massive fire on belle isle rocksSubmitted by ceededcrotch t3_1200c63 in rva
Captain-Popcorn t1_jdf4x3j wrote
That sucks. Belle Isle is a weekend event for me and my pup! Hoping it doesn’t spread!
9to5Voyager t1_jdf65ii wrote
People are always lighting fires over there surprised they don't get out of hand more often
slizerskates t1_jdg4y2b wrote
A few weeks ago I went rafting and the entire coastline by Hollywood rapids were lit with young peeps having campfires. Like a solid 6 campfires were chugging. worst part is that it wasn't even cold that day ffs
ceededcrotch OP t1_jdf9kn7 wrote
yeah was dying down after i posted this. but also kinda stupid. hasn’t it been kinda dry lately?
PapaJohnTravolta t1_jdfbv2y wrote
We’re in the seasonal burn ban from February to the end of April, you’re not allowed open air burns before 4:00pm. It’s always dry this time of year.
lunar_unit t1_jdfczko wrote
I've always thought it was a strange rule. Why after 4pm? Do fires not make bigger fires after 4pm?
wagonboss t1_jdfe7kj wrote
Humidity.
humidity drops from morning through early afternoon, and the drier the air- the easier it’s spread. After 4, as the evening settles, humidity raises and doesn’t burn as easily
Source: Firefighter
Daemonrealm t1_jdfrzvp wrote
That’s a good TIL.
Charlesinrichmond t1_jdflpzk wrote
Very interesting I always thought it was the Sparks being more visible
wagonboss t1_jdh83mg wrote
Thanks to all for the upvotes, just a little more of an explanation for ya. It’s not a perfect science, and I’m not a meteorologist- so I’ll do my best. In the morning humidity is typically higher from overnight. As temperatures rise, humidity drops. When it’s below 20% and combined with dry conditions and wind, it becomes very conducive to fire spread. So the 4pm burn law was created to skip the worst of it. Usually it starts to raise before that time, but it’s a compromise as I’m sure when the law was created there was some push back. Today the humidity doesn’t dip super low, but here’s an example of it raising throughout the afternoon:
KiwiStack t1_jdgyysw wrote
Oh… this makes a lot more sense. Growing up in an area with volunteer firefighters, I always thought it was because they had more firefighters on shift after four.
geneb0322 t1_jdfejgu wrote
Humidity levels tend to rise and winds tend to calm after 4:00 making it less of a risk (though still a risk).
theeandthine t1_jdfelim wrote
Kinda...Like generally it's supposed to be less windy in the evening? So less risk of spreading I think?
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