Wildfire Today

Georg in Germany sent us an update about the wildfire situation in his country.

After an unusual period without any rain, the southern part of Germany and Austria is seeing it`s latest wildfire-season in history. Terrain difficulty: very high. Growth potential: high.

I know, it`s not that spectacular through the eyes of an american (wildland) firefighter, but until this year nobody even expected a wildfire in Germany in November. Also remind it`s a country without any handcrews or strike-teams for wildfire suppression.

There are four helicopters in service in a incident near Lenggries-here a video including some drops. It`s a Sikorsky S-65 (CH 53) operated by german Army “Heer”,dropping 1300 gallons of Water.

HERE is a link to a video that shows some helicopters in action, and an interview with what I assume is a fire official. Thanks to Google Translate, the caption below the video says, roughly: “For more than 50 years November was not as dry as this year. Now in the middle of the Bavarian Alps, a forest fire has broken out. Fire and Mountain Rescue is a day-long use before.” As the video begins, you may hear a voice-over for a commercial, with the announcer speaking in a very soft voice… in German. Interesting.

More still photos are HERE.

Below are a few samples of the photos:

In the photo above, it appears that the water bucket has some sort of dispersing mechanism, such as a rotating device which scatters the water. I’ve never seen this in North America. I wonder if the Germans are on to something here?

Thanks Georg

The fire in Reno that burned until the winds decreased and snow began falling was contained Sunday night at 6:00 p.m. Mark Regan of the Sierra Fire Protection District told Wildfire Today that the incident management team is almost finished with the evaluation of the structures that are damaged, and the count of uninhabitable homes stands at 29, with 7 that are damaged but habitable. The 1,935-acre fire was turned over to the Reno Fire Department at 8:00 a.m. on Monday.

Emergency personnel placed one of two placards on homes to indicate the severity of the damage. Red ones mean it is unsafe to enter the home and residents should call 211. A yellow placard indicates significant damage and it is safe to enter with caution.

During a press conference Reno Fire Chief Michael Hernadez commented on the initial response to the fire. He said the fire call came in at 12:20 a.m. Saturday morning and within two minutes the response crews upgraded the fire. Within minutes it went to a three alarm fire. “We threw everthing we had at it,” says Hernandez.

Crews have been working, sometimes in the snow, to rehab dozer and hand lines, constructing water bars for erosion control, and bringing the landscape back to its natural state. The snow has melted, however, and it’s partly sunny today in Reno.

Here is an unofficial map of the fire made by Bryce Leinan:
Continue reading “Reno’s Caughlin fire contained, update on homes burned”

Snow and decreasing winds helped firefighters stop the spread of the Caughlin fire that burned 1,847 acres and caused the evacuation of 10,000 residents on the southwest side of Reno, Nevada on Friday. A report on InciWeb on Saturday said the fire destroyed 15 structures and damaged 40 others. The AP reports “the estimated number of homes destroyed in a wind-fueled wildfire more than doubled on Saturday to a total of 32”.

Fire Chief Mike Hernandez said on Friday a firefighter suffered first and second-degree burns while working on the fire.

The map below shows the approximate location of the Caughlin fire, using data from the MODIS satellite system.

UPDATE: at 3:30 p.m. PT, Nov. 18

Reno Fire Chief Mike Hernandez said the Caughlin fire damaged or destroyed 25 homes but firefighters saved about 4,000 to 4,500 homes. He said the fire has burned 2,000 acres but the forward spread has stopped and firefighters are making good progress.

A 74-year old man suffered a heart attack and died during the evacuation and a local hospital treated 16 patients for respiratory conditions.

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At least 20 homes in southwest Reno, Nevada have burned in the wind-driven Caughlin wildfire. The Reno Gazette-Journal reports that 9,500 people had been evacuated as of 9:53 a.m. on Friday, but at 10:32 the evacuation area expanded.

The above map showing the Caughlin fire area in Reno is unofficial and is produced by “Bryce”. It is the only map we could find and it may or may not be accurate. The blue line is supposed to represent the evacuation area. The map was obtained at 11:25 a.m. PT November 18, 2011. “Bryce” revises the map frequently, and the “live” version can be found HERE.

Governor Brian Sandoval spoke at a press conference Friday morning and announced that he had declared a state of emergency and requested help from California. Reno Fire Chief Michael Hernandez said at the time that the fire would remain a threat throughout the day, with active firefighting expected for the next 24 to 36 hours.

Friday morning the Federal Emergency Management Agency declared the fire to be a “major disaster” and approved a Fire Management Assistance Grant. As a result, Nevada is eligible for up to 75% funding assistance for eligible costs.

The strong winds that are driving the fire have caused the cancellation or delay of several flights at Reno-Tahoe International Airport.

Genny Wilson, the District Ranger of the Carson Ranger District on the Toiyabe National Forest said the fire has burned about 450 acres on the national forest, however most of the fire is within the city of Reno.

KTVN has frequent reports on the fire, and occasionally they have live streaming video.