conditions.” 

          “Strong winds and hot temperatures” are caused by “critically dry conditions.” Fires like these have been far too common in recent decades.  Up to the mid-80’s, fires didn’t start anywhere near cities, because cities were being watered by sprinklers every weekend of the growing season. 

We are told, “Sprinklers evaporate half of what they throw before it reaches the ground.”  I heard that in Landscape Management class in 2001, and it is true in most cases.  Air also evaporates any water that doesn’t soak into the ground, plants, fences, sidewalks and streets.  

This does not waste water; it is used for beneficial purposes. It cools the area being watered.  Water vapor rises up to cloud level and makes clouds and rain.  It spreads sideways as well, humidifying the area around cities, farms, and gardens.  With every city, farm and resident watering with sprinklers, every city was protected from wildfires, which happened only way out in the wilderness. 

In 1985, we had thunderstorms nearly every weekend of that summer. The exceptions were when many people didn’t water because they thought it would rain. 

On the other hand, in 1986, we were told before it happened that we were heading into drought so, “Don’t water your lawn or wash your cars.”  That summer, we had 103 days without rain.  If we had been watering as usual, we would have had rain regardless. 

We never heard of dry lightning storms causing fires near cities in Oregon in those days.  We didn’t hear about cities being torched by firebugs.  Gravity winds were mild or non-existent.  I remember one such wind event in Tillamook, Oregon in midwinter.  We had a foot of snowpack that melted away overnight, causing flooding in the flat land.

 

8-19-2026, 3-minute speech to the Grants Pass City Council published at GardenGrantsPass.blogspot.com. 

To be posted on Facebook, Nextdoor and X.com

 

            Rycke Brown                  541-955-9040          rycke@gardener.com