TUESDAY NIGHT VIDEO….BEHIND THE SCENES!

On our way into Yosemite to check out the park, we ran across this amazing scene. Watch as helicopter pilots drop down in narrow canyons to get water. Amazing work!  done

THIS IS LATE BEHIND THE SCENES VIDEO FROM THE TELEGRAPH FIRE

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Welcome to Yosemite. That’s the sign in these parts. Over the course of modern time, millions of people from all over the globe have come here. From the time of horse and buggies, to limiting auto’s in the park, Yosemite has withstood the test of time. Its stunning vistas and amazing mix of natural wonders, now like much of California, shadowed by the black/brown/gray layer of smoke that has ruined the blue skies of the Golden State. I got the call on the way to the airport. I had come to Tahoe and Northern California for a wedding and a birthday and the drive a couple of days ago along I-80 revealed the lingering smoke that stretches over much of the northern state. I saw it again today as I grabbed a rental car at the Sacramento Airport and headed south on Highway 99. I hadn’t expected to be at the fires and I made a quick pit stop to get some fire clothes. The entire drive, the foothills of the Sierra was obscured. A blackish blanket that thickened as I passed through Stockton, Modesto, Turlock and Atwater. The temperature is warm and the humidity down…a warm breeze also blows. While this is tough weather, in normal years, this likely wouldn’t be enough to fuel and even erupt a fire. This year is sooooo much different as I have explained in the four previous fires I have covered. We are here again, homes and lives threatened. We will get you updates and watch yet another battle with the flames in ultra dry California.

While news coverage of the Southern California wildfires is slowing down like the Santa Ana winds (which may pick up again according to forecasters) I keep scouring websites, and the wires to see what’s going on with the hunt to find the arsonists responsible for this disaster. Being a California native, I am on the phone constantly with my family and friends talking about the latest in our now crispy state, to see how everyone is doing, and to check on the investigation into how it all started.

Leave it to KFI-AM 640 to add a little incentive (or a big one as the case may be) to find the firebug who left so much of Southern California scorched, hundreds homeless, and several dead. I have blogged before about this mighty radio station in L.A. (I am not only a former employee, but a big fan…) and knew from many of your responses that you would want to know about this. Check out this link from KFI’s website for more info.

We’ve seen rewards work before in bringing in the bad guy or gal… Like so many out there, I hope this reward does the trick, and brings justice to those who have lost so much.

We’ve all seen the images of homeowners trying to save their properties against a wall of flames, with what looks like a spurt from a garden hose.

If only those people knew about “Barricade Gel” or “POK Quickstick foam.”

Barricade concentrate is a thermal protective gel that you can attach to your garden hose and spray your house down with to prevent it from catching fire. The gel provides a high level of protection from radiant heat, flying embers, and direct flame. The goo goes into your garden hose out of a plastic container, the same way you would attach pesticide to a hose and spray for bugs.

Firefighters have been using this stuff for years, but it is available to the public, and the formula is being improved all the time. This could have been very useful to the folks in SoCal a week ago. I hear when they do demos of Barricade Gel, they coat a door with it, then take a blowtorch to it, and it doesn’t burn. When I called the Barricade headquarters in Kansas to find out more, they were totally swamped with calls today, and it’s no wonder. If I lived in Southern California, and had a chance to save my home, I’d be on the horn too. I found out about Barricade Gel, after talking with Tom at LineGear in Southern California. I originally had called his company to find out more about fire shelters that firefighters use — affectionately called “shake and bakes” after seeing this picture in the L.A. Times.

These firefighters were nearly engulfed in flames on a ridge off Santiago Canyon Road in Orange County. Someone on the crew hollered out to deploy their emergency packs so that the fire wouldn’t burn them alive. The metallic shelter, that makes them look a little like astronauts on the moon, luckily kept these firefighters a little toasty, but safe. My good friend and Fox News legal analyst Jim Hammer is the one who tipped me off to fire suits, after seeing the story, and amazing picture in the L.A. Times.

(You may have to complete a free registration form at the L.A. Times site to view the article — but trust me, it’s worth it!)

Keep Reading …

We are on the move. The dangerous fire in Malibu has been knocked down, as firefighters made amazing progress. Air operations began at the first sign of light. I noticed two areas of fire that winds stoked throughout the morning. But the fire was burning down hill and lying low in the cooler overnight temperatures.

It’s amazing work done by firefighters here and as some of the aerial support begins to leave to help at other fires, we too are on our way out. We have quickly packed the truck and crew vehicle and now are on the road. We’ve taken Topanga Canyon to the 101 freeway in an effort to avoid LA traffic, which is a mess due to all the road closures. The idea is to get across the San Fernando Valley as quickly and as safely as possible. We’ve got our maps out, radio’s on and we’re back in cell service.

This is video this morning from Carbon Canyon in Malibu California. This fire has already destroyed 5 homes, a church and an animal hospital.

We got on location about 2am PST this morning and the Santa Ana winds kicked up not long after we arrived. As I took this video, we could feel the heat and about 10 minutes later we had to evacute the area as firefighters from Anaheim California did their best to save the home and as of this writing they are still keeping the flames away.