Olga Booker

Nancy and Daniel:

Thank you for the info on the grab and go bag!

Hugo:

Sorry to hear about where you live and the people around you.  I encountered the same  when I lived in the Pyrenees.  Unfortunately, it's the same the world over, people don't like changes or differences.  Thank you for the link about "fire wise" plants.  Very informative and useful.  Keep safe.

Hi Hugo, you live in Burgundy, a vine and wine county.  Can some knowledgeable neighbor or local farmer help you with the choice and maintenance of vines?

Burra:  Great information, thank you.  Sorry to hear about your fire last year, must have been scary.  It is the same here, most fires are started by discarded cigarettes butts, machinery, and in a few instances, arson  Incidentally, any suggestions about what to put in your grab bag?

For now, focus on cleaning roof and gutters, removing dead vegetation and other flammable from near the home.  Later, when rain returns, get out the chainsaw and digger and landscapes away.  

My intention exactly !  And yes it is large enough for air tankers.

Once again thank you for your input,.  Us, wild fires novices are just a bit anxious these days and grateful for all you experts.  If not experts, at least, seen that, been there, done that.

Sorry, already gave you my apple of the day !!

Well, living in south west France where geese and ducks reign supreme, you won't be too astonished to find that it is a well used fat for cooking in my house, followed by olive oil and butter.  I also keep all fats from any roasting meat including chickens as well as bacon and sausage fat.  It stays in a jar by the stove to be used when and if needed.  In the Mediterranean basin, olive oil has been used for centuries for frying, salad dressing even baking.  Different variety and grades of olive oils for different purposes.  We have no problems with high smoking point and have quite a few centenarians to prove it !!  Having spent some time in India and Burma, I make my own ghee, which incidentally has a very high smoking point.

I never use coconut oil, it is not indigenous and packs a hell of a food mile.  As for flaxseed oil, that's the stuff my grandmother used to force a spoon of down our gob when we were kids, to improve our liver function and bowel movements!  So no thanks!!

Of course it goes without saying that cast iron cooking pots and skillets have been the norm in my life, for as long as I can remember.  Gran would not have had it any other way.

Thank you R, Ranson for a very concise explanation, clear and to the point. well deserving another apple !.

Phil, this is a very good documentary that brought tears to my eyes.  I remember watching the fires on the news at the time and being so overwhelmed and sad.  Good advice at the end that echoes some of the advice already given  here.

It is worth noting that I live in a stand alone property in the middle of the woods.  Not an urban setting, so maybe a large pond would be useful?

There is one exit track going North/South and one going West.  Our prevailing winds are westerly winds and usually moderate to occasionally strong, but as Nina mentioned in a post above, we've had some extremely and unusually hot, strong winds lately, never seen before.  Coupled with, again, unusually hot temperature and no rain for weeks, we feel terribly unprepared.  I know what my next priority will be for next year, as I am sure we can expect this kind of weather event to become the norm .  What I can do right now, which I did not take into consideration is blocking the air vents, cleaning the gutters and the debris around the house, as well as moving the garden furniture.  It's ironic for us, since cleaning the gutters was always something you did at the end of autumn, freeing it from dead leaves and debris to let the free flow of rain water !

Trees here are also losing their leaves early and get blown against the house by the strong winds mentioned.  Raking and sweeping has become a daily chore that I try to complete before the mid morning temperature reaches 35C.  Like the little humming bird in the story trying to extinguish the jungle fire, I'm doing the best that I can.  And thank you for everyone's help and input !

Kathleen Sanderson:

I have just re-read your post and I thank you for the practical advice coming from your experience.  I have an old horse box, and I did not think of using it to transport the animals.  We no longer have horses.  I think your brain goes to mush when you panic !

I did, however, think of getting the cats' transport carriers near and ready.  I'm not sure what to do about the chickens and ducks though.  I can only think of opening the gate and hoping that they can survive.  Water of course is ready also , along with the appropriate vessels for the animals.

We've arranged a network of friends that keep an eye on the news and the skyline.  Also agreeing to provide shelter if need be.

I never thought about removing curtains so that was a good suggestion.  Thank you to whoever else suggested it.

Now, the content of the grab and go bag remains a heated discussion with hubby.  Open to suggestions!


Alder Burns:

The planting of succulent is  a great idea.  Do you know of any that would survive our cold winters?  Prickly pear and agave do well in our summers, but die in the winter. Well, in my neck of the woods anyway.  Last winter for a few days the temperature went down to -10C (14F), my prickly pear went down with it.

Nina, I hear you !  I could read my own story in your words right now.

Thank you Richard for your kind words and advice.  Of course, I do not know Hugo personally. I just know Burgundy where he lives.  Maybe I am projecting my own concerns and worries.  All I know is that in my area there is definitely an element of worry that is slowly turning into an unspoken fear.

So far, France has had more than 8,000 fires started and more than 25,000 hectares of land destroyed.  It probably doesn't sound like much to some, but France would probably fit in one of your states with room to spare, and this unprecedented set of events has put incredible strain on the fire and other services.  Added to that, there is no awareness or preparation in place for such happenings.  The fire services are overwhelmed and exhausted and the local authorities are running around like headless chickens !  No sign of the heat wave relenting anytime soon either.

Changing a roof is again something for the future and sounds like a rather expensive proposal.  The roof of most houses in France have terracotta tiles, in few areas it is slate, does it need changing? Isn't a metal roof generating too much heat inside the house?

I like the idea of a large pond, again for the future and provided you have the space to do so.  I do have the space so it will be on my list of to do.

I think the problem for the French people at this point in time is: what do I do right now when I can smell the smoke, I can see the smoke in the not so far off distance, and nowhere at any time in my life have I been prepared for such eventuality and I've been caught with my pants down !

Re: using indigenous plants. Know what kind of ecosystem you're in. California, where I live, and much of the Mediterranean are fire-dependent or fire-climax ecosystems. That means they evolved over millennia with fire as the main disturbance or regenerator of the landscape.

It is indeed true, but where Hugo lives in Burgundy, and where I live in Dordogne, these are known to be green and pleasant lands, not used to this level of scorching.  It is indeed a good strategy for the future, if the future will continue to resemble the present. However, I think Hugo and myself are extremely concerned about the here and now, and how this green and pleasant land has turned into a dry, African safari landscape and a tinder box in such a short time.

It is not something we are used to in this country, and of course services are not prepared for it, neither are we.  Mediterranean ecosystems may have evolve for millenia to survive, but us poor little human beings, used to the green lushness of a temperate climate, have started to feel the stress and anxiety.  And maybe a slight panic too.   Twice in 10 days I've had fires started about 2.5 km away as the crow fly.  One to the west started by a tractor collecting his dry grass and the other to the East, by some idiot flying a model airplane in 42C heat (107.6F) and hitting a power line.  Both fires were so close that I'd already gathered all the cats and dogs, and yes, a go bag.

I was so complacent in my Permaculture course about the fire risk on the land. I thought it's an Australian thing, how can it possibly happen here in my green little paradise?!!  So I am very grateful for some of the good advice given on this thread from those of you who have experienced these disasters before. Thank you!!

Firs