Lax fire today. California Wildfires Intensify: Dixie Fire Destroys Structures, Tamarack Fire Expands

How is the Dixie fire impacting California communities. What measures are being taken to combat the Tamarack fire near the Nevada border. How are firefighters responding to the rapidly changing conditions of these wildfires.

Dixie Fire: Destruction and Growth in Northern California

The Dixie fire, one of California’s largest active wildfires, has taken a destructive turn. Burning across Butte and Plumas counties, the fire has consumed 85,479 acres and is only 15% contained as of Wednesday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire). In a significant development, the fire has now destroyed at least two structures, marking its first structural casualties since igniting on July 14.

While Cal Fire has not specified the types of structures affected, the agency reports that at least 800 additional buildings are under threat. The fire’s movement has shifted away from Paradise, the town devastated by the 2018 Camp fire, and is now advancing towards Lake Almanor, putting more homes and cabins at risk.

Evacuation Orders and Warnings

In response to the fire’s progression, authorities have issued several evacuation orders and warnings:

• Evacuation orders for the Lake Almanor West Shore, including Canyon Dam and Prattville
• Existing evacuation orders remain in place, as confirmed by the Butte County Sheriff’s Office
• Evacuation warnings for Chester and Lake Almanor Peninsula areas, including Hamilton Branch and East Shore, issued by the Plumas County Sheriff’s Office

Extreme Fire Behavior and Weather Conditions

The Dixie fire’s rapid growth has led to the creation of its own weather patterns, including a massive pyrocumulonimbus cloud capable of generating lightning. This phenomenon, coupled with extremely dry conditions, has contributed to the fire’s aggressive spread.

Cal Fire operations chief Tony Brownell highlighted the severity of the situation during a Tuesday evening update, stating, “The fuel component right now is so dry, so almost 100% of the sparks going out find a receptive fuel and are lighting up. That’s indicative of our continuous drought.”

Tamarack Fire: Challenging Containment Efforts Near Nevada Border

As firefighters battle the Dixie fire, another significant blaze, the Tamarack fire, continues to pose challenges in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest near the Nevada state border. As of Wednesday morning, the fire remained at 0% containment, according to fire incident spokeswoman Tracy LeClair.

Accurate size assessments have been hindered by the fire’s pyrocumulonimbus cloud and dense smoke, making aerial observation difficult. However, officials believe the fire grew beyond 40,000 acres overnight.

Threats to Homes and Infrastructure

The Tamarack fire now threatens an estimated 800 homes. Crews are prioritizing efforts on the fire’s north and eastern perimeters to prevent flames from crossing highways. Despite these efforts, video footage on Wednesday morning showed the fire appearing to jump Highway 89.

Evacuation Measures and Road Closures

In response to the expanding fire, authorities have implemented the following measures:

• Voluntary evacuations issued by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office in Nevada for the Leviathan and Holbrook Junction areas
• Mandatory evacuation orders remain in place for Markleeville, Woodford, and Mesa Vista areas on the California side
• State Highway 88 closure from Picketts Junction to the Nevada state line by the California Department of Transportation

Air Quality Concerns and Far-Reaching Smoke Impact

The intense wildfires are not only affecting local communities but also impacting air quality across a vast region. A smoke specialist has been brought in to assist with air quality monitoring near the Tamarack fire, where levels continue to hover in the unhealthy range in Markleeville and surrounding areas.

The scale of these Western blazes is so significant that smoke plumes are now delivering haze as far as the East Coast, highlighting the far-reaching environmental impact of these fires.

Frenchtown Fire: Swift Response in Yuba County

Amidst the larger blazes, a new fire ignited in Yuba County on Tuesday afternoon. The Frenchtown fire started around 4:30 p.m. near Frenchtown Dobbins Road and Seward Lane, quickly growing to about 70 acres and sparking a 20-acre spot fire nearby.

Thanks to rapid response and overnight efforts, firefighters made significant progress. By Wednesday morning, the Frenchtown fire was 75% contained, and forward progress had been halted, according to Cal Fire.

Effective Early Intervention

Mary Eldridge, a spokeswoman for Cal Fire’s Nevada-Yuba-Placer unit, praised the quick action of local teams: “The incident commander saw the potential for this fire as soon as we got the spot. They did a lot of work overnight, and they were able to prevent a massive spread.”

Firefighting Efforts and Resource Allocation

As multiple fires rage across the state, firefighting resources are being strategically deployed to combat the blazes effectively. For the Dixie fire, more than 1,000 additional personnel arrived on Wednesday to bolster the firefighting efforts, bringing the total crew size to over 3,300.

Rick Carhart, a spokesman for Cal Fire’s Butte County unit, expressed hope that the increased manpower would help turn the tide against the stubborn fire. “We’re sort of flooding the area with firefighters,” Carhart said. “It’s really going to help to be able to get more done and to be able to cover a bigger area.”

Challenges and Strategies

Despite the influx of resources, firefighters continue to face significant challenges:

• Gusty wind conditions creating extreme fire behavior
• Dry landscape providing ample fuel for fires
• Rapidly changing weather patterns

Carhart emphasized the importance of situational awareness, stating, “It’s now a matter of watching the weather and keeping that situational awareness so they can get in and get the most work done that they can.”

Climate Change and Wildfire Intensity

The intensity and frequency of wildfires in California and across the Western United States have been increasing in recent years, raising questions about the role of climate change in exacerbating these natural disasters.

Drought and Fire Susceptibility

California’s ongoing drought conditions have created an environment highly susceptible to wildfires. The extreme dryness of vegetation provides ample fuel for fires to spread rapidly and intensely.

How does climate change contribute to increased wildfire risk? Climate scientists point to several factors:

• Rising temperatures leading to more frequent and severe heatwaves
• Changes in precipitation patterns resulting in prolonged dry periods
• Earlier snowmelt reducing water availability during fire season
• Increased occurrence of dry lightning storms igniting multiple fires simultaneously

Long-term Implications

As climate change continues to alter weather patterns and ecosystems, fire management strategies may need to evolve. This could include:

1. Enhanced forest management practices to reduce fuel loads
2. Improved early warning systems and evacuation procedures
3. Investment in firefighting technologies and resources
4. Community education on fire prevention and preparedness
5. Policy changes to address climate change and its impacts on wildfire risk

Economic and Social Impact of California Wildfires

The increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires in California have far-reaching economic and social consequences for the state and its residents.

Economic Costs

What are the financial implications of these recurring wildfires? The economic impact is multifaceted and includes:

• Direct costs of firefighting and emergency response
• Property damage and loss, including homes and businesses
• Disruption to local economies and tourism
• Increased insurance premiums in fire-prone areas
• Long-term costs of rebuilding and infrastructure repair

In recent years, the annual cost of wildfire damage in California has reached billions of dollars, straining state and federal budgets and impacting local communities.

Social and Health Consequences

Beyond the economic toll, wildfires have significant social and health impacts on affected communities:

1. Displacement of residents due to evacuations and property loss
2. Psychological trauma and stress for those affected by fires
3. Health issues related to smoke inhalation and poor air quality
4. Disruption to education when schools are closed or damaged
5. Loss of community spaces and cultural landmarks

These impacts can have long-lasting effects on community resilience and individual well-being, highlighting the need for comprehensive support systems for those affected by wildfires.

Technological Advancements in Wildfire Management

As wildfires become more frequent and intense, technological innovations are playing an increasingly crucial role in fire prevention, detection, and management.

Satellite and Drone Technology

How are satellites and drones enhancing wildfire management? These technologies offer several advantages:

• Real-time monitoring of fire spread and behavior
• Early detection of new fire starts in remote areas
• Improved mapping of fire perimeters and affected areas
• Assessment of vegetation conditions and fire risk
• Support for tactical decision-making during firefighting operations

Satellites provide a broad overview of fire activity across large regions, while drones offer more detailed, on-demand imagery of specific areas.

Artificial Intelligence and Predictive Modeling

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning algorithms are being employed to enhance wildfire prediction and response. These technologies can:

1. Analyze historical data to identify high-risk areas
2. Predict fire behavior based on current conditions
3. Optimize resource allocation for firefighting efforts
4. Improve evacuation planning and execution
5. Assist in post-fire recovery and vegetation regrowth assessment

By leveraging these advanced technologies, fire management agencies can make more informed decisions and respond more effectively to wildfire threats.

Communication and Coordination Systems

Effective communication is crucial during wildfire events. New technologies are enhancing coordination among firefighting teams and improving public information dissemination:

• Advanced radio systems for reliable communication in remote areas
• Mobile apps providing real-time fire information to the public
• Integrated command and control systems for coordinating multi-agency responses
• Social media monitoring tools to gather and verify on-the-ground information
• Automated alert systems for rapid dissemination of evacuation orders

These technological advancements are helping to bridge communication gaps and ensure that both responders and the public have access to timely, accurate information during wildfire events.

Dixie fire burns 2 structures as California blazes grow

One of the state’s largest wildfires has taken a turn toward destruction.

The Dixie fire, burning in Butte and Plumas counties, has grown to 85,479 acres with 15% containment, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said Wednesday — and burned at least two structures.

It is the first time the fire has destroyed structures since its July 14 ignition.

Cal Fire did not provide details about what types of structures were felled by the flames. At least 800 other buildings are threatened, the agency said.

Officials said the blaze was moving away from the town of Paradise, which was ravaged by the 2018 Camp fire, and toward Lake Almanor, where there are additional homes and cabins.

Evacuation orders have been issued for the Lake Almanor West Shore, including Canyon Dam and Prattville. Previously issued evacuation orders spurred by the fire remain in place, the Butte County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday.

Evacuation warnings have also been issued for the Chester and Lake Almanor Peninsula, including the greater Chester area, Hamilton Branch, Lake Almanor Peninsula and East Shore, the Plumas County Sheriff’s Office said.

The Dixie fire has grown with such velocity that it has created its own weather, including a massive pyrocumulonimbus cloud that generated its own lightning. During an incident update Tuesday evening, Cal Fire operations chief Tony Brownell said the fire remains highly active amid the bone-dry landscape.

“The fuel component right now is so dry, so almost 100% of the sparks going out find a receptive fuel and are lighting up,” he said. “That’s indicative of our continuous drought.”

More than 1,000 additional personnel arrived Wednesday to help fight the flames, said Rick Carhart, a spokesman for Cal Fire’s Butte County unit. The additions bring the size of the crew to more than 3,300. Officials hope the bolstered numbers will help turn the tide against the stubborn fire.

“We’re sort of flooding the area with firefighters,” Carhart said. “It’s really going to help to be able to get more done and to be able to cover a bigger area.”

Carhart said crews are still dealing with gusty wind conditions, which are creating extreme fire behavior that can force firefighters to back off.

It’s now a matter of “watching the weather and keeping that situational awareness so they can get in and get the most work done that they can,” he said.

But California’s fatigued firefighters were also up against the growing Tamarack fire in Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, near the Nevada state border, and a new blaze in Yuba County that ignited Tuesday afternoon.

The Tamarack fire remained at 0% containment Wednesday morning, fire incident spokeswoman Tracy LeClair said. Crews have struggled to obtain new acreage numbers because the fire’s pyrocumulonimbus cloud and significant smoke made aerial observation difficult, but they believe it grew beyond 40,000 acres overnight.

“There’s been a lot of good work done up in here, but there’s still a lot of work to do, and there’s still a lot of potential for this fire to move around,” operations manager Pat Seekins said during an incident update Tuesday evening.

An estimated 800 homes are now threatened by the fire, LeClair said, noting that crews were prioritizing the blaze’s north and eastern perimeters in an attempt to keep flames from crossing highways.

But on Wednesday morning, video showed the fire appearing to jump Highway 89.

In response to the swelling flames, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office in Nevada issued voluntary evacuations for the Leviathan and Holbrook Junction areas. On the California side, the Markleeville, Woodford and Mesa Vista areas remain under mandatory evacuation orders, officials said.

The California Department of Transportation also closed State Highway 88 from Picketts Junction to the Nevada state line because of the fire.

A smoke specialist has been brought in to assist with air quality monitoring, LeClair said, which continues to hover in the unhealthy range in Markleeville and nearby areas.

Smoke plumes from the Western blazes have grown so strong that they are now delivering haze as far as the East Coast.

Meanwhile, in nearby Yuba County, the Frenchtown fire ignited around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday near Frenchtown Dobbins Road and Seward Lane, Cal Fire officials said.

It grew to about 70 acres and ignited a 20-acre spot fire nearby, and crews worked overnight to extinguish the flames.

By Wednesday morning, the Frenchtown fire was 75% contained, Cal Fire said, and forward progress had been stopped.

“The incident commander saw the potential for this fire as soon as we got the spot,” said Mary Eldridge, a spokeswoman for Cal Fire’s Nevada-Yuba-Placer unit, noting that local teams moved in immediately and were able to prevent a massive spread.

“They did a lot of work overnight, and they were able to really put a good stop to it,” she said.

Despite the progress, at least one structure was damaged during the fire’s run, Eldridge said.

In Kern County, the Peak fire had burned about 1,750 acres of grass and brush after igniting around noon Tuesday near the community of Havilah, about 40 miles northeast of Bakersfield, officials said. The wildfire was 5% contained Wednesday afternoon, authorities reported.

The Kern County Fire Department issued evacuation warnings for the areas of Walker Basin, Skinner Flat and Claraville. It has established an evacuation site at Kern River Valley Senior Center, 6405 Lake Isabella Blvd., Lake Isabella.

Even as the smoke clears and the flames dissipate, California’s firefighters must remain on high alert: Wildfires across the state have consumed more than 273,000 acres this year, Cal Fire said, and at least five major fires remain active.

There’s Plenty Of Blame To Go Around : NPR

San Diego Fire-Rescue Battalion Chief Craig Newell carries a hose while battling the North Complex Fire in Plumas National Forest, Calif., on Monday.

Noah Berger/AP

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Noah Berger/AP

San Diego Fire-Rescue Battalion Chief Craig Newell carries a hose while battling the North Complex Fire in Plumas National Forest, Calif. , on Monday.

Noah Berger/AP

It’s no surprise in an already polarized country that debate over what’s causing the wildfires ravaging the West Coast would get partisan, especially with this being an election year.

Visiting California this week, President Trump again tried to put the blame on forest management, while his rival, former Vice President Joe Biden pointed to climate change.

The truth is somewhere in the middle, with the caveat that pretty much everyone in the West rolled their eyes at Trump’s bizarre assertion that raking leaves on the forest floor would reduce the fire risk.

To be clear, climate change certainly plays a central role in these fires’ alarming scale and severity, but it’s not the only reason we’re seeing such deadly and destructive blazes, especially in the iconic — and typically wet — woods of the Pacific Northwest.

1. We have a long history of stamping out wildfires

For much of the past century, the U.S. Forest Service and other government agencies have generally tried to suppress wildfires, at first to protect timber assets, and later as more people moved to the West, to keep the flames away from homes and other infrastructure.

And we’ve gotten really good at this. Every year, firefighters knock down thousands of new fire starts. It’s just the handful that have gotten away this year that are currently in the news.

But forests are also dependent on fire. A truly healthy forest needs periodic fires to regenerate, among other things. Researchers like Kimiko Barrett at the Montana-based firm Headwaters Economics call this the “wildfire paradox.”

“For a century and more now we’ve been intentionally excluding wildfires from the landscape in the effort to protect homes and communities,” Barrett says. “And in doing so we are aggravating the problem into the future. “

Suppressing all fires has made the problem worse because now the forests and brush lands are unnaturally — and dangerously — overgrown. Factor in climate change, Barrett says, and we’re in this current worse-case scenario.

2. Forest management decisions also play a role in the current crisis.

The country’s lead firefighting agency, the U.S. Forest Service, is often called the “fire service” as firefighting now accounts for an overwhelming amount of the USFS budget.

Critics who say the government isn’t doing enough to actively manage the nation’s forests have a point. But a lot of it comes down to funding. If you’re spending most of your resources every year trying to stop fires from burning into neighborhoods and even whole cities, there’s not going to be much money left over for the kinds of projects that might actually help mitigate their severity in the future.

California and Oregon in particular are far behind stated goals of treating millions of acres of forests and wild lands through restoration projects, selective thinning of trees and brush and prescribed burning.

“The treatments they’ve been implementing for years haven’t really been at the scale that they need to be to offset a wind-driven, climate change-exacerbated event,” says Andrew Sánchez Meador, director of the Ecological Restoration Institute at Northern Arizona University.

Experts like Sánchez Meador say state and federal agencies have also faced local opposition toward doing more prescribed burning to manage forests in the offseasons when they don’t expect to have to endure more smoke.

“We’ve been suppressing fire forever and when people move to the West they’re used to fire being suppressed,” Sánchez Meador says. “But the one thing they need to get used to is fire not being suppressed and being put back into the landscape.”

3. These aren’t the forest fires of old. These are urban wildfires.

Here’s where things get especially messy.

In the West, there’s been an explosion of development in recent years into high-risk forests that are now even more vulnerable to burning, especially with climate change. In some parts of California in particular, people are moving into these high-risk areas because it’s the only place they can afford. Regardless, scientists are now finding that these new subdivisions and whole towns are actually becoming the fuel to increase the severity and intensity of these fires.

In this era of climate change, wildfire experts say the country and policymakers need to start thinking of wildfires as an urban problem, not just a forest fire problem.

Across the libertarian-leaning West, local building codes are still pretty loose. Researcher Kimiko Barrett says county officials are eager for more tax revenue from developments and they don’t really have any disincentive to stop them because they know that the federal government has their back.

“When a wildfire [happens], it’s the federal government that comes in and pays for the suppression cost,” Barrett says. “So there’s this inverse fiscal incentive on what is happening at that local scale versus who’s actually paying for the wildfire cost. “

But how much longer the federal government will be able to sustain this? That’s an open question, especially when you consider we’re not even at the peak of the traditional wildfire season in California, just as Hurricane Sally is brewing in the Gulf of Mexico.

Experts thought the 2018 Camp Fire, which destroyed close to 19,000 structures and killed 85 people in and around Paradise, Calif., would be a paradigm shift.

But it apparently wasn’t, Barrett says. And here we are again in the midst of another historic wildfire season made worse by climate change.

USS Bonhomme Richard Burns, Likely A Victim Of Lax Fire Safety Practices

Fire consumes the USS Bonhomme Richard.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

A massive fire, likely caused by lax fire safety practices during pier-side maintenance, ravaged the USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) on Sunday, one of America’s 10 big-deck amphibious assault ships. These vessels are intended to be an integral part in holding the line against a resurgent China, and the loss of this multibillion-dollar ship—which appears likely—will be felt throughout the fleet.

The fire, reported at approximately 8:30 AM on Sunday, was, seven hours later, still burning, and could yet burn for some time. The ship, undergoing maintenance in San Diego, had about 160 sailors aboard at the time of the incident. Eighteen have reportedly been sent to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.

While the extent of the damage is unknown, the fire has been intense enough to buckle structural steel and melt the tires on vehicles parked on the flight deck. Given the extent of the damage, the ship will, at a minimum, be out of service for years, and may well be written off as a total loss.

Shipyard Fires Are Entirely Preventable

While the cause of the fire is under investigation, we already know that shipyard fires are a serious problem for the U. S. Navy right now. Multiple fires have broken out in U.S. Navy ships undergoing maintenance over the past several months, and, rather than make changes, the U.S. Navy seems to have chosen to ignore the problem, happier to gloat and point fingers as shipyard fires nearly sank Russia’s Admiral Kuznetsov in 2019 and one of China’s new Type 075 big-deck amphibious assault ships earlier this year. The U.S. Navy’s failure to act—even after several warnings and close calls—is inexplicable and inexcusable.

Barring very unusual circumstances, the shipyard fire that is currently consuming the USS Bonhomme Richard is likely to have been completely and entirely avoidable.

Pier-side fires are rare when maintainers follow basic fire prevention practices.

But, despite multiple warnings over the past several years, the U.S. Navy evidently still has a serious problem with shipyard maintenance safety. As I wrote in late 2019, “While the U.S. Navy has worked to reset training for ship handling after two fatal accidents in 2017, the Navy has taken an arguably greater materiel loss in avoidable shipyard accidents since 2012 and has exhibited little energy in remedying it.”

As this prized front-line asset is, as of this writing, settling by the bow, weighed down by water pumped aboard by firefighters, the Navy is discovering a hard reality about fire safety. Fires and accidents will keep happening until either ships sink, sailors die, or somebody, somewhere in the leadership chain, gets deadly serious about prevention.

If this incident is identified as being caused by a departure from basic, simple—albeit time-consuming fire safety rules, everyone from admirals on down need to be immediately shown the door.

It is not like the Navy hasn’t been warned. The fire on the USS Bonhomme Richard broke out—in an ironic note—just across the pier from the USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62), freshly back from a multi-year refit after a fatal 2017 collision at sea. During that ship’s multi-year refit, the USS Fitzgerald’s captain grew so concerned about fire safety practices that he wrote a promptly leaked memo for the record noting more than 15 separate fire safety incidents in the yard, including “poorly staffed fire watches, a smoldering deck, combustible material catching on fire, the discovery of previously unreported burnt-cable spot fires and fires that melted equipment.”

While much of the Navy focuses on lethality and in surviving the battlefield, it will be interesting to see if the skipper of the USS Bonhomme Richard—itself fresh from a $250 million refit to operate next-generation F-35B fighter jets—took a similar interest in securing his ship while under maintenance.

Pier-side Fires And Other Avoidable Mishaps Have Sunk A U.S. Fleet

The only thing mariners fear more than a fire at sea is a fire in a refitting vessel. A shipyard refit is one of the most perilous times for a vessel. In a refit, safety-oriented ship systems are often shut down, critical passageways are blocked by cables, pallets and other flammable materiel as workers—who are often stressed and pressed for time—carry out a variety of maintenance tasks with an eye for cutting corners. In such an environment, poor safety practices can lead to a catastrophe.

America’s Navy has seen these scenarios play out far too many times. In 2012, America lost the multibillion-dollar attack submarine USS Miami (SSN 755) because a shipyard worker, eager to leave work early, set the sub on fire. Last year, 11 U.S. sailors were injured in a fire aboard the USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7), a critical Marine-toting mini-carrier. USS Oscar Austin (DDG 79) also suffered a fire in November 2018, and subsequent damage will keep the ship out of the fleet for almost two years longer than planned. According to USNI News, the USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) suffered a shipyard fire as well. In 2011, a fire torched the stacks of the USS Spruance (DDG 111). Other recent shipyard mishaps have included over $30 million worth of damage to the future destroyer Delbert D. Black (DDG 119) after a collision in April 2019. These, along with other avoidable incidents—fires at sea, groundings, collisions and other accidents—have essentially sunk or sidelined an entire U.S. battle fleet.

The Navy needs to wake up.

If this latest fire is found to be an avoidable incident, consequences need to be meted out swiftly at every level of the command chain. The Navy has lost too many ships and swept too many egregious and recent instances of shipyard/pier-side disregard for fire safety under the rung. Accidents do happen, but if willful disregard for basic fire safety practice is the cause of this current debacle, then it is time to make an example of the leaders that allowed this incident to happen on their watch. It is the only way to get about focusing the service’s attention on the elimination of avoidable shipyard accidents.

Only steady leadership will stop this waterfront carnage. Without leadership, these days, far too many waterfront personnel are far too ready to pass over authoritative, informed safety guidance and do things that they shouldn’t do. And if Navy leadership is content to look the other way, then Congress must act to focus the Navy’s attention on avoiding avoidable incidents.

Put bluntly, America has far too many challenges at sea to worry about maintenance workers at home sinking America’s precious fleet.

California wildfires: Video from plane to LAX shows dense smoke

Ominous images captured by passengers aboard planes above California show them flying through thick clouds of smoke thousands of feet as devastating wildfires continue to rage across the state.

A Twitter user, identified as Gabriela, captured on video the moment her flight approached LAX airport for landing on Sunday, with a dense smog of grey and orange smoke surrounding the wing of the plane – completely obscuring the ground below.

Similar unsettling scenes were captured by family members of CNN’s Oliver Darcy on Sunday evening, who were flying out from Fresno to Salt Lake City.

An orange glare is seen breaking through the center of a billow of grey smoke. When sharing the pictures on Twitter, Darcy said that passengers aboard the flight could reportedly smell the smoke from the wildfires inside the cabin.

Fire Departments across California have battled more than 900 wildfires since August 15, many of which have been spurred by record-breaking temperatures and other freak weather conditions, including concentrations of thousands of lightning strikes in a number of different areas.

The blazes have burned more than 1.5 million acres – or 2,434 square miles, destroyed nearly 3,300 structures and caused eight deaths. 

Cal Fire said 14,800 firefighters were continuing to battle 23 major fires in the state as of Monday.

Scroll down for video 

Troubling scenes were captured by family members of CNN’s Oliver Darcy on Sunday evening, who were flying out from Fresno to Salt Lake City. An orange glare is seen breaking through the center of a billow of grey fumes

Darcy said that passengers aboard the flight could reportedly smell the smoke from the wildfires inside the cabin

A Twitter user, identified as Gabriela, captured on video the moment her flight approached LAX airport for landing on Sunday, with a dense smog of grey and orange smoke surrounding the wing of the plane and completely obscuring the ground below

Cal Fire said 14,800 firefighters were continuing to battle 23 major fires in the state as of Monday. A total 28 active fires are currently listed on Cal Fire’s website

While officials said the fires across the state were around 91 percent contained as of Monday morning, another devastating fire erupted in El Dorado on Saturday, so far destroying more than 7,000 acres of land with the blaze only five percent contained.

The fire, now burning around 70 miles east of Los Angeles, began when a smoke-generating pyrotechnic device used at a gender reveal photo shoot set foliage alight.

Amid a record-breaking heatwave, with record temperatures of 121 degrees, the state has been turned into a tinder box, officials said.

The fire started on Saturday at 10:23am, and 527 people from 10 fire crews are currently trying to halt the fire’s progress.

It spread from the El Dorado Ranch Park north, onto the Yucaipa Ridge. The ridge separates Mountain Home Village and Forest Falls from the City of Yucaipa.

Bennet Milloy, spokesman for the department, told DailyMail.com that the people hosting the photo shoot were still on the scene when the firefighters arrived.

‘We know how it started because they were still there,’ he said. ‘That, and the fact that there were surveillance cameras in the park.’

Milloy said that it was a relatively small family gathering, and that the relatives had got together for a photo opportunity.

He did not know if they were local people, but he said they were potentially both civilly and criminally responsible for the fire – facing jail time and a massive fine. The family could be held responsible for the entire cost of putting the fire out, amounting to many millions of dollars, he said.

‘CAL FIRE reminds the public that with the dry conditions and critical fire weather, it doesn’t take much to start a wildfire,’ the department said in a press release. ‘Those responsible for starting fires due to negligence or illegal activity can be held financially responsible and criminally responsible.’

Fire Departments across California have battled more than 900 wildfires since August 15, many of which have been spurred by record-breaking temperatures and an intense freak series of thousands of lightning strikes (pictured: A firefighter douses flames as they push towards homes during the Creek fire in the Cascadel Wood)

The blazes have burned more than 1. 5 million acres – or 2,434 square miles, destroyed nearly 3,300 structures and caused eight deaths

While officials said the fires across the state were around 91 percent contained as of Monday morning, another devastating fire erupted in El Dorado on Saturday morning, so far destroying more than 7,000 acres of land with the blaze only five percent contained

The El Dorado wildfire (pictured), which broke out on Saturday morning, was started by a gender reveal photo shoot, it has been confirmed

Amid a record-breaking heatwave, with record temperatures of 121 degrees turning the state into a tinder box, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said on Sunday night that a smoke-generating pyrotechnic device caused the fire (pictured)

The fire spread from the El Dorado Ranch Park north, onto the Yucaipa Ridge and into the San Bernardino National Forest

Satellite images on Saturday gave a sense of the scale of the El Dorado fire, which was started by a gender reveal photo shoot 

Temperatures in the fire zone were in the 90s while downtown Los Angeles reached 111 degrees. A record-shattering high of 121 degrees was recorded in the nearby Woodland Hills neighborhood of the San Fernando Valley.

It was the highest temperature ever recorded in Los Angeles County, according to the National Weather Service. It rivaled the high in California’s Death Valley, typically the hottest place in the country.

Meanwhile, downtown San Francisco set a record for the day with a high of 100F, smashing the previous mark by 5 degrees.

‘By our calculations, over 99 percent of California’s population is under an Excessive Heat Warning or Heat Advisory today,’ the weather service in Sacramento tweeted Sunday afternoon.

Wildfires have burned more than 2 million acres in California this year, setting a state record even as crews battled dozens of growing blazes in sweltering temperatures Monday.

The most striking thing about the record is how early it was set, with the most dangerous part of the year ahead, said Lynne Tolmachoff, spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

‘It’s a little unnerving because September and October are historically our worst months for fires,’ she said. ‘It’s usually hot, and the fuels really dry out. And we see more of our wind events.’

The previous high was 1.96 million acres burned in 2018. Cal Fire began tracking the numbers in 1987.

In Northern California, rescuers in military helicopters airlifted 207 people to safety over the weekend after an explosive wildfire trapped them in a popular camping area in Sierra National Forest that has burned since Friday afternoon.

The California Office of Emergency Services said Black Hawk and Chinook helicopters were used for the rescues that began late Saturday and continued into Sunday morning at Mammoth Pool Reservoir.

At least two people were severely injured and 10 more suffered moderate injuries. Two campers refused rescue and stayed behind, the Madera County Sheriff’s Office said, and there was no immediate word on their fates.

A photo tweeted by the California National Guard showed more than 20 evacuees packed tightly inside one helicopter, some crouched on the floor clutching their belongings. In another photo taken on the ground from a helicopter cockpit, the densely wooded hills surrounding the aircraft were in flames.

The blaze, dubbed the Creek Fire, has charred nearly 80,000 acres of timber, and the 800 firefighters on the scene had yet to get any containment after more than two days of work on steep terrain in sweltering heat.

A photo tweeted by the California National Guard showed mdozens of evacuees packed tightly inside one helicopter, some crouched on the floor clutching their belongings 

A business owner, who declined to give his name, looks up at the smoke-covered sky from the Creek Fire at his boat rental place on Sunday

The blaze, dubbed the Creek Fire, has charred nearly 80,000 acres of timber, and the 800 firefighters on the scene had yet to get any containment after more than three days of work on steep terrain in sweltering heat

Smoke from the Creek Fire billows beyond a ridge as seen from Huntington Lake on Saturday, September 5

Firefighter Ricardo Gomez, of a San Benito Monterey Cal Fire crew, sets a controlled burn while fighting the Creek Fire

At least two people were severely injured and 10 more suffered moderate injuries. Two campers refused rescue and stayed behind, the Madera County Sheriff’s Office said, and there was no immediate word on their fates.

Embers fly off burning timber as flames push towards homes during the Creek fire in the Cascadel Woods area of unincorporated Madera County

Firefighters walk through the site near Shaver Lake as they continue to battle against the Creek Fire which started on Friday afternoon before spreading across 73,278 acres

Some homes and businesses have burned, but there was no official tabulation yet. Officials said at least 2,000 structures were threatened in the surrounding 290 miles of the blaze. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.

‘The lake is totally engulfed with smoke. You can’t hardly see in front of you,’ area resident Jack Machado said. ‘The sky’s turning red. It looks like Mars out there.’

The exceptionally hot temperatures statewide were driving the highest power use of the year, and transmission losses because of the wildfires have cut into supplies. Eric Schmitt of the California Independent System Operator that manages the state´s power grid said up to 3 million customers faced power outages if residents didn’t curtail their electricity usage.

At 7pm on Sunday, the California Independent System Operator declared an emergency and said power outages were imminent because a transmission line carrying power from Oregon to California and another in-state power plant went offline unexpectedly. The cause of the outages is unknown at this time, the agency said.

By 8:30pm, the agency issued a tweet calling off the emergency ‘thanks to conservation of Californians!’ It said no power outages were ordered by operators of the grid.

Pacific Gas & Electric, the state’s largest utility, warned customers that it might cut power starting Tuesday because of expected high winds and heat that could create even greater fire danger. Some of the state’s largest and deadliest fires in recent years have been sparked by downed power lines and other utility equipment.

In Southern California, crews scrambled to douse several fires that popped up, including one that closed mountain roads in Angeles National Forest.

The largest was a blaze in the foothills of Yucaipa east of Los Angeles that prompted evacuation orders for eastern portions of the city of 54,000 along with several mountain communities. Cal Fire said the fire scorched at least 4.7 square miles of brush and trees. 

‘By our calculations, over 99 percent of California’s population is under an Excessive Heat Warning or Heat Advisory today,’ the weather service in Sacramento tweeted Sunday afternoon 

Firefighters keep an eye on the Creek Fire along state Highway 168, late on Sunday, September 6

Cal Fire firefighters protect a structure near Montiel Truck Trail during the Valley Fire, in San Diego County on Sunday

Firefighters struggled to corral several dangerous blazes Monday ahead of dry, hot winds predicted to raise fire danger to critical levels in the coming days. Evacuation orders were expanded to more mountain communities as the largest blaze churned through the Sierra National Forest.

Debra Rios wasn’t home when the order came to evacuate her hometown of Auberry, just northeast of Fresno. Sheriff’s deputies went to her ranch property to pick up her 92-year-old mother, Shirley MacLean. They reunited at an evacuation center.

‘I hope like heck the fire doesn’t reach my little ranch,’ Rios said. ‘It’s not looking good right now. It’s an awfully big fire.’

Mountain roads were filled with cars and trucks leaving the town of about 2,300 people.

Firefighters working in steep terrain saved the tiny town of Shaver Lake from flames that roared down hillsides toward a marina. About 30 houses were destroyed in the remote hamlet of Big Creek.

‘About half the private homes in town burned down,’ resident Toby Wait said. ‘Words cannot even begin to describe the devastation of this community. And it is a very close-knit community. ‘

An elementary school, church, library, historic general store and a major hydroelectric plant were spared in the community of about 200 residents, Wait told the Fresno Bee.

Sheriff’s deputies went door to door to make sure residents were complying with orders to leave. Officials hoped to keep the fire from pushing west, possibly toward Yosemite National Park.

Plumes of smoke rise into the sky as a wildfire burns on the hills near Shaver Lake. Fires in the Sierra National Forest have prompted evacuation orders as authorities urged people seeking relief from the Labor Day weekend heat wave to stay away from the popular lake

The wind whips embers from a tree burned by a wildfire Yucaipa. Three fast-spreading California wildfires sent people fleeing Saturday, with one trapping campers at a reservoir in the Sierra National Forest, as a brutal heat wave pushed temperatures into triple digits in many parts of state

In eastern San Diego County, the Valley Fire broke out Saturday afternoon, and fire officials warned the blaze was burning at a ‘dangerous rate of speed. ’

By Sunday morning it had destroyed at least 10 structures after burning 6.25 square and prompted evacuations near the remote community of Alpine in the Cleveland National Forest.

At least two of the lost structures were homes, ABC10 News in San Diego reported.

Cal Fire said 14,800 firefighters were continuing to battle 23 major fires in the state as of Monday.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a statewide emergency because of the widespread fires and extreme weather conditions. He has also secured a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration to bolster the state’s emergency response.

Additionally, Newsom issued an emergency proclamation for the counties of Fresno, Madera and Mariposa, which are fighting the Creek Fire; for San Bernardino County, which is battling the El Dorado Fire; and for San Diego County because of the Valley Fire.

Newsom also urged state residents to keep their thermostats at 78 degrees or higher, to use appliances sparingly and to keep lights switched off whenever possible.

‘Power outages were avoided … due in large part to individual conservation efforts,’ Newsom said. ‘Even more conservation efforts are needed.’

52 dead in Bangladesh factory fire as workers locked inside

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — A fire engulfed a food and beverage factory outside Bangladesh’s capital, killing at least 52 people, many of whom were trapped inside by an illegally locked door, fire officials said Friday.

The blaze began Thursday night at the five-story Hashem Foods Ltd. factory in Rupganj, just outside Dhaka, sending huge clouds of black smoke billowing into the sky. Police initially gave a toll of three dead, but then discovered piles of bodies on Friday afternoon after the fire was extinguished.

So far 52 bodies have been recovered, but the top two floors of the factory have yet to be searched, said Debasish Bardhan, deputy director of the Fire Service and Civil Defense.

He said the main exit of the factory was locked from the inside and many of those who died were trapped.

Many workers jumped from the upper floors of the factory, and at least 26 suffered injuries, the United News of Bangladesh agency reported.

Information about how many people were in the factory and how many were missing was not immediately available.

“For now, we only have these details. After searching the top floors we will be able to get a complete picture,” Bardhan said.

Bangladesh has a tragic history of industrial disasters, including factories catching fire with the workers locked inside. Continuing corruption and lax enforcement have resulted in many deaths over the years, and big international brands, which employ tens of thousands of low-paid workers in Bangladesh, have come under heavy pressure to improve factory conditions after fires and other disasters killed thousands of people.

The factory that caught fire Thursday was subsidiary of Sajeeb Group, a Bangladeshi company that produces juice under Pakistan’s Lahore-based Shezan International Ltd. , said Kazi Abdur Rahman, the group’s senior general manager for export.

According to the group’s website, the company exports its products to a number of countries including Australia, the United States, Malaysia, Singapore, India, Bhutan, Nepal and nations in the Middle East and Africa.

Rahman told The Associated Press by phone that the company is fully compliant with international standards, but he was not certain whether the exit of the factory was locked. According to Bangladesh’s factory laws, a factory cannot lock its exit when workers are inside during production hours.

“We are a reputed company; we maintain rules,” he said. “What happened today is very sad. We regret it.”

As the recovery effort was carried out Friday, victims in white body bags were piled in a fleet of ambulances as relatives wailed. As the heavy smoke continued to rise from the still smoldering factory, weeping family members of missing workers waited anxiously for news of loved ones outside the charred site.

Earlier, family members clashed with police as they waited overnight without any word of the fate of their loved ones.

The government ordered an investigation into the cause of the fire.

Past industrial tragedies have often been attributed to safety lapses that still plague the South Asian country despite its rapid economic growth.

In 2012, about 117 workers died when they were trapped behind locked exits in a garment factory in Dhaka.

The country’s worst Industrial disaster came the following year, when the Rana Plaza garment factory outside Dhaka collapsed, killing more than 1,100 people.

Authorities imposed tougher safety rules after that disaster and the country’s garment industry has since become largely compliant under domestic and global watchdogs. But many other local industries fail to maintain safety compliance and the disasters have continued.

In February 2019, a blaze ripped through a 400-year-old area cramped with apartments, shops and warehouses in the oldest part of Dhaka and killed at least 67 people. Another fire in Old Dhaka in a house illegally storing chemicals killed at least 123 people in 2010.

The International Labor Organization said in a 2017 report that Bangladesh’s regulatory framework and inspections “had not been able to keep pace with the development of the industry.”

Oct. 31, 2008 – Markey: Pilgrim Plant Fire Raises Issue of Lax Fire Safety Regulation by NRC

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following a fire at the Pilgrim Nuclear Station in Plymouth, Massachusetts, Representative Edward J. Markey (D-MA), a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce committee, today expressed concerns to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) about fire safety and the lack of compliance with critical fire protection regulations at many nuclear power plants.

Rep. Markey said, “Thankfully no one was hurt and as far as we know there was no release of radioactivity during this week’s fire incident at the Pilgrim plant, but the incident raises once again longstanding concerns about the NRC’s lax enforcement of fire safety rules at our nation’s nuclear plants. Fire poses a particularly potent risk to nuclear reactors, and shoddy fire protection procedures at nuclear plants are simply inexcusable.”

Problems with the NRC’s oversight of fire safety regulations have been outlined in two reports from the Government Accountability Office: “Nuclear Safety:  NRC’s Oversight of Fire Protection at U.S. Commercial Nuclear Reactor Units Could be Strengthened,” issued in June 2008, and “Fire Protection:  Barriers to Effective Implementation of NRC’s Safety Oversight Process,” issued in April 2000. The 2000 report was a direct response to a request from Rep. Markey.

Rep. Markey’s letter to the NRC requests answers to several specific questions about this latest incident at Pilgrim and more generalized fire safety issues, including:

• How did the fire at Pilgrim start?  The Event Notification Report states that the fire was extinguished 19 minutes after it was “discovered” – why did it take so long to extinguish this fire?
• Did the fire penetrate any passive fire barriers?  Were there any malfunctions by the plant’s fire-protection systems?
• Was the reactor operating at the time of the fire?  Did the fire ever threaten the safe operation and safe shutdown of the reactor?
• Is Pilgrim in full compliance with NRC’s fire protection regulations? 
  What steps, if any, does the NRC intend to take in response to the findings and recommendations made by the GAO in its June 2008 report?

“I remain seriously concerned about the NRC’s lack of progress towards bringing the nation’s nuclear plants into compliance with fire protection regulations. This latest incident is yet another reminder that more work needs to be done to fully protect reactors and the populations that live near nuclear plants,” added Rep. Markey.

The full text of Rep. Markey’s letter is available here.

#  #  #

Fatal fire exposes lax oversight by city, state of Houston’s rooming houses

Cherika Argus arrived at Briscoe’s Place last October on the edge, her rental and credit history in tatters.

The south Houston rooming house with 20 small rooms was her best alternative to the streets.

“I didn’t want to live in a shelter,” said Argus, 37. “The shelter and homeless life is no life for a mother and a 17-year-old son.”

Her sanctuary from the streets, however, nearly killed her.

On March 16, a fast-spreading fire set her bedroom door ablaze, sending her scrambling to escape.

Two residents died trying to get out, likely hampered by the haphazard interior with its maze of rooms, locked exit doors and lack of windows that city officials say violated building codes.

The deaths brought renewed attention to problems posed by rooming houses, which serve as refuges of last resort in a city where affordable housing is in precious short supply.

Rooming houses in Houston face little scrutiny from local or state governments, with spotty inspections for occupancy or safety permits and a hodgepodge of city records that complicates overseeing the facilities, the Chronicle found in a review of city permitting, fire and complaint records.

Two residents died and one was injured after a fire broke out Thursday, March 16, 2017, at Briscoe’s Place.

(J. Patric Schneider, For The Chronicle | Houston Chronicle)

Even limited oversight can save lives.

A week after the fire at Briscoe’s Place, 29 people escaped a fire at a southwest Houston boarding home, where the owner had made improvements ordered by the fire department.

Fire officials say the changes likely made the difference in getting people out the doors.

Overregulation of the facilities, however, could make housing more costly, potentially increasing homelessness.

“What is the alternative if these get shut down?” asked Dennis Borel, with the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities. “We don’t have a good answer to that. Is the alternative no housing? Is this the de facto lowest housing available? And if we close them, then what?”

DEVELOPMENT: Mayor Turner steps up efforts to oversee rooming, boarding houses

Hundreds of complaints

City officials admit they have no idea how many rooming houses operate in Houston.

The state regulates nursing homes, assisted-living facilities and halfway houses, and the city registers boarding homes – facilities that house three or more unrelated adults and provide some sort of services.

But beyond basic building codes, no agency regulates rooming houses or bunkhouses, the low-cost rentals where residents often pay weekly for a bed.

Complaints about them, however, are plentiful. City call data from the 311 hotline shows more than 450 complaints since 2014 about “unsafe boarding houses,” a broad category that can include rooming houses and other types of multi-resident housing.

Fifty locations had two or more complaints, and the Chronicle review found more than a dozen that appear to be operating as rooming houses.

Track resident concerns about unsafe or unregulated boarding houses

Houston residents called the city more than 450 times over the last three years with concerns about unsafe or unregulated boarding houses. The complaints to the city’s 311 system including an alert more than a year ago for Briscoe’s Place, an unregulated rooming house where two people died trying to escape a fire there.

Source: Houston 311 data | Created by Rachael Gleason/Houston Chronicle

Tangled city records, however, make it nearly impossible to determine whether those buildings are safe. Permits – if they exist at all – are often out of date, based on prior ownership and different uses for the buildings, and documentation is disconnected from related records in other city departments.

Occupancy permits, for example, are issued by the Department of Public Works and Engineering, but other safety and construction inspections go through the fire and building departments. Complaints to the city’s 311 hotline, meanwhile, are investigated by the Department of Neighborhoods.

“What this highlights is a gap in information sharing,” Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña said. “Currently, there is no functional common records management system that would allow the city’s building inspection program to mine data from multiple sources … to track, score, and prioritize inspections of high-risk premises.”

City officials say it could take years before all the departments’ databases are fully linked. After the fires, the city’s Administration and Regulatory Affairs Department reviewed the city’s boarding home regulations with other key departments “to ensure that appropriate measures are being taken to protect public safety,” ARA Deputy Director Lara Cottingham said.

The department is considering clarifying a city ordinance to define city-regulated homes that house the elderly and disabled as personal care residences rather than boarding homes, to clearly distinguish them from other types of lodging facilities, she said.

Two fires in two weeks

Today, Briscoe’s Place sits empty and boarded up amid the vacant storefronts along Griggs Road, an iron chain wrapped through the front door.

Moses Briscoe – the owner of the damaged rooming house – declined recently to comment about the fire and its aftermath, as he worked next door in his upholstery business. He told the Chronicle after the March fire that he operated the building to give people who might otherwise live in their cars a place to stay.

Ten years ago, Briscoe received a certificate of occupancy to use the site as a banquet hall. In 2014, he paid the fire department to inspect the building so he could receive a permit for a boarding house, documents show.

The fire department denied the permit weeks later, however, and Briscoe never obtained a certificate of occupancy to operate the building as a rooming house for more than 16 people, according to city records.

The fire inspection did not cite the improper lock at the front door, nor the lack of windows for the interior bedrooms. The Department of Neighborhoods investigated a 2015 safety complaint and concluded the building was not overcrowded, but the city has not yet released a copy of the report.

Other city records show that employees from three departments visited the building more than a half-dozen times since 2014, but apparently never questioned whether the facility met basic life-safety or building codes.

• Briscoe’s Place resident Cherika Argus searches through the rubble for her purse that contains her ID on Thursday, March 16, 2017, in south Houston. Two residents died and one was injured after a fire broke out early at the boarding house. less
  Briscoe’s Place resident Cherika Argus searches through the rubble for her purse that contains her ID on Thursday, March 16, 2017, in south Houston. Two residents died and one was injured after a fire broke out … more

  Photo: J. Patric Schneider, For The Chronicle

Photo: J. Patric Schneider, For The Chronicle

Briscoe’s Place resident Cherika Argus searches through the rubble for her purse that contains her ID on Thursday, March 16, 2017, in south Houston. Two residents died and one was injured after a fire broke out early at the boarding house. less
Briscoe’s Place resident Cherika Argus searches through the rubble for her purse that contains her ID on Thursday, March 16, 2017, in south Houston. Two residents died and one was injured after a fire broke out … more

Photo: J. Patric Schneider, For The Chronicle

Fatal fire exposes lax oversight by city, state of Houston’s rooming houses

Miles away and just days after Briscoe’s Place erupted in flames, an early morning fire broke out at a registered boarding home in the 12700 block of Corona Lane at South Dairy Ashford.

Fire safety inspectors had visited that home in December 2015, ordering the building’s owner to repair bedroom windows, add smoke detectors in the stairwells and signs at the exit doors, and install dead bolts to allow easier escape.

Larry Thomas, who ran the boarding home, said he’s glad inspectors alerted him to potential problems.

“They made me aware of what we needed to do,” he said. “It was a tremendous help.”

Thomas started running the home after his own experience living in similar facilities, while recovering years ago from a serious illness. The 3,000-square–foot, seven-bedroom home on Corona Lane housed more than two dozen people, depending on the time of month and their finances.

“I tried to run a family-oriented environment,” he said. “It wasn’t no rootie-toot operation.”

After the inspection, he bought smoke alarms, fire extinguishers and new door locks, and developed a fire evacuation plan.

The fire broke out March 23. He woke up that day smelling smoke, and he and his son found flames in the attic.

“We got everybody out before it got too bad,” he said.

Fire department officials credit the changes he made with saving lives.

“When you have a structure that is going to house multiple occupants, evacuation can always be an issue,” Houston Fire Captain Ruy Lozano said recently. “When a fire came in, not only were the occupants notified early, the ability to evacuate was made easier by all those safety measures that were put in place.”

Thomas is not sure he’ll be able to reopen. On a recent visit, the front of the house appeared largely undamaged, but flames had chewed through much of the rear roof and debris lay scattered throughout.

Getting people off the streets

Better enforcement – instead of more regulations – could make rooming houses safer for residents, said John Hernandez, who owns more than a dozen across the city.

He rents out about 500 rooms for about $80 to $100 a week to tenants who typically earn $1,000 or less a month.

“I want to help people have a place to stay,” Hernandez said.

He makes every effort to keep renters safe by keeping his buildings up to code and regularly maintained.

“We have a full-time maintenance crew,” he said. “We maintain our properties … fairly decent, for the condition and rent we get. We have our crew out there every day.”

Records from the fire department show inspectors have visited many of his properties, citing some with minor violations that appear to have been corrected.

“The standard regulations they have now, I think, are more than enough,” he said. “They just may need to be enforced a little more often.”

Residents shared mixed reviews of his facilities online. One person complained about poor upkeep and cleanliness at one location, while a renter at another left a five-star review.

“It’s a roof over your head and you have your own room,” she wrote.

At the Everett Bunk House just off Main Street in the quiet Near Northside neighborhood, owner Richard Salinas modeled his place on the bunk-style barracks he slept in during his military service.

First wake-up is at 3 a.m., for early morning workers. At 7 a.m., everyone has to get up, said the retired Houston police officer and former U.S. Marine with a bristly gray mustache.

“You have an hour to [expletive], shower and shave,” Salinas said.

He houses 50 to 70 people a night for $12 a day, and recently expanded. Tenants include restaurants and warehouse workers, and day laborers, some of whom stay for months or even years.

“What I’m trying to do as a bunk house owner is get people off the street,” he said. “My place is the last stop before rock bottom.”

On a recent visit, the facility had a fresh coat of paint, the grass recently mown.

“If there’s a permit, I have it,” he said.

Looking ahead

For residents living on limited income or disability checks, rooming homes provide stability, said Eva Thibaudeau, director of programs at the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County.

“It’s filling a need,” Thibaudeau said. “The problem is we’re not doing it in a very safe or scrutinized manner.”

Legislators have grappled with the issue for years. A 2008 report to the Texas Legislature found more than 845 boarding houses across Texas, with a lack of widespread local regulation.

RELATED: 70 years ago: The deadliest disaster in Houston’s history

The report called for increasing housing options for low-income, elderly, disabled and mentally ill residents, and recommended that state and local communities support development of special housing with extra services for people with mental illness.

Some Texas cities have a more hands-on approach to regulation. In Austin, multi-resident facilities such as boarding homes, bunkhouses, and fraternities fall under a broad category of “rooming houses,” said J.D. Meier, manager at the city’s code enforcement division.

Any facility with more than six residents must obtain a license and pass an annual inspection, he said.

State Sen. José Menéndez, who worked on legislation eight years ago to regulate group homes, said costs kept more-expansive legislation from passing.

“The big thing is no one has the financial wherewithal to be able to pay attention to this – no one is choosing to put the finances there,” he said.

He filed a bill this legislative session to further regulate boarding homes, which would allow prosecution of owners or employees if they mistreat residents – similar to provisions for nursing homes or assisted living facilities.

“It’s important, yes, to have good community-based [housing] options,” Menéndez said. “But they have to be safe.”

Finding a home 

Cherika Argus, right, tells her son, Dontae Argus, to not leave the apartment as she says goodbye on her way to work at S&N Food Store Wednesday, May 3, 2017, in Houston. The Argus’ moved to an apartment in Northwest Houston after being displaced from Briscoe’s Place rooming house due to a fire that killed two people in March. (Godofredo A. Vasquez, Houston Chronicle | Houston Chronicle)

More than a month after the fire at Briscoe’s Place, Cherika Argus has moved into a new apartment in a new neighborhood in northwest Houston. But she spent all of her savings to do so.

She doesn’t have a refrigerator or stove. Virtually all of her paperwork is gone, burned up. And she’s still trying to acclimate to the neighborhood.

“It’s stressful,” she said.

Argus was credited with helping save more than a dozen people escape from the fire. She ran door-to-door, knocking to alert people about the blaze.

One of the women she helped to escape has since died, from what she believes was the stress of the whole incident.

“I’m not the only one stressed behind this, there are a bunch of people stressed behind it,” she said. “It took a toll on everybody.”

Houston Chronicle reporter Margaret Kadifa contributed to this report.

90,000 Does not burn, gas stove oven goes out – 13 reasons why

Irina | 24 Jun 2021 19:08

Hello, tell me please, the Hephaestus 3200 gas stove, the oven faucet jammed, after lubrication they changed places, when the grill function became the main burner, and when you turn on the grill in the main city on vacation.Is it possible to somehow fix this

Master’s answer

Irina, you can change the tap to a working one.

Yana | 19 May 2021 14:49

Good day ! Model 1457-01, I turn on the oven with a button, I program it harash, and then after a couple of gilts, I click in the middle and fire, how can I get it? How can you hold down that button (as long as the gas is clamped іde norms) How can you squeak it?

Master’s answer

Yana, it could be a gas supply valve, a thermocouple.

Edward | 12 May 2021 08:35

Dear master, when you turn on the grill, only the right side of the grill lights up, I light the left side with a match, the reason? Thanks in advance for your answer.

Master’s answer

Edward, the valve is the reason.

Edward | 11 May 2021 11:24

Tell the viewer, apparently, the thermocouple sensor flew and, of course, the whole thermocouple.

Master’s answer

Edward, please clarify your question.

Anna | 09 May 2021 09:12

Hello, we have an old stove, model 1457, which is ignited with a handle and a button. I set it on fire like this: I turn the knob, I press the button, I light it up, it burns with or without the door open.Everything has warmed up and if you release the button, it immediately goes out. It does not go out when the door is open or ajar, but if you close it, it immediately goes out. How to be?

Master’s answer

Anna, check the gas valve in the oven.

Edward | 08 May 2021 22:20

Hello, you can replace the thermocouple yourself

Master’s answer

Edward, you can try, but it’s better to entrust it to an authorized service engineer.

Edward | 08 May 2021 15:29

I have a question, can I myself replace the thermostat on the Mora gas stove, the flame goes out in the oven after switching on, or only the gas service.

Master’s answer

Edward, in the event of an accident, you will be to blame.

Edward | 08 May 2021 12:54

Hello, gas stove Mora, when the oven is operating, the flame goes out after a while.

Master’s answer

Edward, need to diagnose thermocouple .

Polina | 27 Mar 2021 17:55

Good afternoon. The stove is not new, Zanussi. When you light the oven, one half burns completely, the other only half, what could be the problem and can you use the oven in this case?

Master’s answer

Polina, it is better not to use it and call the wizard of the warranty service center.

Sergey | 23 Mar 2021 20:39

Gas stove Bosch HGG94W325R. We made baked goods in the oven. At the end, they turned off. After 10 minutes the oven had to be turned on again, but the tap only works up to 170 degrees.Doesn’t turn anymore. as if it is resting on something … At the minimum it burns exactly. the top burner taps are working perfectly.
what could happen in one turn off?

Master’s answer

Sergey, the thermostat spring does not work and is stuck.

Constantine | 19 Mar 2021 11:34

Hello, I bought a new stove Hephaestus 6500-02 0114 there is a problem with the upper gas hryvnia, I light the grill with the door open, it burns well, I close the door and after five minutes some of the gas mushroom goes out, the door does not light up completely when I open it, such a feeling of oxygen is not enough how to fix the situation?

Master’s answer

Constantine, oxygen gets inside from a lot of places.

Anonymous | 19 Feb 2021 21:14

Ardo gas stove, gas enters the oven while you press. As soon as I release the handle, the oven goes out. Please tell me what could be the matter?

Master’s answer

Hold it for a while and only then release it.Gas control is triggered.

Daria | 15 Feb 2021 08:04

Hello, I bought an apartment with a gas stove, but the oven does not work, where should I go to see it?

Master’s answer

Daria, it’s best to contact a certified gas service.

Olga | 12 Feb 2021 17:27

Our stove is not new – Greta PG-4, purchased in 2009. There is no gas control. The oven ignites well. During the first five minutes, a pop may occur and it goes out, but this does not always happen.After re-ignition, it works well, it does not go out anymore. Gas operators do not reveal any oven defects during routine inspection. What could it be? Is it possible to fix it or is it just time to buy a new stove?

Master’s answer

Olga, you can clean the nozzle and check the valve.

Alexander | 29 Jan 2021 08:59

Hello, the new Korting oven, lower burner, electric ignition (it works) ignites 2-3 times, only half of it burns. The second half does not burn (the fire does not go there), and there is gas control, as a result, after releasing the handle, it goes out.Sometimes the fire still goes to the 2nd half of the burner and then everything works. Can I do something here? The upper burner ignites normally.

Master’s answer

Alexander, you can do it – clean the nozzles and check the oven gas valve.

Anastasia | 26 Jan 2021 18:43

Hello. Gas does not enter the stove, there is a spark, but the fire does not ignite, while gas enters the burners.

Master’s answer

Anastasia, what does it mean goes to the burners, but not to the stove? Do you mean the oven?

Anastasia | 22 Jan 2021 12:17

Gas stove Hephaestus Brest 3100, the flame goes out in the oven, ignites normally, the fire does not jump, burns evenly, but after a while the gas is shut off and it goes out, there were no problems with it before, those.the service took place in December, everything was fine, but in cold weather such a story went, call the masters again?

Master’s answer

Anastasia, the problem is in the thermocouple or gas valve.

Sergey | 08 Jan 2021 14:35

Dako stove. Electpogio, without flame sensors. Water splashed from the container in the oven while the oven was operating and went out. He removed the cover of the burner compartment, do not light it with a match, the gas hisses near the entrance to the burner.Elekpodzhig does its job. There are many holes in the burner, it does not burn from a fire in any place, but flashes in the area of ​​the injector when entering the burner. Miracles and nothing more. The option of removing the burner is problematic, since all the fasteners are from the bottom and the back, complete disassembly is needed Any thoughts on this matter? Thanks.

Master’s answer

Sergei, you need to disassemble.

Vasily | 18 Dec 2020 16:59

Good afternoon. Bosch gas oven, oven has stopped working, but the gas grill is working properly. Gas flow is not audible even when the handle is clamped.Previously, there were interruptions in the gas control system, it was kindled or extinguished for a long time during operation.

Master’s answer

Basil, because the valves on the grill and the oven are different.

Elena | 15 Dec 2020 16:37

Gas stove Hephaestus.Gas grill, after the purchase the flame was normal, three years have passed at the gas grill the flame became small. The dish takes a long time to cook, as a result it turns out to be dry. At the bottom of the oven, the flame is normal. Please tell me where to clean it?

Master’s answer

Elena, it is worth cleaning the nozzles at the top.

vyacheslav | 04 Dec 2020 20:30

not how I can not figure out how to remove the temperature sensor from the grill burner of the ariston stove. there is no fastening nut. I wanted to upload a photo, but it did not work.there is some kind of bracket.

Master’s answer

Vyacheslav, you can attach a photo to your comment.

Vyacheslav | 30 Nov 2020 19:12

Can you check the gas valve and thermocouple yourself?

Master’s answer

Vyacheslav, you can.

Vyacheslav | 29 Nov 2020 18:02

Ariston stove. The upper grill burner burns only when the handle is pressed, let go it goes out. It burns well, the flame is good. In the lower drawer I found 2 jets, I don’t know where they come from, maybe they got out from somewhere? Advise pzhl.

Master’s answer

Vyacheslav, the gas valve in the stove must be checked and the thermocouple. Nozzles have nothing to do with it.

Guest | 17 Nov 2020 21:41

Hello.The top burner in my oven does not work. The current is supplied there, and the flame is not ignited. What could be the problem?

Master’s answer

There may be a problem in the gas tap.

Natalia | 31 Oct 2020 23:34

Tell me, we have an Electrolux oven with electric ignition. Stopped supplying gas. He tries to ignite, turn it on (there is a click and a spark is visible), and the gas shuts off.Before this problem, periodically when cooking, I turned off the gas. Now he stopped turning it on altogether.

Master’s answer

Natalia, the gas supply valve needs to be checked.

Alexander | 24 Oct 2020 14:27

Hello ! In our apartment (in an apartment building connected to associated gas, gas pipeline), the Hephaestus 6100 gas stove works intermittently… At first, if you light all the burners on medium heat … they work normally … After a minute, simultaneously and synchronously, the flame on all burners decreases to a minimum … so it burns for half a minute .. and then the flame rises again at the same time to a normal, medium size … And the fire is constantly playing like this … in the burners … Now it is necessary to cook food for a very long time, in time … Tell me please, what is the reason that we have something wrong …?

Master’s answer

The reason is the gas….

Anna | 04 Oct 2020 12:12

Conventional underground gas pipeline

Master’s answer

Maybe the pressure isn’t enough.

Anna | 04 Oct 2020 12:02

Hello! Can you please tell me why the top heating in the oven may not turn on? The new stove is Hephaestus 6100 02 009, but in the oven with the top and bottom heating mode, only the bottom one turns on, but if the top one is turned on separately, everything works?

Master’s answer

Anna, main gas or gas tank?

Galina | 17 Aug 2020 21:27

Let it be a weasel that is NOT halfway alone from the mountains.boch stove

Master’s answer

Galina, first the ignition unit needs to be checked.

Evgeniya | 10 Aug 2020 13:20

Good afternoon. Hefest 5100-020009 is new, it was connected to us a couple of days ago and when the oven was first used the same story. The flame is reduced to a minimum and that’s it.

Master’s answer

Eugene may just need to adjust the flame in the oven. Call the foreman from the gas service.

Evgeniya | 09 Aug 2020 19:15

Hello! Help with advice please! There was a gas stove burning, when the oven was turned on, the flame decreased after a short time.We changed the slab to Hefest 5100-020009 and the same thing! The top works perfectly, and in the oven, after a few minutes, the flame is again reduced to a minimum and cannot be changed again! Does not go out, just the minimum is done and that’s it. What could it be???

Christina | 10 Jul 2020 13:36

Hello, please tell me that this could be a new Gezaris stove, when you turn on the oven, you wait for it to warm up well, release the burner tap handle and it does not work afterwards, the oven warms up well.What could be the matter?

Master’s answer

Christina, the reason is a thermocouple or valve malfunction.

Roman | 06 June 2020 21:41

Can you please tell me if the high pressure in the cylinder is due to improper filling? Or is this always the case when refueling plastic cylinders? The instructions for the cylinder say that it must not be filled to more than 85%.At the filling station itself, the supplier of the cylinder told me that it was technically impossible to “refill” them in general, since the automatic machine is triggered when the required pressure is reached. About 20 liters of gas went into the cylinder according to the meter.
How can I be now? Only use the burners and wait for the pressure to drop? Or is it a dangerous phenomenon and you need to release the gas from the cylinder?

Master’s answer

Roman, once the pressure drops, the oven will work normally.

Roman | 06 June 2020 21:24

Hello! Gas stove Gefest 3100-07. Works in the country, converted for cylinder gas. Worked like a clock and an oven and burners.
The other day we ran out of gas, and we changed the old 50-liter metal cylinder for a composite Hexagon 24.5 liters.Also, the domestic “frog” was replaced with a German Gok gearbox 1.5 kg / h, barn 29. I filled a new bottle at the same gas station as usual. Now problems with the oven. Normally lit only on one. With an increase in power, the gas seems to stop burning, although it goes on. The oven cannot be ignited, and if it was lit, it starts to go out in places, as if a gas stream was blowing away the flame. It smells strong.

Master’s answer

Roman, the pressure is high.

Anna | 21 May 2020 11:25

Hello! A two-burner gas stove with an oven manufactured in 1966 (the sticker states the following: TYPE P2 / 1, GOST 10798-64) has been idle for at least six months, while the cooking rings are working properly.To light the oven is scary and no one knows how. Tell me, do I need to specially check the stove / call the master before use, and if there is no danger, how can I light it? (the oven looks a little exotic)

Master’s answer

Anna, of course, we advise you to call the master.With gas, “jokes are bad.”

Vitaly | 02 May 2020 09:26

Hello! Help with advice. The gas control of the oven is out of order on the Hansa stove. It was not possible to find a suitable thermocouple under quarantine conditions.Temporarily turned off the gas control of the oven by removing the valve spring. The oven worked normally for about two weeks without gas control. And now, when the oven is turned on, the burner flame is constantly minimal and does not depend on the position of the temperature control knob. Can you tell me what could be the reason for this work and how it is possible to eliminate it?

Master’s answer

Vitaly, for starters, you need to check the blockage of the jet.

Asya | 27 Apr 2020 12:53

The LGEN gas stove is large. Conf. The stove is working fine, and the oven has never turned on, and they could not turn it on. Auto ignition works, release the handle, the wick goes out, and they waited more than a minute.I can’t even hear that gas is supplied, but the stove is working from above. help

Master’s answer

Asya, the thermocouple needs to be verified.

Anna | 18 Apr 2020 12:29

You light the oven and within a few minutes the flame becomes less than

Master’s answer

Anna, the thermocouple needs to be checked.

Oksana | 16 Apr 2020 00:24

Built-in gas oven with electronic display, lighter, grill, convention, the flame goes out when the electricity is turned off, i.e. if you light a fire with a match, it will work for about 1 minute and go out.Is this provided by the manufacturer? .Mekappa. Without electricity, the gas oven will not work?

Master’s answer

Oksana, this is provided by the manufacturer so that gas does not accumulate when extinguishing the flame.

Alexander | 15 Apr 2020 19:08

Hello, I have an Indesit K1G21 / R K1G21S / R gas stove, the oven does not ignite, I made the pressed electromagnetic valve permanent.Why is the temperature not regulated? Can you regulate it at the same time?

Master’s answer

Alexander, you need to check the serviceability of thermostat in your oven.

Nazrin | 12 Apr 2020 16:26

Hello. Help with advice please. Gas oven Hotpoint-Ariston GOS7 I RFH Problem: I turn on, there is gas, everything is ok, but as soon as I release the handle, the gas goes out.Gas does not hold. Help what’s the problem ??

Master’s answer

Nazrin, the reason is faulty thermocouple .

Nazrin | 11 Apr 2020 23:11

Hello.Help with advice please. Gas oven Hotpoint-Ariston GOS7 I RFH Problem: I turn on, there is gas, everything is ok, but as soon as I release the handle, the gas goes out. Gas does not hold. Help what is the problem ??

Master’s answer

The answer to your question is above.

Nina | 10 Apr 2020 12:22

Oven “indezit”, the oven does not turn on. The master could not unscrew the screws, supposedly they were aluminum and welded. And that these stoves are disposable, i.e. cannot be repaired.Can this be?

Master’s answer

Nina, a skilled technician can repair anything.

Natalia | 05 Apr 2020 18:15

Good afternoon, please tell me Manfield oven 1 year in total.For some reason, it began to work incorrectly, first it ignites and works for 20-40 minutes, then it goes out and does not immediately light up again when the handle is released, it goes out after standing for a while, then it works again for a while. The gas supply is good, it ignites in different modes I ask for help model mgogg.673rib.tm ATP

Master’s answer

Natalia, thermocouple must be checked for serviceability.

Hope | 04 Apr 2020 15:28

Good afternoon! Stove Hephaestus 1100, in order to light a gas oven, you have to hold the button for 2-3 minutes, and so several times, then during the baking process it also goes out several times.

Master’s answer

Hope, the serviceability of the thermocouple needs to be checked.

Natalia | 03 Apr 2020 23:41

Stove Combustion.You light the oven, and the gas is not regulated by the knob. The fire is constantly high and does not diminish. And this happened recently, the stove is 4 years old, before that there was no such problem

Master’s answer

Natalia, the control valve is out of order.

Dmitry | 02 Apr 2020 21:33

The korting oven goes out, balloon gas. What could be the problem?

Master’s answer

Dmitry, maybe because of the gas pressure, or maybe because of the gas valve.

Ivan | 05 Mar 2020 18:21

Good afternoon, Nord gas stove, including the oven, I press and hold the handle for a very long time, should I let go of the oven goes out?

Master’s answer

Ivan, a malfunction in the gas supply valve in the oven.

Marina | 02 Mar 2020 19:25

Hello. I have a RICCI gas oven, after turning on the oven, it burns up to 125g and then the ventilation turns on and the gas immediately goes out, I would like to know why this could be?

Master’s answer

Marina, this may be due to a malfunction of the thermostat.

Svetlana | 28 Feb 2020 13:41

Good afternoon! Gas stove Candy 2008-2009 the model is similar to CGG5612SBS. When using the oven, first the gas flow is in accordance with the set temperature on the control knob, and then decreases to a minimum.Any temperature regime is ultimately reduced to a minimum volume of fire. Could the reason be solely in the thermostat or are there any other options? Are there any general instructions for replacing the thermostat yourself?

Master’s answer

Svetlana, the reason may be not only in the thermostat, but also in the valve or nozzles, for example.

Vera | 25 Feb 2020 15:54

Hello! I have a regular, 4 burners, DAKO gas stove. Gas is supplied as usual in apartment buildings. Problem: I light the oven, heat it up at the highest temperature, then lower it to the desired one… DURING OPERATION, DURING OFF .. especially at lower temperatures. Your table says that the thermostat is faulty … Is it so? Thanks for the answer!

Master’s answer

Vera, maybe the thermostat, or maybe the nozzle is dirty.

Alexander | 23 Feb 2020 01:02

Gas stove Gefest 1457, I turn the gas supply knob to the oven burner, but I cannot hear the gas going there and the oven does not light up.

Master’s answer

Alexander, we need to check the regulator first.

Pyatrovich | 10 Feb 2020 17:53

Pishtech PG-4d stove – does not supply gas to the oven through a double valve, the first gas campaign opens the valve (15v is supplied to it, for example). It is switched on from the switch, 220V is supplied to the gas ignition-control unit through the thermostat.When turned on, it tries to ignite the gas (there is a sound characteristic of electric ignition) for 15 minutes (but the 2nd gas valve does not open, but nothing lights up) after the ignition stops and the siren sounds and the red diode is on. Apparently to change the block, but they did not really use the oven, I would not want to buy it from the developer of the stove and a post on the same city. What is the reason, proposals for its elimination. SPS

Master’s answer

Pyatrovich, we do not work with industrial stoves.

Anonymous | 19 Dec 2019 16:11

The oven of the Hefest stove does not light up …. Although, judging by the sound, the gas is coming in. But it is not in the nose of the lighter

Master’s answer

Check the gas valve.

tatiana | 07 Dec 2019 13:11

Electrolux EOG23400 the oven turns on after a minute the gas goes out and then turns on again. and so it is repeated several times. and after a very short period of time.it turns out that the oven does not keep the temperature. please tell me what the problem is. thanks

Master’s answer

Tatyana, the thermostat and the gas valve must be checked.

Bulat | 03 Dec 2019 14:39

I forgot to clarify the next moment: Gus goes out in the oven at the minimum position, if it is on high heat, it does not go out, but the food burns badly.- Could this be the reason that the tip of the thermocouple in the oven is screwed on incorrectly? A little closer to the fire, can you try to put it? Or is it the valve?

Master’s answer

Bulat, the end of the thermocouple is always attached in the area of ​​gas combustion… right at the exit.

Bulat | 03 Dec 2019 14:23

“because the problem was not the thermocouple, but the gas valve inside the oven.” Is that what they call the oven gas valve? And where is it approximately located?

Master’s answer

Bulat, it is called the faucet (valve) of the oven.It is usually found in the oven pan.

Bulat | 03 Dec 2019 14:12

Indesit K1G21S (X) / R. Natural gas from a gas pipeline. There was another problem: when the handle was lowered, the fire immediately extinguished. I changed the thermocouple (they found a similar one), the problem disappeared.BUT the next one appeared … The fire in the oven ignites, burns successfully and after 10-15 minutes begins to slowly extinguish until it is completely extinguished. What could be the problem?

Master’s answer

Bulat, because the problem was not in the thermocouple, but in the gas valve inside the oven.

Alexey | 23 Nov 2019 13:31

You mean the possible incomplete opening of this valve in operating mode and a weak gas flow, right?

Master’s answer

Alexey, either a blockage in the valve, or a breakdown thereof.

Alexey | 22 Nov 2019 19:57

Natural mainline, for many years. And the problem appeared just a few days ago

Master’s answer

Alexey, it is necessary to check the switching valve, if the module was faulty, then the oven would never turn on.

Alexey | 22 Nov 2019 05:40

Hello! Gas oven Rex FGT2XE. Operation for several years. When the mode of the lower burner of the oven is turned on, the electric ignition is turned on – a series of clicks, after which gas was previously supplied, and the oven began to work., but now the series of clicks from the ignition electrode does not stop, and the control system stops the gas supply. At the same time, cleaning the ionization and ignition electrode from carbon deposits did not lead to the elimination of the problem. The cleaning was carried out thoroughly with fine emery paper almost to a shine, changed the distance of the electrode relative to the burner from 4 to 9 mm and vice versa, to no avail. The flame is even at the same time, without separation. The dialing of the ionization electrode, ignition electrode and burner housing with a multimeter shows that there is no short circuit or breakdown.Sometimes it is possible to light the lower gas burner the first time, the series of sparks is limited to 3-4 pieces, however, after 10-15 minutes of operation at a temperature close to max. during combustion, the spark generator is switched on again, a series of spark discharges of 15-20 pcs begins, after which the system shuts off the gas supply with the corresponding switching on of the signal diode on the external control panel. Temperature readings (with a multimeter) in the cabinet during operation correspond to standard ones. Feeling that the electrode does not see or perceive the combustion of the burner.But what is the reason? The operation of the electric grill is normal. And its duration of work, and temperature indicators flawlessly. The emergency thermostat also turns off in the desired preset temperature range of the set values. Separately, I checked the operation of the spark generator by direct connection to the electrical network – the spark generation proceeds normally, with a frequency of about 1 spark per second. In general, only the control board remains, it and the contacts are visually clean, without visible damage and burnt areas under the diodes and capacitors.I learned so many new things in a few days. Tell me, is it really about the electronic board? Or missed something? Or call a specialist after all? Best regards, Thanks in advance!

Master’s answer

Alexey, you did not specify what kind of gas you are using, natural gas from a gas pipeline or liquefied.For liquefied, there may be a problem in the gearbox.

Timofey | 22 Oct 2019 20:30

Yes, I made a replacement.

Master’s answer

What is the ignition voltage?

Timofey | 22 Oct 2019 19:50

Good evening.Replacing the ignition unit of the Electrolux EOG 23400X gas oven did not lead to the desired result. The oven still crashes during ignition.

Master’s answer

Timofey, you didn’t check the ignition, but just changed it?

Timofey | 18 Oct 2019 20:28

Thank you! T.Since initially, problems began with spontaneous extinction “to cold”, and over time the number of restarts progressed, I thought about the incorrect operation of a thermocouple or some sensor. But the failure to turn on the ignition confused the cause-and-effect relationships of malfunctions.

Master’s answer

Good luck, Timofey.

Timofey | 18 Oct 2019 20:08

Good afternoon! Gas oven Electrolux 23400. When the oven is turned on, a click is heard, after which the email was turned on earlier. ignition (spark) and the oven lit up, but now it does not turn on, while a characteristic sound (hum) of the transformer operation is heard.After that, the oven goes into emergency mode. Until that time, the oven sometimes went out randomly during firing up, after turning it back on, there were no problems. Then the number of restarts during ignition increased. After (apparently warming up) it worked flawlessly. The oven does not turn on at the moment. At the same time, email. the grill is working properly.

Master’s answer

Timofey, the electric ignition unit needs to be checked, it goes to the grill separately.

Evgeniy | 17 Oct 2019 10:48

Hello. Gas goes out in the oven some time after the door is closed. I read that this is one of the reasons. How to be? Is the door regulated in any way?

Master’s answer

Eugene, you have not indicated either the brand or the model of your equipment.Work with gas should be entrusted only to professionals.

Irina. | 06 Sep 2019 17:47

Thanks

Master’s answer

Irina, we were glad to help you!

Irina | 06 Sep 2019 17:27

Hello.Idel plate design. Recently, the oven starts to go out when the door is closed, if you open it, it lights up again. If the first time you warm with the door ajar, then then it does not go out. How to be?

Master’s answer

Irina, clean the nozzles.

Olga | 06 Aug 2019 19:48

:)) Apparently, a dreamer! Maybe he wanted to cut it down in an easy way! 🙂

Master’s answer

Olga, it is possible

Olga | 06 Aug 2019 18:53

Sure.I will not climb. Thanks a lot!

Master’s answer

Please, the oven burner diagram should be in the instructions. Show it to the gasman, there is no kerosene there.Some strange kerosene fantasies of your gasman.

Olga | 06 Aug 2019 18:46

I just went through the holes with a pin. I lit and closed the oven. I waited five minutes and reduced it by 1.The flame diminished.

Master’s answer

Olga, great! Perhaps, it just got clogged with you. There is also a nozzle for this, you need to disassemble the burner, maybe ants have climbed into this nozzle and because of this, there is a poor gas supply.You need to disassemble and see, but we do not recommend doing it yourself. Gas is a bad joke.

Olga | 06 Aug 2019 18:41

I didn’t understand anything. Once he poked with an awl and that’s it.

Master’s answer

Some strange gasman at you

Olga | 06 Aug 2019 18:27

But at 1m

Master’s answer

Visually, it is no different from the 8th mode.

Olga | 06 Aug 2019 18:26

Here is a photo in 8 mode

Master’s answer

Yes, it somehow burns weakly at the maximum.

Olga | 06 Aug 2019 18:22

The baking was fine, only there were red ants in our house. They were recently taken out of the apartment. Maybe they dirtied the oven with their corpses. They still fly out of the comforts.Yesterday the gasman was there, he didn’t say anything intelligible. Today I called and said that there is some kind of pipe with kerosene in the stove, and like in old stoves, this pipe often malfunctions and this kerosene blocks the gas pressure.

Master’s answer

Olga, and the gasman disassembled the burner, checked the nozzle, the gas cock? Maybe your nozzle is clogged with these ants, or you need to adjust the flame.

Olga | 06 Aug 2019 18:09

The flame is just not strong. Degrees 200, and is not regulated either up or down.

Master’s answer

Olga, has it always been like this or has it just recently become? The thermostat might be the case.

Olga | 06 Aug 2019 17:31

Good afternoon. Stove with a gas oven gorenje GI438W TYPE P51A1-14VT year of manufacture 2006.The oven ignites, but the flame is the same in all positions of the handle.What could be the reason?

Master’s answer

Olga, did you try to wait five minutes and then adjust the flame in the oven? It happens that the thermocouple of the gas control system needs to warm up a little, therefore, immediately upon switching on, the flame is strong and not regulated.

Natalia | 26 Jul 2019 14:37

DARINA Gm441 008. I light the oven, it burns normally. One has only to subtract a little, it immediately goes out. What’s this? What to do? Thanks in advance.

Master’s answer

Natalia, jexit there are only spdfnm gas masters.

Hope | 26 Jul 2019 08:36

In a gas oven, when the upper candle is pressed, it immediately goes out when the button is released, gas valve Bosch, Germany company

Master’s answer

Hopefully, the problem may be in the pressure valve.

Zhenya | 23 Jul 2019 12:50

Hello, tell the oven to heat up to 60 degrees and no longer heat up

Master’s answer

Zhenya, the thermostat (temperature sensor) needs to be checked.

Alexey | 20 Jul 2019 09:49

Hello, please tell me, in an ordinary old stove (about 10 years old), the oven lights up and burns while you hold the handle, but when you let go, the gas supply stops immediately and the handle does not fix as it remains a little drowned on the burners and completely falls out on what to sin in advance thanks

Master’s answer

Alexey, there may be both a problem in the burners and in the control knobs.We do not recommend getting into gas equipment without a specialist.

Olga | 20 June 2019 13:28

Thank you very much for your answer!

Master’s answer

Olga, we were glad to help you!

Olga | 18 June 2019 13:13

Hello! I have a gefest stove stb 1757 – 2007 with a gas oven.There is no problem with ignition. I expose the handle in the continuation of “180”, the length of the flame tongues is about 10 mm, I come up after 5-10 minutes, the flame is already about 4 mm, I add gas to the “200” mark, then everything is repeated again, and I bake the products already at “260” – “max”. The flame does not increase when the door is opened. The upper part of the door is loose. Please help me figure out the problem.

Master’s answer

Olga, there may be a problem with the jets, all possible reasons are described above.

Show more

How to avoid problems with “winter cystitis” – Rossiyskaya Gazeta

In the cold season, the most common illness after ARVI is not even flu, but cystitis.

This is the name of an inflammation of the bladder – an unpleasant and very common disease.More often it affects the weaker sex, but does not bypass men either. It is necessary to freeze a little in inclement weather, waiting for a bus at a bus stop, or then sit for 15-20 minutes on a cold seat in an unheated cabin, and problems with the bladder are almost guaranteed.

But one should not assume that only the cold season is to blame. Cystitis is caused by infections, not ambient temperature. The fact is that hypothermia weakens our immunity, and this, in turn, makes it possible to develop inflammation of the bladder.

First call

The disease usually begins suddenly and proceeds in an acute form. Here are her symptoms:

• Strong and frequent urge to urinate.
• Burning and cutting during and at the end of urination.
• Even when the urge is strong, only a small amount of urine is excreted.
• Discomfort and pain in the lower abdomen.
• Blood in urine – more often detected in the general analysis, but sometimes it is determined by eye.
• Urine has a cloudy color, often with an unpleasant odor.

Doctors warn: if at the same time your temperature also rises (above 38 degrees), chills appear, pain in the side or lower back, if you start to feel nauseous, this already indicates that the infection has made its way even further – into the kidneys, and pyelonephritis began. This is a serious reason to urgently see a doctor. However, cystitis should not be treated on its own. He cannot be defeated without an accurate diagnosis.

After examinations, the attending physician will prescribe medication – including antibiotics, which are categorically forbidden to “prescribe” to oneself.

The fact is that in 80-95% of cases, the causative agent of cystitis is the usual E. coli that lives in our body. Therefore, the immune system reacts badly to her (she’s her own!), And she managed to get used to the antibiotics that you once took. This is where the professional help of a doctor is needed in the choice of drugs.

Folk remedies

But killing the harmful bacteria that cause cystitis is only part of the treatment. Regardless of the drug chosen by the doctor, the mucous membrane of the bladder heals for 3-4 days, so even with effective treatment, the symptoms of the disease may not disappear immediately.It is also necessary to “calm down” the mucous membrane, protect the kidneys, and restore regular urination. For this, it is already possible to apply folk recipes worked out by many generations. Here are 6 tips to help you get over your illness:

1. Follow a gentle diet. For the duration of the illness, forget about spicy and irritating dishes, spices. It is advisable to choose a dairy-vegetable menu for these days.
2. Drink more! But, of course, if you exclude alcohol and soda, it is better to give up coffee as well.You should drink a lot in order to quickly remove the products of inflammation from the bladder with urine.
3. If you want to go to the toilet – don’t stand it! An overflowing bladder can cause infected urine to flow back into the kidneys, increasing the risk of pyelonephritis.
4. Maintain a comfortable temperature. Try to avoid any hypothermia until complete recovery.
5. Maintain your immune system. If he has to be distracted by dealing with other problems, the process of treating cystitis will take longer.
6. Do not tolerate pain and cramps, try to soften them. This can be helped by warm baths and heating pads, herbal decoctions.

Green Pharmacy

It is believed that cranberries, lingonberries, goldenrod, bearberry (bear ears), marshmallow root and other plants are especially useful for cystitis. Traditional medicine has amassed many recipes for those suffering from bladder problems. Here are some recipes:

• Brew a tablespoon of lingonberry leaves with a glass of boiling water, let it brew until it cools down and take 1/2 cup 3-4 times a day before meals.Take a tablespoon of chopped root, pour a glass of boiling water and leave for 4 hours. Take 1 / 2-1 / 3 cup 3-4 times a day.
• 2 teaspoons of goldenrod herb insist for 4 hours in a glass of cold boiled water, filter. Take a glass of infusion 3-4 times a day before meals. Goldenrod is contraindicated in glomerulonephritis and pregnancy.
• Brew three teaspoons of corn silk with a glass of boiling water. Cool, add honey, drink two glasses in the morning and in the evening.
• Chop parsley leaves and roots. Pour one teaspoon of the resulting mixture with a glass of boiling water. Insist in a thermos for two to three hours. Drink in three doses in small sips one hour before meals.
• Pour one tablespoon of chopped bearberry leaves with a glass of hot water and hold in a water bath for half an hour. Cool, drain. Dilute the resulting broth with boiled water to the volume of a glass. Take three times a day for 1/3 cup.
• Pine and spruce bath.Finely chop pine and spruce needles and cones. Stir in an enamel saucepan and add three liters of water. Put on low heat and cook for half an hour. Infuse for an hour, then strain and pour into the bath.

The course of treatment consists of seven baths. Repeat the procedure every other day.

By the way

A common cause of cystitis is not only cold, but also the inability to empty the bladder in a timely manner. Remember – it is very harmful to postpone going to the toilet for a long time.It is especially important to explain this to children who are sometimes embarrassed to take time off to use the toilet from the lesson.

Natural fires – Municipality Liteiny District (No. 79)

Today, in the age of technological progress, the development of science and technology in the world there are many different kinds of accidents, catastrophes, certainly associated with the death of people, with the destruction of material values, with the occurrence of serious violations of the environment, etc.

The topic of natural emergencies is becoming more and more relevant.The number of floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions increases every year, more and more people die in them.

Natural emergencies include wildfires. Forest fires are one of the most serious problems in Russian forests. In recent years, the total forest area has been shrinking disproportionately. And one of the reasons for this decline is forest and peat fires. Currently, there are many forest fires every year, and catastrophic outbreaks of forest and peat bog fires are also increasing.The harm they bring to humanity is enormous, especially if we take into account not only direct, but also indirect damage. Fire is a spontaneous (uncontrolled) combustion that spreads to a forest area surrounded by a non-burning territory. The forest area, over which the fire spreads, also includes open forest areas. One fire refers to the entire area covered by fire, surrounded by a territory that is not currently burning.

General information on wildfires

A fire that occurs in the environment is called natural.

The concept of natural fires includes forest fires, fires of steppe and grain fields, peat and underground fires of fossil fuels. Forest fires are among the most common natural phenomena that lead to the destruction of forests and other material values, and sometimes to human casualties. Statistics show that they occur spontaneously in 8-10% of cases, and in 90% of cases due to human fault.

In Russia, on average, from 30 to 50 thousand hectares of forests are burned out annually.Depending on the nature of the fire and the composition of the forest, fires are subdivided into grass-roots, high-altitude, and soil fires. Almost all of them at the beginning of their development have the character of grassroots and, if certain conditions are created, they pass into upper and soil ones.

The most important characteristics are the speed of propagation of ground and top fires, the depth of burnt underground. Fires are classified as weak, medium and strong. According to the speed of fire propagation, the grassroots and horsebacks are subdivided into stable and fugitive.The speed of propagation of a weak ground fire does not exceed 1 m / min, medium – from 1 to 3 m / min, strong – over 3 m / min … A weak horse fire has a speed of up to 3 m / min, average up to 100 m / min, and a strong one – over 100 m / min … A weak underground fire is considered to be a fire in which the depth of burning does not exceed 25 cm, medium – from 25 to 50 cm, strong – more than 50 cm …

Natural fires are very dangerous and often recurring emergencies. They lead to the destruction of forests, death of animals and plants, disruption of the heat balance in the fire zone, pollution of the atmosphere with combustion products, and soil erosion.Often, natural fires are the cause of injury, illness, and death of people.

Causes of fires

Natural causes can be the source of natural fires: lightning discharge, spontaneous combustion, friction of trees. In the overwhelming majority of cases, natural fires are the result of human violation of fire safety requirements. Approximately 60-70% of wildfires occur within a radius of 5 kilometers from settlements.In this zone, people most often spend time “in nature”.

The main causes of wildfires are: an unextinguished cigarette, a burning match, a smoldering wad after a shot, oily rags or rags, a glass bottle refracting rays of sunlight, sparks from a vehicle’s muffler, burning old grass, stubble, debris near a forest or peat bog, cleaning using the fire of forest areas for agricultural use or the arrangement of forest pastures.Bonfire is one of the main potential sources of wildfires. In some cases, wildfires are the result of deliberate arson, man-made accidents or disasters.

Prohibitions to prevent fire in the natural environment:

– throw burning matches, cigarette butts, smoldering rags in the forest;

– to make a fire in dense thickets and in young coniferous stands, under low hanging crowns of trees, next to warehouses of timber, peat, in the immediate vicinity of mature crops;

– leave spontaneously combustible materials in the forest: rags and rags soaked in oil, gasoline, glassware, which in sunny weather can focus the sun’s beam and ignite dry vegetation;

– to burn dry grass in forest glades, in gardens, in fields, under trees;

– set fire to reeds;

– make a fire in windy weather and leave it unattended;

– leave the fire burning after leaving the parking lot.

If a natural fire is detected, try to eliminate the source of fire by yourself; if it was not possible to do this, quickly leave the danger zone, be sure to report the place of the fire to the forest guard, the administration, the police, and the rescue service.

Classification of wildfires

Natural fires include forest, steppe, peat, underground, and their possible combinations.

Forest fires

A forest fire is an uncontrolled burning of vegetation that spontaneously spreads over a forest area.The phenomenon is very fast and frequent. Such disasters and emergencies arising in connection with them occur in various regions of the country every year and largely depend on the behavior of people in the forest. Forest fires destroy trees and shrubs, forest products, buildings and structures. Plantations weakened by fires become hotbeds of harmful diseases, which leads to the death of not only those affected by the fire, but also of neighboring plantings. As a result of fires, the protective, water-protective and other useful properties of the forest are reduced, valuable fauna are destroyed, the planned maintenance of forestry and the use of forest resources are violated.Up to 80% of fires occur due to the violation by the population of fire safety measures when handling fire in places of work and rest, as well as as a result of the use of faulty equipment in the forest. In the areas of logging, forest fires occur mainly in the spring when clearing felling areas by fire – burning felling residues. Forest fires may be the result of an insufficiently established service for monitoring the state of the forest and untimely notification of the relevant authorities about the outbreaks of fires that have arisen in the forest and their transformation into massive ones.

Ground fires are most often observed – about 90% of their total number. In this case, the fire spreads only along the above-ground cover, covering the lower parts of the tree trunks and the roots protruding to the surface.

Ground fires are subdivided into fugitive and persistent. during a runaway fire, the living and dead above-ground cover burns, self-seeding of the left, fallen leaves and needles, the bark of the lower part of trees and exposed roots, coniferous undergrowth and undergrowth are burned.Such a fire spreads at a high speed, bypassing places with high humidity in the cover, so part of the area remains unaffected by the fire. Runaway fires most often occur in the spring, when only the uppermost layer of small combustible materials dries out.

In case of a sustained ground fire, the litter burns out, the roots and bark of trees are severely burned, undergrowth and undergrowth are completely burned. Sustained fires usually begin in mid-summer when the litter dries out.

In case of a low-level fire, the flame type of combustion predominates, with a steady one – flameless.

Distinguish between steady and upper run fires. Crown fires cause especially great damage when the crowns of the upper tier trees are burning. Runaway riding fires are typical for both the first and second half of summer.

Analyzing the causes and development of forest fires, it is easy to see that the fire hazard in forests depends significantly on weather conditions, for which there are currently quite advanced methods to predict.The greatest likelihood of forest fires during the fire season (April-November). The greatest influence on the fire hazard in the forest is exerted by: precipitation, air temperature and humidity, wind and cloudiness.

Peat fires

Under the influence of temperature, ambient humidity, biological structure of peat-forming plants and a number of other reasons, peat gradually decomposes. The higher the degree of decomposition of peat, the more it is subject to fire.since such peat has lower moisture content, higher average density and heat capacity. The burnout rate of peat in calm weather or with a weak wind is 0.18 kg / m2.

At a wind speed of 3 m / s or more, burning peat particles are scattered downwind over considerable distances. Sparks, falling on a layer of dried peat on the surface, ignite this layer and form new foci of combustion. The fire spreads in the direction of the wind.

The movement of fire over the surface in a solid line, without taking into account the centers formed by sparks scattered by the wind, is usually called the speed of fire advance, and the speed of movement of fire, taking into account the centers formed from sparks, is the speed of fire propagation.

Depending on the speed of the fire, 4 peat fire fronts are distinguished:

– head (main), moving in the direction of the wind with the highest speed;

– two side (flank), moving to the sides from the leading front and at a lower speed;

– rear, moving in the direction opposite to the direction of the wind (towards the wind), and at the lowest speed.

The time of year and day, as well as meteorological factors, have a great influence on the development of peat fires. The fire develops more slowly at night, because the temperature of the peat surface is lower than the temperature of the deposit, and as a result, moisture rises to its upper layers. In addition, usually the wind dies down at night and dew falls.

The development of peat fires can be divided into three periods.

First – initial – peat ignition. It is characterized by a small area of ​​the hearth, a low burning rate, a relatively low temperature and weak smoke in the combustion zone.The duration of the tanning period ranges from several minutes to several hours and depends on the moisture content of the peat, wind speed, temperature and relative humidity.

The second is characterized by intense combustion with an increase in its speed and temperature. The area of ​​the fire is rapidly increasing, often reaching several thousand square meters. The ambient temperature rises, smoke spreads over a long distance.

Third – the fire spreads most intensively and over a very large area, amounting to several hectares.The fire is characterized by a high temperature in the combustion zone and strong smoke.

In the foci of peat fires, heaps of burnt, fallen trees and cavities of burnt-out peat appear, into which people and equipment can fall.

Underground peat fires spread very slowly by themselves and usually arise from grassroots, in which the fire is deepened throughout the conflagration in separate foci. Therefore, the primary task is to extinguish a ground fire.Then they begin to eliminate the foci of an underground fire. To extinguish underground fires, chemical solutions or “wet” water are used, supplied under pressure by injection deep into the peat layer using fire engines or watering machines equipped with hoses with perforated trunks – peaks. You can also localize underground fires by creating ditches around them using trenchers, trenchers, bulldozers or explosive methods. The depth of the ditches should reach the groundwater level or reach the mineral soil, sinking 20 cm into it, i.e.That is, it should be equal to.

The outer slope of the ditches is covered with mineral soil. In this case, it is advisable to fill the ditches with water. Considering that the edge of underground fires is not visible everywhere, when extinguishing such fires, care must be taken to avoid people and vehicles getting into burnt-out pits or caverns.

Underground fires

Underground fires occur in mines, mines, and minerals. They are caused by both external heat impulses (careless handling of fire, malfunction of electrical equipment, friction of moving parts of machines and mechanisms), and spontaneous combustion of coal, carbonaceous rocks, sulphide ores.A particular danger is posed by underground fires in places of accumulation of explosive substances, including methane, coal and sulphide dust. Prevention of underground fires and prevention of their consequences consists in the fact that, along with general fire-prevention measures (use of non-combustible materials for fastening mine workings, hardly inflammable conveyor belts and electric cables in non-combustible sheaths, arrangement of an extensive fire water supply network, etc.). the use of special schemes of opening and preparation of deposits is envisaged.They allow you to localize the site in the event of a fire and divert the fire gases into the general outgoing air stream, bypassing the rest of the areas where people are.

Steppe fires

Wildfires are the result of burning dry grass or mature crops and spread in windy weather at a speed of up to 120 km / h.

Damage factors of fires

The main damaging factors include the direct effect of fire (combustion), high temperature and heat radiation, gaseous environment; smoke and gas contamination of premises and territories with toxic combustion products.People who are in the combustion zone suffer the most, as a rule, from open flames and sparks, high ambient temperatures, toxic combustion products, smoke, and low oxygen concentration.

Open fire. Cases of direct exposure of people to open flames are rare. Most often, the defeat occurs from the radiant streams emitted by the flame. Medium temperature. The greatest danger to people is the inhalation of heated air, leading to burns of the upper respiratory tract, suffocation and death.So, at temperatures above 100 ° C, a person loses consciousness and dies in a few minutes. Skin burns are also dangerous.

Loss of visibility due to smoke. The success of evacuating people in case of fire can only be ensured with their unimpeded movement. Evacuees must clearly see evacuation exits or exit signs. When visibility is lost, the movement of people becomes chaotic. As a result of this, the evacuation process becomes difficult and then can become unmanageable.

Reduced oxygen concentration. During fire conditions, the oxygen concentration in the air decreases. Meanwhile, lowering it even by 3% causes a deterioration in the motor functions of the body. A concentration of less than 14% is considered dangerous; with it, brain activity and coordination of movements are disturbed.

Fire criteria

According to official statistics, fire covers up to 2 million hectares of forest per year, and according to unofficial statistics – up to 14 million hectares (this is 140 times the area of ​​Moscow).Why such difference? It’s very simple: about a third, that is, 200 out of 600 million hectares of Russian forests, is officially (!) Outside the fire protection zone, and for this territory there is not even reliable statistics on the number and area of ​​fires. For the rest of the area, data on fires are also far from always reliable.

T According to official data, about 67% of forest fires and 95% of the forest area covered by fire fell on 24 constituent entities of the Russian Federation. These are Chita, Irkutsk, Amur, Belgorod, Ryazan, Voronezh, Arkhangelsk, Volgograd, Rostov, Nizhny Novgorod, Ulyanovsk regions, the republics of Komi, Tyva, Buryatia, Khakassia, Krasnodar, Stavropol, Krasnoyarsk, Khabarovsk territories, Yamalo-Nenetsky, Chukotka, Ust-Orda Buryat and Aginsky Buryat Autonomous Districts.

The Chita Region and Khabarovsk Territory turned out to be the most fire hazardous areas, they accounted for 56% of the territory covered by fire.

Unfortunately, official statistics practically do not take into account fires outside the territories of the state forest fund. In particular, the huge areas covered by grass fires are not taken into account.

Conclusion

Statistics of emergency situations show that in Russia the share of wildfires and emergencies caused by them is approximately 24% of the total number of natural emergencies.Thus, the problem of wildfires is one of the most serious and requires special attention. To solve this problem, it is necessary to improve the technique and equipment of the Ministry of Emergency Situations for extinguishing natural fires. In densely populated regions of Russia, it is necessary to move away from crops that are especially dangerous in terms of fire when planning and maintaining forestry. An effective national satellite monitoring system for fires should be created, providing direct reception of satellite information by all both state and independent, including public receiving stations.

90,000 13 Hadith about Hell

Hell in authentic hadith

“All people will be brought to Syrat. They will find themselves near Hell and begin their movement forward in accordance with their worldly deeds and deeds: someone will overcome Syrat like lightning, someone like the wind, the speed of some will be equal to the flight speed of birds, others – the speed of the best horses, and some some of the people will move with the speed of a good camel. Among the latter will be those who will walk across this bridge with an ordinary human step.The slowest of all, closing the procession, will go those who have the light of faith [accumulated by the total aggregate of their worldly blessings] will be enough only for the shine of the big toe of both feet. As they move forward, the bridge under their feet will sway and wobble [strongly]. Syrat is slippery and full of thorns and thorns. There will be angels on both sides of the narrow bridge. With the help of fiery hooks, they will tear out all the inhabitants of Hell from the general stream and throw them into the Hell. Other angels will pray to the Lord: “Forgive and have mercy, forgive and have mercy.”

• About the creation of Hell

When the Almighty created Hell and Paradise, Allah sent Jabrail into the Fire, saying: “Go, look at him and what is prepared in him for its inhabitants.” He looked at him and saw that he was rising above himself. When he returned, he said: “I swear by Your power, none of those who hear about him will get there.” Then Allah ordered to surround the Fire with temptations and said: “Go, look at it and at what is prepared in it for its inhabitants.” When he returned, he said: “I swear by Your power, I am afraid that now everyone will get there, and no one will be able to escape.”

“I swear by the One in Whose Hand is my soul, if you saw what I saw, you would laugh a little and cry a lot.” He was asked: “What did you see, Messenger of Allah?” He replied: “I have seen Heaven and Hell.”

“Truly, a huge rock that is thrown off the edge of Hell, [and even if] it flies down for seventy years, it will still not reach the bottom.”

“Think about Hell more often: its temperature is unusually high, the bottom is incredibly deep and the clubs are metal there.”

• About leaving Hell

“Everyone who had even a speck of a conscious faith in the oneness and incomprehensibility of the Creator will sooner or later come out of Hell, even if he has not performed a single good deed in this worldly life.”

Ibn Umar said: “I dreamed that two angels approached me, each of whom was holding an iron club in his hand. They said, “You won’t be scared. You are a good person. Now, if you still performed more night prayers. ” They took me with them, and we stopped at the edge of Gehenna. It looked like a well covered with stones. Its edges were like the edges of a well, and each of them had an angel holding an iron club. It contained men, hung upside down on chains.I recognized some of the Quraysh among them, and then they took me to the right. ”

• Inhabitants of Hell

“Paradise was so close to me that if I dared, I would bring you a bunch of grapes from there. The fire, too, was so close to me that I said: “Lord, will I really be with them?” There was a woman who was being scratched by a cat. I asked: “What is she to blame?” They told me: “She locked her up and she starved to death. She did not feed her or even let her go so that she could profit from insects on the ground. “

“After the inhabitants of Paradise enter Paradise, and the inhabitants of Fire – into Fire, death will be brought and placed between Paradise and Fire. Then it will be destroyed and then the herald will call out: “Inhabitants of Paradise, there will be no death! Inhabitants of Fire, there will be no death! ” And then the jubilation of the inhabitants of Paradise will increase, and the sorrow of the inhabitants of Fire will increase. ”

“Shouldn’t I tell you about the inhabitants of the Fire? This is everyone who is cruel, stingy and arrogant. ”

“Five will be the inhabitants of Fire: a weak man, devoid of reason; one who follows [everything indiscriminately], not caring about his family and his property; one who betrays trust as soon as he has the slightest desire; and the one who every morning and every evening tries to lure out your wife and your property. “

• About the last person who left Hell

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “I know who will be the last to leave Hell, entering also the last into Paradise. This man will come out of Hell on all fours. The Supreme Creator will tell him: “Now you can enter Paradise.” He will do, but it will seem to him that Paradise is already full of inhabitants. He will return and exclaim: “Oh Lord, I see that Paradise is already full [I have no room left there]!” The Lord will again tell him to go to Paradise, but, coming up and not seeing a place for himself there, [this “unfortunate”] will repeat his words in bewilderment.[After leading a person through unusual sensations and impressions, the Creator will calm him down:] “You can enter Paradise [don’t worry, there is a place for you there]. What you want for you, and there awaits you there such a quantity of blessings that can only be compared with all the blessings of the planet Earth multiplied by ten! ”

[A person who left the secular abode, having a particle of faith, which saved him in the end, but also carrying with him the greatest burden of sins, which entailed such a long stay in Hell, experienced unimaginable horror and torment in atonement for sins.And now, after having tasted all the bitterness of being in the fiery hell, he had the opportunity to approach the heavenly abode and enter it. He had already approached the dizzying fragrance of heavenly bushes, indescribable beauty … But suddenly it seemed to him that there was no place there. Then he learns that he, the very last sinner from among the believers, is given such a number of benefits that no one on Earth could have imagined, and moreover – forever. He came out of Hell last, exhausted and exhausted.He left behind those who will be there forever. Hearing what awaited him, and shortly before that he could not find a small place for himself there, the man exclaimed:] “Lord, isn’t this a joke, after all, You are the Lord of everything ?!”

Sayda Hayat

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How to make coffee in a geyser coffee maker: tips and life hacks

Geyser coffee maker (moka pot, moka express, geyser) is the simplest device with which you can make an espresso no worse than in an Italian coffee shop.In Italy, such devices are used in 9 out of 10 homes, and Italians know a lot about good coffee. We will tell you all about how to brew coffee in a geyser coffee maker.

Cooking quickly and easily

The first “geysers” appeared at the beginning of the 19th century, and a little later, Alfonso Bialetti developed for them the ideal shape and typical appearance that has survived to this day. The principle of operation is quite simple: the water is heated in the lower compartment, steam is obtained, which pushes the liquid upward, through the layer of crushed coffee beans.The finished espresso is collected at the top.

As a rule, “geysers” are made of metal and are placed on the stove. There are also electric models of this type, in them you can prepare a drink in the office or on a trip, plugging it into the outlet.

Cooking details

You may need to experiment to find the best way to make coffee in your geyser coffee machine. There are several parameters that affect the flavor and aroma characteristics and the type of finished drink.

• Ground coffee – choose medium or coarse grind. Fine or Turkish coffee will not work.
• Cold or hot water – the temperature determines the speed of brewing, the extraction time, and therefore the taste of the espresso.
• Volume – they come in very different sizes, but it is advisable to choose one that is enough for you at one time. Too large will not make a small cup.

You can add ground spices directly to ground coffee.

Step by step instructions:

1. In any case, before making coffee in the geyser coffee maker, you disassemble it.
2. Take out the filter mesh and pour the crushed grains into it. Do not tamp, otherwise the layer will be too dense, brewing will be difficult. Do not heap, on the contrary, it is better to gently level the top with your fingers or a spoon.
3. Pour water into the lower container, no higher than the level of the safety valve.
4. Assemble the structure by carefully placing the container with coffee so that it does not spill onto the rubber seal.If this happens, remove the excess: with a sponge, brush, or simply blow off.
5. Screw the device tight enough. It is best to do this by holding the top and bottom, rather than pulling on the handle. The handle is often the most fragile part and can break.
6. Put the coffee maker on to warm up. The heat should be low, so the extraction will go slower, and your espresso will be more intense, aromatic, thicker. If the heat is too high, you can hold the coffee maker above the hotplate by the handle, thereby controlling the temperature.
7. When the liquid has boiled away, you will hear a hiss. Remove the geyser from the stove and pour the coffee into cups.

At first, you may not close the lid – this will not affect the taste in any way, but you will learn to recognize the sounds of the beginning and end of brewing.

Cold water infusion

The simplest method used by many. In this case, cold water is poured into the lower container, better filtered, but it is also possible from the tap, if it is not too hard or soft.There will be no limescale, but this may change the taste of the finished espresso.

Low temperature makes the brewing process longer. At the same time, all parts quickly heat up, including the filter with poured coffee. The coffee burns a little, so the taste is more bitter. Steaming is long, more aroma and flavor components are revealed, the drink is intense, strong, dense.

If you plan to add milk, we advise you to brew your coffee in a geyser coffee maker with chilled water.This will give you a more “coffee” flavor.

Hot water infusion

For those who love a pure black drink and experiment with flavors of different varieties. Boil the water first and then pour it into the lower tank. Assemble the device carefully and turn on a small fire. Be careful when assembling, boiling water will heat the metal in a few seconds, so that the bottom of the tank gets hot, use a towel or oven mitt.

Boiling will occur very quickly, so the brewing process itself will be shorter.Nothing burns, the espresso turns out to be soft, there will be no bitterness and “burnt” smell. If you want more intensity, reduce the heat to very low, so the process will take longer.

For brewing specialty coffee, it is better to use this method, so as not to burn a rather expensive grain and be able to appreciate all its features.

Neapolitan sweet coffee

In the process of making coffee in a geyser coffee maker, a beautiful foam is obtained, although not very dense.And if you add sugar and stir it, there will be no froth at all. There is a special recipe for cream lovers.

1. Pour cold or hot water and put the coffee maker on fire.
2. Open the lid to see when the spill starts.
3. Pour as much sugar into the cup as you like.
4. When it spills, remove the appliance and pour some coffee into the cup with sugar.
5. Return device to fire.
6. Stir the sugar into the espresso quickly with a teaspoon to create something like a gooey syrup with a lot of foam.If there is little liquid, add a little more. For one teaspoon of sugar – about 2-3 tablespoons of liquid, do not pour too much at once, otherwise you will not be able to whip the foam.
7. When the drink is ready in the geyser, add it to the cup.
8. Enjoy the sweet taste and beautiful dense high cream.

Foam cream whips up pretty quickly and does not settle, so you can easily make such sweet coffee in 2-3 cups at the same time.

Tips and Life Hacks

It’s actually very simple, so even if the first try fails, the second or third will give you the flavor you want. But there are some hints that might help you.

• Do not store ready-made espresso in a metal geyser – it quickly takes on a metallic taste. Or pour directly into cups, or pour into another container.
• When you remove the geyser from the fire, the brewing and infusion process is still in progress.You can quickly stop it by cooling the lower part: put it on a wet cold towel, in a bowl of cold water.
• If the drink turns out to be watery, open the lid and see: at the beginning of the pouring it is very dark, then it brightens. When the color looks like light honey, remove the device and quickly cool it down.
• If coffee is sprinkling on the hob, you have connected the parts too loosely or there are particles between them that prevent them from twisting tightly. Remove, refrigerate, disassemble and try again.
• Do not fill higher than the relief valve mark. Too high a pressure can lead to an explosion.

A big plus: the coffee from the top container will not pour out, even if you forget the coffee maker on the stove (as often happens with the Turks). It will warm up, boil over, become stronger and more concentrated, but it will not leak out. If boiling occurs, turn off the heat and let the device cool naturally.

Conclusions:

1. Brewing coffee in the geyser coffee maker is very easy and convenient.
2. For a bitter, intense drink, use cold water, for milder flavors and special varieties, use hot water just boiled.
3. You can follow the process by opening the lid without spoiling the taste.
4. Ground spices are added directly to ground coffee.
5. Add sugar to the cup. You can whisk it with a little coffee to create a cream.

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90,000 How to melt chocolate at home so that it is liquid

Which chocolate is best for melting?

Before proceeding to describe the many ways to convert solid to liquid chocolate, it is necessary to consider which product is best used for this purpose. Traditional chocolate is based on the fruit of the chocolate tree – cocoa beans. The higher the percentage of their content in the product, the more quality it is considered.

Therefore, dark chocolate is deservedly considered the best (other commonly used names are bitter or black), in which the proportion of processed cocoa beans reaches 70%. It is he who is best suited to be used as a decoration for a cake or as a raw material in the preparation of liquid desserts.

Milk chocolate contains up to 35-40% cocoa beans. It is almost not inferior in taste characteristics to its dark counterpart, but significantly loses in terms of useful properties.This is offset by the more affordable cost of the product, which is the main reason for its widespread use both for decorating baked goods and for preparing drinks.

White chocolate contains virtually no cocoa beans. Otherwise, it differs little from dairy and is also often used in homemade baked goods, in the manufacture of figurines and for liquid desserts. Therefore, the question of how to melt white chocolate is also relevant for housewives.

Aerated chocolate deserves special mention.It can be bitter, milky, or white. It is quite possible to bring the product to a liquid state, but it melts worse than usual, so it will take noticeably more time. As a result, it is not advisable to use porous chocolate for such purposes. As well as the one that contains various additives in the form of nuts, raisins, cookies, rice balls and other fillers. Any impurities interfere with the rapid melting of chocolate, so it is much easier to work with a pure and natural product.

How to melt chocolate in the microwave?

Today, a microwave oven is found in almost every kitchen. It is actively used not only for warming up, but also for cooking. It is quite logical that the microwave can also be used to melt chocolate.

The step-by-step instructions for the actions to be taken in this case are as follows:

• first, the chocolate bar must be chopped in any convenient way – in a mill, blender or just with a knife;
• the product is then placed in a microwave safe dish.In this case, we are talking about containers made of heat-resistant plastic, porcelain, earthenware, ceramics without patterns and decorations;
• dishes are placed in the microwave at one of the low or medium temperature settings for a minute;
• after this time, the container is taken out, and its contents are mixed;
• if the state of the product is not liquid enough, the dishes are put into the oven again, but already for 30 or 40 seconds;
• the described procedure is repeated until the desired chocolate consistency is obtained.

An alternative course of action is also allowed, involving the use of a special “defrost” mode. In this case, the contents of the microwave are heated in more gentle conditions, so the container with the pieces of chocolate can be placed immediately for 2 minutes. Then the dishes are removed from the oven, their contents are mixed, and then re-sent to the microwave to obtain a more liquid product, or used as intended.

Advice.It is imperative not to heat the chocolate too much. This will lead to its splattering on the walls of the microwave oven and, as a result, useless consumption of a valuable product. Therefore, for the first time or with a small amount of chocolate, it is advisable to choose the lowest temperature setting and a short heating time.

How to melt chocolate with a gas stove?

A modern gas stove is a versatile piece of equipment that is both convenient and economical.It provides several options at once for answering the question of how to melt chocolate on the stove. The first involves the use of a gas burner, and the cooking method is called a “water bath”. It assumes the following operations:

• a container with water is placed on the switched on burner with the lowest possible fire;
• chopped chocolate is placed in another pan, smaller in size by its volume;
• the second container is placed on the first, creating the effect of a water bath, when its contents are heated gradually and evenly;
• during melting it is necessary to constantly stir the chocolate to obtain a homogeneous product of the desired consistency.

The possibility of convenient and regular mixing favorably distinguishes this method from most other options for preparing liquid chocolate.

Advice. Only use a dry container to melt chocolate. Otherwise, the food will start to burn, despite the gentle heating mode typical of a water bath.

An alternative option for using a gas stove involves the creation of not a water, but a steam bath.Its characteristic difference from the described method is that the second pan is not in direct contact with the water in the first container. As a result, heating occurs due to steam rising from below. This slows down the process somewhat, but makes the heating of the chocolate more even.

The fastest way to melt a sweet product using a gas stove involves directly heating the container with chocolate on the burner. In this case, it is imperative to carefully monitor its condition, constantly and thoroughly mixing.Otherwise, the chocolate will burn very quickly.

Another cooking method involves using a gas stove oven. In this case, the chocolate melts as follows:

• the sweetness is ground by any of the above methods;
• it is placed in a metal dish or a mold made of another material and intended for baking in the oven;
• the oven is switched on at the lowest heating temperature;
• after performing the described operations, it will remain to wait until the chocolate has melted, periodically visually checking its condition.This usually takes 7-8 minutes.

The main advantage of using an oven is the ability to cook large volumes of liquid chocolate. Therefore, this method is often used as an answer to the question of how to melt chocolate to decorate a large cake.

Melting chocolate in a fondue bowl

Fondyushnitsa is a small container in the form of a pot or pot, which is installed on special legs.A burner or a small candle is placed under it. A product is placed inside the fondue, which must be heated and melted. In the original, cheese was used in a similar quality.

Today, instead of it, various types of oil are actively used and, which is important for the topic under consideration, chocolate. The melting of the latter should take place under the supervision of the hostess and with constant stirring of the product. Given the low power of the burner or candle, this is quite enough to prevent the chocolate from burning.Often, cream, cognac, berries, nuts or fruits are added to the chocolate to improve the taste of the liquid product obtained at the exit.

Advice. The use of a fondue dish is very convenient if liquid chocolate is immediately eaten, for example, with any bakery product. The design of the device allows you to maintain the product in the desired condition for any required amount of time.

How to melt chocolate in a multicooker?

One of the most common answers to the question of how to melt chocolate without a microwave is the use of another type of kitchen technique – a multicooker.This simple and very handy device provides the housewife with many additional options. One of them is the hassle-free preparation of liquid chocolate.

It takes place using the water bath already described above. For this:

• chocolate is chopped and placed in a saucepan that fits the multicooker bowl;
• water is poured into the latter, after which a container with a sweet product is placed inside;
• the device is turned on for a water bath or steam cooking, provided in most modern models;
• chocolate is constantly stirring.

The equipment automatically turns off after 5-7 minutes, depending on the settings selected by the user. If necessary, the water bath mode is switched on again, as a result of which the chocolate is brought to the desired state.

How to melt chocolate in a silicone mold?

Silicone molds of various sizes and configurations are often used to make chocolate figurines. In this case, the melting of the product occurs directly in them.To obtain the desired result, you must:

• chop chocolate;
• put it in a mold, which must be clean and dry;
• Place the tins on a baking sheet or in a large baking dish;
• put the baking sheet in the oven;
• turn it on at the lowest fire;
• melt chocolate for about 8-10, less often – 15 minutes, depending on the characteristics of the oven;
• remove the baking sheet or mold from the oven, then allow the product to cool slightly, and then move the silicone molds to the refrigerator;
• at the final stage, the hostess will have to carefully remove the tasty figurines from the baking dishes.

Advice. To enhance the taste of the final product, you can add nuts, cookie pieces, raisins, etc. to the chocolate.

Methods for melting chocolate in combination with other products

Often it is required to melt chocolate not in its pure form, but together with other products. Most often, we are talking in a similar situation about cream, milk or butter. Virtually any of the methods described above can be used to prepare such a mixture.In this case, it is necessary to take into account several important nuances:

• First the chocolate is melted, and then cream, milk or butter are added to it. When using a water or steam bath, simultaneous melting of products is allowed;
• the mixture must be constantly mixed, and with a dry and clean spoon;
• the pot for preparing the liquid mixture must also be dry and clean;
• the lower the heating temperature, the more uniformly and better the mixture heats up, which allows you to get a homogeneous product at the output.

How to keep chocolate shiny and liquid?

The simplest and most obvious answer to the question in the subheading of the article is as follows: you need to choose high-quality chocolate for cooking. It is highly desirable that it be bitter, that is, high in cocoa beans.

It is imperative not to bring the chocolate to a boil, as this will cause it to become crumbly and set very quickly immediately after cooling slightly.Naturally, it is necessary to take into account the shelf life of the original product, which should not end. Another fundamental rule is to prevent the ingress of water, the presence of which leads to a sharp increase in temperature, burning and loosening of the chocolate.

90,000 Why did Azerbaijan win the war in Karabakh? Military experts answer

• Pavel Aksenov
• BBC

November 11, 2020

Photo author, KAREN MINASYAN / AFP

Photo caption,

Armenian soldiers, as noted by observers, showed a high fighting spirit, however, general deficiencies in the organization of defense decided the outcome of the war

The military operation of the Azerbaijani army in Nagorno-Karabakh, which lasted 44 days, ended in success for the attackers.This turned out to be unexpected for observers, who at first believed that the forces of the two sides were more or less equal, and Azerbaijan would not advance far in such a complex theater of hostilities. The BBC’s Russian service investigated the details of Azerbaijan’s military operation and the reasons for the defeat of the Armenian side together with military experts.

The fighting ended after Azerbaijani troops occupied the city of Shusha, one of the most important settlements in Nagorno-Karabakh. It is located on a mountain a few kilometers from the capital of the region, Stepanakert, and is crossed by a road that connects Karabakh with Armenia.

“Shushi is the key to all of Karabakh. This is the center from which Stepanakert is also controlled. It was the same during the first war, but then the level of armaments was completely different, and this is the case now,” the BBC said. si former head of the Public Radio of Armenia Mark Grigoryan.

At the end of September-beginning of October, at the earliest stage of the military operation of Azerbaijan, the capture of this strategic city and the actual forcing of Armenia to peace seemed unlikely.

Many believed that this exacerbation, like the previous ones, would end at most with Azerbaijan capturing several strategically important heights and several square kilometers of territory.

This is exactly what happened during the last serious escalation of the conflict in 2016 – then, after four days of fighting, Azerbaijan announced that its troops had occupied several heights around the village of Talish and in the Fizuli direction.

When the turning point came

The conflict began on September 27 with mutual shelling in five areas on the line of contact – in the area of ​​Mount Murovdag, the villages of Talish and Mardakert (Agdere) in the north of the zone controlled by the Armenians, as well as in the south in Jebrail and Fizuli regions.

In general terms, the war turned into battles in two directions – in the north and south of Karabakh.

In the north, the 1st corps operated under the command of Major General Hikmet Hasanov, in the south – two military groups under the command of Lieutenant General Hikmet Mirzaev and Major General Mais Barkhudarov. In one of the messages of the presidential press service, these units were named corps.

For several days, Azerbaijan could not turn the tide in its favor and battles were fought in areas along the contact line, but by October 9, in the south, Azerbaijani forces took the city of Jebrail, the administrative center of one of the seven regions of Azerbaijan outside the territory of the former Soviet Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous areas that Armenian forces completely or partially captured in the 1992-1994 war.

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Video caption,

Nagorno-Karabakh: the main facts about the conflict

This city was completely abandoned by residents and destroyed, and continues to lie in ruins to this day. It was 20 kilometers from the dividing line, which the attackers overcame in almost two weeks. That is, the offensive of the Azerbaijani troops in the early days could not be called impetuous.

A couple of days later, Hadrut fell – this is the first regional center in the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh proper, and not in the occupied regions of Azerbaijan. It was the first city on the way of the Azerbaijani units, in which civilians remained.

It was from the fall of Hadrut that the situation changed – the Azerbaijani troops began to advance more intensively, and the Armenians began to retreat.

“The first catastrophe was that for some reason they left Hadrut without serious resistance, and this predetermined everything else,” an Armenian military specialist, who wished not to be named, told the BBC.

Azerbaijani forces advanced mainly in the south, along the Armenian-Iranian border. After Jebrail and Hadrut, Azerbaijan took control of Fizuli, Zangelan, Kubatly. The targets of this offensive were the city of Lachin, through which the highway connecting Shusha and Stepanakert with Armenia passes, as well as the city of Shusha itself.

Photo author, Anadolu Agency

Caption,

The turning point came after Jebrail fell in early October

Both targets were located in mountainous terrain, and the offensive towards them was not swift, although the resistance of the Armenian forces by that time had weakened.As a result, the Azerbaijanis without heavy equipment reached Shushi in the mountains, and after the battles in the area of ​​this city, he ended up in their hands.

This was a decisive event in the conflict – after the capture of the city, the war ended.

What kind of weapons did Azerbaijan and Armenia buy

For a quarter of a century, while the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh was at a frozen stage, both sides declared their readiness to resolve it by force.

It was difficult to assess the potential of each side – there are no exact data on military purchases in open sources.On the Armenian side, part of the military equipment was deployed on the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh – almost nothing is known about it.

More or less accurately, one can judge the weapons that Baku and Yerevan have purchased in recent years, but what remained in the troops since the 1990s was shrouded in mystery.

Photo author, Anadolu Agency

Photo caption,

Armenian tanks captured by the Azerbaijanis

Much more important was the weapons that the sides purchased before the war.In the 2000s, Azerbaijan was arming itself much more actively, which was allowed by high oil prices. This continued until the mid-2010s. In 2014, Azerbaijan spent 5.1% of GDP on military needs, Armenia – 4.29%, despite the fact that its GDP was much lower.

“In the 21st century, the military budget of Azerbaijan exceeded the Armenian military budget by an average of three to five times, in some years, the military budget of Azerbaijan was higher than the entire state budget of Armenia,” a senior researcher at the Institute of the Far East told the BBC RAS Vasily Kashin.

In the second half of the 2010s, Azerbaijan reduced its arms purchases. The experts explained this by the fact that he already had everything he needed.

However, a year before the war, Azerbaijan again began to actively purchase weapons from Turkey. As Reuters reported, citing the Assembly of Turkish Exporters, arms exports from that country to Azerbaijan grew sixfold, to $ 36 million in August and $ 77 million in September.

In 2020, Baku bought, in particular, Bayraktar unmanned aircraft, which were effectively used in Karabakh.

Earlier, Azerbaijan purchased Israeli patrolling ammunition (kamikaze drones) and high-precision missile systems, in Russia – heavy flamethrower systems TOS-1A “Solntsepek”, BMP-3, a division of self-propelled artillery installations “Msta-S”, two battalions of long-range SAM S -300 and several complexes of the near “Tor-M2E”.

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Video caption,

Where are Israeli weapons in Nagorno-Karabakh

“Azerbaijan’s arms expenditures were more meaningful, planning was more careful.They did not scatter money, they carefully took into account all the latest trends in military affairs, bought what they needed, studied the experience of the war in the Middle East. They prepared for the current conflict in an exemplary manner, and this concerns not purely military aspects of the conflict, but also political, economic, propaganda, “Kashin said.

Since the mid-2010s, Armenia has also started spending more money on weapons. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the volume of military imports of Armenia from 2014 to 2019 is three and a half times more than from 2009 to 2014, despite the fact that in 2014-2015, according to information institute, the country did not make any serious purchases.

Smerch multiple launch rocket systems, a large number of anti-tank weapons, portable anti-aircraft missile systems, Tor M2KM anti-aircraft missile systems, and Iskander-E missile systems division were purchased.

Some purchases, however, caused bewilderment and even criticism in Armenia. So many consider it pointless to buy four Su-30SM in 2019. These aircraft – heavy fighters, faster and more powerful than the Azerbaijani MiG-29s, were also too expensive, and their combat capability was excessive for the Karabakh theater of military operations.

In addition, they were delivered in an attack modification, so they are not as effective as an air defense system as fighters in an air combat configuration.

Another purchase, around which a scandal occurred in Armenia, was the delivery from Jordan of several dozen units of modernized Osa AK anti-aircraft missile systems, reported by Jane’s Defense Weekly and confirmed by BBC sources close to the Armenian authorities. The interlocutors questioned the motivation for purchasing rather old systems from third countries, if Armenia can directly purchase modern air defense systems from Russia.

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Signature to audio,

How will events develop in the conflict zone after the armistice?

“The Armenians did not use even the modest resources that they had in the best way, and the fact that the war lasted so long is an indicator that the Armenians did not have problems with moral and psychological qualities – they were at the highest level. was very stubborn, and the quality of the personnel was not bad, “said Vasily Kashin.

Why poorly used manned aircraft

Both countries conducted exercises before the start of the war, and Azerbaijan conducted them jointly with Turkey, and Armenia – with Russia.

From July 29 to August 10, Turkish fighters were deployed at the Azerbaijani Ganja airfield during exercises. Subsequently, it was argued in Armenia that some of these fighters could have stayed there and supported the Azerbaijani forces during the war.

Yerevan even accused the Turkish pilots of shooting down an Armenian Su-25 attack aircraft.

This information could not be confirmed, but the photographs of Turkish fighters in Ganja on satellite images were subsequently published on Twitter by New York Times journalist Christian Tribert.

Later, Azerbaijan admitted that Turkish fighters were indeed at the airfield in Ganja, but did not participate in hostilities.

At the same time, neither Karabakh, which had a certain number of combat helicopters and aircraft, nor Azerbaijan, which was armed with not only helicopters and attack aircraft, but also its own (non-Turkish) fighters, did not actively use manned aircraft – both sides suspected each other in the presence of effective air defense systems.In the battles in Karabakh, the old Osa and Strela complexes turned out to be the main anti-aircraft defense.

According to Mikhail Khodarenko, an air defense specialist, in the case of Karabakh and the Armenia behind it, it would hardly have been possible to create a developed air defense system with quick target detection, processing and transmission of information to weapons. The country simply would not have enough money to organize air defense. He estimated the costs of creating a full-fledged air defense system at ten annual budgets of Armenia.

In addition, the existing air defense in Nagorno-Karabakh, according to the expert, was focused on fighting attack helicopters and attack aircraft, and in the sky they were opposed by small drones.

Strategy and tactics of Azerbaijan

It is difficult to determine to what extent the success of this military operation in Baku was predetermined, whether it was the result of careful preparation and planning, or the situation developed in a certain way and the military successfully improvised.

Russian military expert, editor-in-chief of the “Arsenal of the Fatherland” magazine, Viktor Murakhovsky, noted that Azerbaijan began the war with a large-scale reconnaissance battle with all corps.Finding a weak spot, the Azerbaijani army first pushed through the Armenian defense and then developed a successful operation.

According to Murakhovsky, the Azerbaijani army acted cautiously, relying on thorough reconnaissance, long-range fire damage and drone strikes: “We have not seen an offensive steam roller with artillery, barrage, tanks and so on here.”

Murakhovsky noted in the actions of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces the style of the Turkish army, which used the same tactics in 2018 in the Syrian city of Afrin and the province of Idlib.Then the Turkish military conducted Operation Olive Branch.

Such a squeeze tactic is good only against the enemy, who does not have the ability to quickly transfer reinforcements from one sector to another and there is no effective aviation, the expert says.

Baku originally planned the southern direction as the main direction of the strike, Azeri military expert Azad Isazade believes. In the north, the border of Karabakh was closer to the line of separation of the sides, from which the offensive began, but there mountainous terrain interfered with Baku.In the south, the Azerbaijani units operated on a plain, on an area favorable for offensive battles.

According to the expert, the Armenian side strengthened the northern part of the contact line, closer to Nagorno-Karabakh, and the southern part, due to its remoteness, was considered a secondary direction.

The change in the military plans of Azerbaijan happened when part of the troops moved to Shusha along the mountain roads, instead of striking the main blow through Lachin.

Weaknesses of the Armenian Defense

“It was difficult for Azerbaijan to advance for the first few days.After the first line of defense was broken, the front literally fell down, “Azad Isazade said.

According to the Azerbaijani expert, the authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh did not foresee the possibility that the offensive would be conducted on the southern flank, and no serious defense was prepared there: “I can’t find an explanation for this, this is insane carelessness, it cannot be forgiven or understood, this is madness.”

Photo author, ARIS MESSINIS / AFP

Photo caption,

The positions of the Armenian forces in the north of Karabakh were better prepared for defense than in the south

There were two weak points in the Karabakh defense – in the south and in the Aghdam region, and the northern direction, where the first corps operated, was seriously fortified, Isazade specified.