Sorry not fishing, but we

[Johnny C]

need some prayers for the people in Tahoe..I have a son and a nephew there and the fire is two blocks from their homes now..Thanks Johnny C

[Gator]

They got em Johnny - please let us know how everything turns out and if there is anything we can do to help. I am less than 60 miles from there, I can get up there pretty quick.

[Terry Smith]

Our prayers are with your family please keep us updated on them. I have been watching the news and it is just crazy up there.

Terry

[Shad*Wizard]

Before you fall asleep tonight, say a prayer for them and everyone affected by the fire...God bless...Take care Johnny...

[CN]

Prayer's are done John.I received an e-mail today from our Western Regional Manager today that our Satelite Manager in South Lake lost everything.

We have started a fund to help them out.It may not give them back what they lost--- but i believe the fact that they know they have freind's and FAMILY to help them in need is just as important.

[GW]

my friends son lost a home he just built and his son in law had to evac his rental. His new home under construction in the keys is now threatened.
The tree huggers have for years made it almost impossible to remove trees up there. Maybe that will change now.

[Cooch]

who have been affected by this fire. We have many friends and loved ones, like my son Jesse, who have been called to action to battle this early season beast! God bless em all, keep em safe and bring em home!

[MikeD]

The tree huggers have for years made it almost impossible to remove trees up there. Maybe that will change now.

the problem isn't with the trees, its the underbrush and dry vegetation thats never been burnt over the years that causes these tinderbox conditions. you could argue, and I'd agree with you, that having less trees in the area would make it easier to manage the underbrush.

you should also keep in mind that the prevailing forest management strategy for many years was to prevent/suppress fires in the then newly formed national forest areas. what has been learned in the last 10 years or so is that fires are part of the natural process and that they need to happen to prevent big fire blowups like this. but there are *huge* fuel buildups just waiting to explode.

the problem now becomes how do you allow the natural process of fire to occur to keep the forests healthy while not allowing it to burn man-made structures or damage property. home/land owners don't want fire backing up to their property -- too many incidents of the fire getting away from the fire crews and damaging property, fires are incredibly difficult to manage, so the problem just sits waiting to explode with the slightest little spark. that, and having burnt land all around you isn't pleasing to the eye and there are health issues with the smoke. forest management has really only been going on for the last 100 odd years, thats not near enough time to try to learn how to best manage forests that have been "self managed" for thousands and thousands of years via fire.

in a best case situation they'd allow the fire to continue to burn while protecting property from damage - this would prevent another fire from coming thru there for a long time and help heal that overgrown forest area. but thats probably not real viable in this situation given the size of the fire, the huge amount of fuel piled up, negative business impact due to insurance losses, land values, tourism, etc.

</miked steps off of soap box>

thoughts and prayers go out to those that have suffered in this, I'll be donating something to the Red Cross to try to help out.

[Phil]

OUR PRAYERSGO TO ALL OF THEM, WE HAVE BEEN THERE DONE THAT BACK THE YEAR OF THE SAN BERNARDINO/CRESTLINE/LAKE ARROW HEAD FIRE. WAS ONLY 1/2 MILE FROM OUR HOUSE AT CRESTLINE THEN, MAN THAT SUCKS !

AS FOR THE TREES ISSUES, GET RID OF SIERRA CLUB,PITS, AND A FEW FORIGNERS; BRING BACK THE LOGGERS WHO HARVEST THE TREES LIKE YOU HARVEST ANY CROP AND RE-PLANT, YOUR PROBLEMS WILL BE OVER. SELECTIVE LOGGING TAKES CARE OF THE BRUSH, THE DEAD OR DYING AND WEEK TREES, AND MAKES FOR A HEALTHY FOREST, EVEN WHEN THERE COMES A DRAUGHT YEAR....SPENT 30 YEARS IN THAT INDUSTRY. WE REMEMBER.

JIGS

[Johnny C]

Thanks for all the prayers..Things are looking better today..And a big thanks to all our awesome firefighters..They are the worlds best and you can't thank them enough.

[mac (Doyle McEwen)]

You most definitely got that last part right Johnny..Far too often these brave souls are taken for granted and too often chastised for allowing some damage that some feel was preventable..Our firefighters, be they forest types or city types are truly REAL AMERICAN HEROES..

mac

[leatherneck77]

Hey Johnny,

Prayers have been said, but please don't forget about the firefighters themselves. This is one of the most dangerous things they do and they do it while a lot of their own families are very close by. God bless to you all.

[getalife]

I saw the coverage on the news and I just cannot believe that anyone has the balls to tackle a fire like that head-on. Lets just hope that this wind dies down and they can get this thing out before more people lose their homes... or lives.