RenoVous

 This photo is from August 10, when the Bug and Fred Fires were burning the backs of our valleys. It's pretty well contained now, but another fire started on Saturday. We were on the I-80 side of Peavine when it happened, and we could see the wind was pushing it up and over, so we went around to the 395 side. It was threatening the same valleys again, and did more damage. My sister was able to return home last night though. According to my Watch Duty app, this Hawk Fire is 15,000 acres and 27% contained. Definitely a bit hazy today.

  Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket exploded last night, and it's a contender for the largest explosion in American history. Cape Canaveral authorities have confirmed no injuries, no deaths. The Jeff Bezos company was recently selected for NASA moon missions, so this test run is a bit of a setback.... New Glenn is expected to deliver the first two rovers to the lunar surface in 2028.  Blue Origin has developed a cargo lunar lander, called Blue Moon Mark 1, which is designed to fly on top of the rocket. In April, a launch successfully reused the rocket's booster, but it dropped its satellite into a critically low orbit, rendering it useless.  The FAA then grounded New Glenn, an order that was lifted just four days ago.

Nestinarstvo is a firewalking festival in southeast Bulgaria and northern Greece. It celebrates the feast of Saints Constantine and Helena. (Some things say that is today, while others indicate June 4th). The nestinari, or performers, walk and dance across the embers, carrying icons for the saints. This practice is a mix of Eastern Orthodox beliefs and pagan traditions.  It is recognized by UNESCO as part of humanity's intangible cultural heritage.

 You may have seen in the news, a deadly fire in a Hong Kong housing complex. 151 people have been confirmed dead. The buildings had been undergoing renovations, and the directors of the construction company have been arrested.  Chief Executive of Hong Kong, John Lee, has ordered an investigation. So I thought we'd take a look at the history of fire forensics. It was during the Industrial Revolution that the first fire departments were established and the need for trained investigators to determine the cause of factory fires.  The first documented arson investigation was in 1794. Early cases relied heavily on eyewitness accounts, and it wasn't until the 1970's that chemical analysis was introduced.  The ATF, formed in 1972, later pioneered the use of accelerant-detecting canines. Accelerants point to arson, and the International Association of Arson Investigators was charted December 4, 1951, formed in Louisville, KY.   But that's not say investigations are...

 Lithograph from Currier & Ives of the Great Chicago Fire, 1871. There were 37 fires in the Great Lakes region that day.  300 died in Chicago. The Great Michigan Fire (in Manastee) took the lives of closer to 500 people, while the Peshtigo Fire killed at least 1,200.  It remains history's deadliest fire. What started the fires is unknown, but it had been a dry summer, and the winds from the front that moved in were more than enough to spread whatever was ignited. One theory from Chicago blamed Mrs. O'Leary's Cow.

  It's that time of year when everything has dried up and is ready to burn.  Add some wind, and we've got an 8% contained wildfire at the border. How it started: 2020 Alfa Romeo, driver arrested for DUI. Unfortunately, Hubby's aunt lost her home.  But in her post, she referenced hope. Luckily, she has the means to be okay.   674 acres as of this morning.

  The Darvaza Crater sits in the Karakum Desert of Turkmenistan. It is also called the Derweze Crater after a nearby village, or by its nickname, The Gates of Hell. While the exact history is unknown, it is believed that Soviet geologists started drilling for oil and hit a gas pocket.  The borehole soon opened into a cavern, causing a large sinkhole. With concern for the gas escaping into the atmosphere, they figured they'd light it on fire to burn it out, but it still burns to this day. Turkmenistan ranks 6th in the world for natural gas reserves, but it's honestly unknown how much gas is feeding this fire.  Canadian explorer George Kourounis was the first man to descend into the crater.  Partly funded by National Geographic, he collected soil samples.  He had to wear a special breathing apparatus, a heat-reflective suit, and a harness made from Kevlar. "We did find some bacteria living at the bottom that are very comfortable living in those high temperatures, ...

  Surely you've heard by now about the Dixie Fire, the nation's largest fire burning and the second largest in California history.  It has burned more than 600,000 acres and is currently only 31% contained. Air quality in Reno is currently rated 262 - very unhealthy.  No swamp cooler running today. But those are small complaints compared to those who lived in the town of Greenville, now devastated. Some buildings lost were from the 1800's, so not only were homes and businesses destroyed, but history as well. Some friends of ours had recently bought a cabin in Canyondam and were going to do kayak rentals, but the entire property is gone now. It's now moving down into the Janesville area, which brings it even closer to home. The cause is pending investigation, but PG&E indicated that it may have been a blown fuse on one of their poles.  The company had to pay out a large settlement for liability in 2018's Camp Fire, which decimated the town of Paradise, caused by ...

  San Francisco Smoke may be hydrocarbon particles or soot, which is black carbon.  Carbon atoms absorb and scatter more longer wavelength red hues than shorter wavelength blues, absorbing more of the blue, so we see this red-orange sky.   Since it's San Francisco, we know there is also a layer of fog.  Water vapor absorbs more on the red-orange side of the spectrum, but water molecules are larger than carbon, so they scatter all wavelengths.  What is normally grayish in color was filtered by the smoke, multiplying the scatter. People said it was like being on Mars, but scientists are quick to correct that.  Mars appears red due to the dust in the thin atmosphere, and what we're seeing is more like Saturn's moon, Titan.  A thick atmosphere with blue scattering hydrcarbons. Physicist Sanaz Vahidinia says of the location of the smoke cloud: "If it's pretty high and pretty thick, then it'll play a role in how subdued the light is.  It won't be v...