The Hope Ranch Smoker Continues

By Larry Dighera
Steam or smoke billows forth in the morning after a rain off the Hope Ranch cliffs. Many years ago I saw a helicopter dangling a "bucket" of water douse this area.
By Larry Dighera
Steam or smoke billows forth in the morning after a rain off the Hope Ranch cliffs. Many years ago I saw a helicopter dangling a "bucket" of water douse this area.
11 Comments
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Dec 03, 2020 12:24 AMSo can I light my fireplace now for heat and cook some salmon for dinner on an oak grill? (The only people that complain are transplants).
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Dec 02, 2020 10:14 PMShale fire that has happened there many times https://santamariatimes.com/news/local/slow-burning-shale-has-hope-residents-worried/article_ffaaf709-6ebe-5a92-836d-49d403429728.html
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Feb 24, 2019 09:10 AMGreat photo! Cooler weather really enhances the steamy look.
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Feb 25, 2019 12:16 PMThank you for the kind words. It's difficult to get a good shot hand-held with a 720mm telephoto lens. Here's a video that will make you seasick: https://youtu.be/_LnSIDzTX-Q
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Feb 23, 2019 02:57 PMIs that between More Mesa and Hope Ranch Beach ?
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Feb 25, 2019 08:57 AMNo. It's located east of there. Here's the map:
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.4100829,-119.7670342,56m/data=!3m1!1e3
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Feb 23, 2019 12:16 PMPressure and friction sets it ablaze.
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Feb 23, 2019 11:02 AMThank you all for your thoughtful comments.
Here is a map of the location of the Hope Ranch Shale Fire: https://www.google.com/maps/@34.4100829,-119.7670342,56m/data=!3m1!1e3 .
It would seem to me that an effective method of smothering the burning petroleum would be to enlist one of the fire suppression engines from the airport to pump foam into the opening in the cliff from which the smoke emanates. That's probably a less expensive approach than helo water drops.
I did some research and found these articles:
https://www.keyt.com/news/environment/rare-smoking-coastal-hillside-mystery-closely-watched-below-hope-ranch/663724187
https://santamariatimes.com/news/local/slow-burning-shale-has-hope-residents-worried/article_ffaaf709-6ebe-5a92-836d-49d403429728.html
https://www.edhat.com/news/smoking-hope-ranch-cliffs
https://www.noozhawk.com/article/county_fire_respond_to_naturally_occurring_oil_shale_fire_burning_west_of_a
https://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2011/08/16/the-santa-barbara-volcanic-cliffs-are-smoldering-once-again/
https://bigthink.com/eruptions/volcanic-or-not-volcanic-the-steaming-hills-of-santa-barbara-are-not-volcanic
https://www.edhat.com/news/smoking-shale-at-hendrys
https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/article186786533.html
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Feb 22, 2019 06:48 PM@S. B. Dutchman, it's a shale fire.
https://santamariatimes.com/news/local/slow-burning-shale-has-hope-residents-worried/article_ffaaf709-6ebe-5a92-836d-49d403429728.html
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Feb 22, 2019 06:35 PMwhat is the back story on this?
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Feb 22, 2019 06:19 PMNice photo!