Triunfo Park Fire

Nikolai · January 23, 2007

I was driving my daughter and her friend from school around 6 pm when they mentioned some fire. Soon I have noticed it myself. Its bright orange light gave our quiet and usually peaceful Conejo Valley rather volcanic and generally inferno-ish look.
I dropped the girls at the house and I took off for a quick - half an hour, I told my wife:-) -look.
...
Two hours later I got back...:-)
...
Here are a few shots.

01: Crowd is silently watching the raging fire:

02: Fire blast:

03: Fireman in action (I know it's blurry, but I like it):

04: Fire Devil:

05: Fireman:

06: Large tree is on fire:

07: Fireman:

These pics (and some more) can also be found here:
http://nik.smugmug.com/gallery/2384696

And a slightly broader selection (including firetrucks!:-) is here:
http://nik.smugmug.com/gallery/2384697

Enjoy!

Blonde Moment · January 23, 2007

These show the emotion of this tragic event very well.

Unfortunately in some parts of the world this is an all too often occurance.

Nikolai · January 23, 2007

Mark,

Blonde Moment wrote:

These show the emotion of this tragic event very well.

Unfortunately in some parts of the world this is an all too often occurance.

Thanks!

You're right: unfortunately, our particular area recently became a fire magnet. Hardly 3 months since the last one hit the nearby Moorpark. I'm not even talking about small ones..:-(

Blonde Moment · January 23, 2007

Here in Australia there has been a fire in the highlands of Victoria for the passed 6 weeks. It has burned a huge area.

Unfortunatly this was preventable. Before white man came to Australi, the Aboriginals burned land on a rotational basis. In the north here, this practice has returned, but down south, burning stopped 150 years ago.

Since then agriculture took over and in the high country, cattlemen would graze the stock from Spring to Fall. This kept the undergrouth down and the stockmen cleared areas of introduced vegitation like blackberries.

About 20 years ago the Green Movement had a campaign to remove the cattle. There was a protest group of farmers and "Friends of the High Country" which tried to keep the cattle their.

There reason was the cattle kept the undergrouth down etc.

Unfortunately the Greenies own and we now have nearly all the hight country burning!!!

As we changed the environment we have a responsibility to protect it as well, not just a nieve thought that all would be well if we removed ouselves from it.

Just my thoughts to a complex problem that effects many areas of the world not just here and CA.

Swartzy · January 23, 2007

Nice captures Nik
These really reflect the mood well. I too like your blurry fireman....it represents the fury of the fire and the hurry to put it out.

DavidTO · January 23, 2007

Nice work, Nik!

Those fires are just over a large hill from my house, and the open space that it's burning in is the same open space that butts up to the back of my property. The fires were probably 1/4 mile away from my house. But the terrain and the winds were working in my favor. Having said that, I pulled out my drives and threw them in the car along with my photo gear, just in case things change today.

Nikolai · January 23, 2007

David,

DavidTO wrote:

Nice work, Nik!

Those fires are just over a large hill from my house, and the open space that it's burning in is the same open space that butts up to the back of my property. The fires were probably 1/4 mile away from my house. But the terrain and the winds were working in my favor. Having said that, I pulled out my drives and threw them in the car along with my photo gear, just in case things change today.

I'm very relieved to know your property (as well as many others) wasn't damaged. Still, having this sort of things *that* close is no fun. I remember when the big fire (from couple of years ago, the one that scorched half of Simi) were 5 miles away my wife started packing...

Nikolai · January 23, 2007

Swartzy,

Swartzy wrote:

These really reflect the mood well. I too like your blurry fireman....it represents the fury of the fire and the hurry to put it out.

Thanks!

I wonder if any of those would qualify for the "into the light" class ;-)

DavidTO · January 23, 2007

Weird thing was that as close as the fires are, if not for the helicopters, you just wouldn't have known sitting in my house, or anywhere on my property. Over the hill, downwind....you couldn't see or smell the fires. Yet, if I had walked out my backyard and walked 200 yards I would have seen a great show.

Nikolai · January 23, 2007

David,

DavidTO wrote:

Weird thing was that as close as the fires are, if not for the helicopters, you just wouldn't have known sitting in my house, or anywhere on my property. Over the hill, downwind....you couldn't see or smell the fires. Yet, if I had walked out my backyard and walked 200 yards I would have seen a great show.

That's really weird! I could see the lighted smoke from my house, which is like 6 miles away...
I guess sometimes it can be "too close" :-)

Flyinggina · January 23, 2007

Stunning photos, Nik. I agree on the blurry one. It works. But I like the first two the best. Overall, you've captured the essence of fire: its powerful destructive force and its eerie beauty. And yes, I think that many of these would qualify for "into the light," don't you?

I hope your home continues to be safe, David.

Virginia

coldclimb · January 23, 2007

Swartzy wrote:

These really reflect the mood well. I too like your blurry fireman....it represents the fury of the fire and the hurry to put it out.

Yeah me too, it's a great shot.

I start basic firefighter training in two weeks. Guess I'll figure out what stuff like that is like soon.

DoctorIt · January 23, 2007

coldclimb wrote:

I start basic firefighter training in two weeks. Guess I'll figure out what stuff like that is like soon.

Good onya, and good luck

Nik: great shots! I was just chatting with David last night and we was telling me about these fires. Even more shocking/stunning seeing these photos. Here's to good wind and rain for your area!

Nikolai · January 23, 2007

Virginia,

Flyinggina wrote:

Stunning photos, Nik. I agree on the blurry one. It works. But I like the first two the best. Overall, you've captured the essence of fire: its powerful destructive force and its eerie beauty. And yes, I think that many of these would qualify for "into the light," don't you?

I hope your home continues to be safe, David.

Virginia

Thank you!

Nikolai · January 23, 2007

C.c.

coldclimb wrote:

Yeah me too, it's a great shot.

I start basic firefighter training in two weeks. Guess I'll figure out what stuff like that is like soon.

Thank you!

Good luck with your training!

Nikolai · January 23, 2007

Erik,

DoctorIt wrote:

Nik: great shots! I was just chatting with David last night and we was telling me about these fires. Even more shocking/stunning seeing these photos. Here's to good wind and rain for your area!

No wind, please! Some rain - mebbe:-), but just to put the fires out

Thanks for looking!

DoctorIt · January 23, 2007

Nikolai wrote:

No wind, please!

clarification: keep the wind in the right direction

Nikolai · January 23, 2007

Erik,

DoctorIt wrote:

clarification: keep the wind in the right direction

Considering the area, there is no right direction.

So, no wind, *please*

Triunfo Park Fire

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