My parents were able to get back into Forked Meadow a few days ago after a month long evacuation due to the Creek Fire that has burned hundreds of thousands of acres and continues to burn. This side of the fire is now contained enough that they’ve allowed folks back in but we’re still on an evacuation warning.
It’s been several days of hazy smoky weather. Everything is still tinder dry with no rain in sight.
I decided to install an ADS-B receiver on the house to fill in ADS-B coverage in this area for low-flying fire fighting helicopters and aircraft. The receiving antennas are on the end of the garage which gets them a semi decent view of the sky.
The generator ran for about two weeks unattended before it went offline. The DSL connection via Ponderosa Telephone stayed up the whole time so we were able to keep an eye on things remotely until the generator failed. Upon closer inspection, the generator went offline because it ran low on oil and auto shutdown to prevent damage to the equipment. A generator repair tech came out to service the generator and install a new battery in it.
Because the power went off, food spoiled in both fridges. I hadn’t thought to remove the food from the fridges because I figured either the house would burn or we’d be allowed back in quickly. The compressor on one of the fridges was also shot so that’ll have to be replaced. Of course with the pandemic still going on and all the homes that were lost to fires, tornadoes, and hurricanes this year, finding a fridge is a tough proposition.
