John

Chemistry Nerd, Emergency Photographer, Adventure Seeker and Outdoor Wanderer. Life is anything but routine.

[John @Boomer_31]

Castaic Lake, Lower Lagoon

Two kayakers went into the water, one was pulled out, a second is missing. @LACOFD @LACoFireAirOps arrived with a dive team. @LASDHQ has taken over the incident with Air 5 inserting a second dive team and searching the lagoon.

[John @Boomer_31]

@Hotshot_Movie @Beastm0de6475 But they did help the homeless man with his belongings from the wash! Saw it with my own eyes.

[John @Boomer_31]

@Hotshot_Movie There definitely were more media on Lake Hughes Rd than engines and firefighters when it push to the lagoon. It was wild.

[John @Boomer_31]

#HughesFire pushing down Lake Hughes Rd. Burned up to Ridge Route between some condos and RV storage before moving south. Few images taken after loading up to evacuate.

Intense fire conditions in January but was predictable due to conditions and fuel load.

[Angeles National Forest @Angeles_NF]

#HurstFire
Fire Size: 505 acres
Percent Contained: 0%

🔗For more, visit InciWeb: https://t.co/OPB7QPSrei

@LASDHQ

[John @Boomer_31]

#HurstFire rolling behind the Frito Lays and MB2 Raceway. This area also burned in the Saddleridge Fire back in 2019. Last photo is from the same lot in 2019.

[The Hotshot Wake Up @HotshotWake]

California wildfires: The expected and understandable knee jerk reaction after during fires like the Palisades and Eaton, is to try to immediately find blame.

Folks must remember that this is still an emerging situation, firefighters are still responding, and homes are still burning. When you find someone on the ground with their leg cut off, you stop the bleeding first, then find the cause, then further address the issues that led to someone on the ground with a missing leg…

There are a few major long standing issues in California and important things to remember about wildfires like this.

First: I have personally been on numerous wildfires with Hotshot crews in Malibu and Santa Barbara during Christmas. These Santa Ana wind fueled “winter” fires are not unprecedented.

Second: What is unprecedented is the level of destruction these fires cause due to the long standing issues with fuel mitigation efforts statewide, and around communities. There and numerous homes that could have been saved if they removed the overgrown vegetation around their homes. Not all would have been saved, but a lot.

There are many roadblocks to this work getting done… lawsuits, weak community leadership, and a lack of will. This must change or these types of destructive fires will continue across southern California.

Third: California has a arson problem. We do not know yet if this is the case with these fires, but it’s a major issue. 2024 was the second highest arson arrests by Cal Fire, only behind 2022.

There are many factors here as I’ve reported on before, mental health issues, homelessness, people pushing political addenda’s, and individuals who just like lighting fires. The Park Fire this summer was an arson fire started by a criminal with a long record. That became the third largest fire in California’s history.

Fourth: Actually hold leaders accountable for the lack of action taken to reduce the hazardous fuel loading across your state. Prescribed fires were halted in the fall of 2024 due to lack of resources. This is a necessary tool to reduce the devastation these types of fires cause.

Finally, can we have a little compassion… people are dying in these fires and the internet is full of “fuck the rich”, “let it burn”, “fuck the homeless”, and pure filth.

This is an everyone problem. Real work needs to be done, actual labor. These fires are horrific, and will continue until these long ignored problems are addressed.

[John @Boomer_31]

@anthonycabassa Empty hydrants are a result of burning home having broken water mains. Too many holes in the water grid and pressure drops. Hydrants are not designed for major wind driven fires in dense communities.

[John @Boomer_31]

#HurstFire

[John @Boomer_31]

#SylmarFire

[John @Boomer_31]

#SylmarFire

[John @Boomer_31]

@anthonycabassa Altadena/Pasadena has the #EatonFire cranking at 400 acres. Convalescent home with 300 residents sheltering in place.

[John @Boomer_31]

@HotshotWake Already reports of possible looting

[John @Boomer_31]

@smartereveryday @SpaceX Always a fun watch!

[John @Boomer_31]

@Hotshot_Movie Not the jeans and yellow PPE 😬

[Smarter Every Day @smartereveryday]

It occurs to me that @Apple would be incredibly smart to release a communication device that did not allow social media. Not a device with software lockouts via screentime, a device that actually did not allow social media apps at all. A reduced app set, somehow hard-coded into the device. There is a huge market demand for this specific product.

We simply lack the self-discipline to not install these apps. Silicon Valley has figured out our weaknesses and how to make us addicted, and companies have figured out how to use our dopamine as a pathway to taking over our personal time. By blocking this, Apple would be seen as a benevolent actor in a sea of malicious tech companies.

Call it something catchy like:
The “Emancipation From Applications”.

As parent with teenagers, I have explored this space carefully, alongside all of dozens of thoughtful parents I respect, from all walks of life. I am familiar with all of the dumb phones, and know friends with many of the hardware solutions used to make social media inconvenient.

Increasingly, I know adults who want this product for themselves. It’s no longer just about kids.

The more I think about it the more I realize this would be a genius play on many levels.

I usually don’t say this, but please retweet this if you feel the same way. I want to know if it’s just me.

[John @Boomer_31]

@TeamHendrick @KyleLarsonRacin Watching from home in SoCal

[John @Boomer_31]

@HeliSlacker Reports of icing at that altitude so that would have caused disruption to the lift on the wings. The center of gravity of that aircraft looks like it natural would be prone to a flat spin once it stall. So the balance of mass of passengers and cargo could have played a role.

[John @Boomer_31]

@HeliSlacker This is how I understand it. It would be like riding a bike on a level surface with no more pedal input. Speed slows and the ability control balance drops and natural pull to one side or the other.

[USGS ShakeAlert @USGS_ShakeAlert]

Good evening Southern California! Did you feel the magnitude 5.3 quake about 14 mi Northeast of Lamont, CA at 9:09 pm. The #ShakeAlert system was activated. See: https://t.co/C3O7gnnFLL @Cal_OES @CAGeoSurvey @USGS_Quakes

[John @Boomer_31]

Copco Incident: Tapia Cyn, California Trailers, debris and 3 acres of brush in Castaic burn as @LACOFD @LACoFDDiv3 work to contain it.