Wildfire Today

News and opinion about wildland fire

Wildfire Today

Tag: California

Strong winds on Tuesday make Woolsey Fire difficult to contain

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags ,
Fire engines staged Lake Sherwood Woolsey Fire
Fire engines staged near Lake Sherwood at the Woolsey Fire, November 13, 2018. Ventura County FD photo.

The spread of the Woolsey Fire in the Santa Monica Mountains slowed considerably Monday, adding very few burned acres. However on Tuesday a flareup put a large smoke column into the atmosphere near Lake Sherwood, but it was attacked aggressively by firefighters in the air and on the ground after devouring about 50 acres.

To see all articles on Wildfire Today about the Woolsey Fire, including the most recent, click HERE.

Strong winds Tuesday are keeping residents and firefighters on edge. A sampling of weather stations with high wind speeds showed gusts up to 50 mph at Warm Springs.

Weather observations red flag warning wildfire
Weather observations at 1:25 p.m. PST November 13, 2018.

The fire area will remain under a Red Flag Warning through Wednesday for 20 to 30 mph winds gusting at 45 to 55, with relative humidities in the single digits.

Red Flag Warning
Red Flag Warning, current at 1:30 p.m. PST November 13, 2018.

The number of structures that have been destroyed in the fire has increased from 370 to 435. It is believed that most of them are homes, but the figures have not been broken out. Officials are still conducting surveys and the number may not remain at that level.  There has been no change in fatalities, with that number remaining at two.

Even though President Trump made a vague statement on November 10 saying “no more Fed payments!” for wildfires in California, on November 12 he tweeted that he “…just approved an expedited request for a Major Disaster Declaration for the State of California.” California Governor Jerry Brown requested it on November 11.

The resources assigned to the Woolsey Fire include 619 fire engines, 57 hand crews, 22 helicopters, 23 dozers, and 48 water tenders, for a total of 3,592 personnel.

 

Camp Fire continues to spread to the north and east

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags ,

The number of fatalities within the fire area increases to 42

Camp Fire
Camp Fire. Photo credit: CAL FIRE.

The Camp Fire continues to march farther to the east and north as the dry, windy weather hangs on in California. Monday the blaze grew by about half a mile along most of the north and east perimeter. It was most active east of Highway 70, south of Stirling City, and on both sides of Lake Oroville.

(To see all articles on Wildfire Today about the Camp Fire, including the most recent, click here.)

CAL FIRE said Tuesday morning the fire has burned 125,000 acres.

The number of civilian fatalities within the fire area has increased by 13 on Monday to bring the total to 42. Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea has not said the number of deaths is likely to increase, but he has requested additional cadaver dogs, portable morgue units, and about 150 additional search and rescue personnel to assist in the search for human remains. About 200 people remain unaccounted for.

Fire officials estimate that the structures destroyed include 6,522 single residences, 85 multi-residences, and 260 commercial buildings.

CAL FIRE has released a map that shows the status of structures affected by the Camp Fire. The new map is still incomplete and is a work in progress.

firefighters fire trucks wildfire Camp Fire
Firefighters came from long distances to assist suppress the Camp Fire, CAL FIRE photo.

The resources assigned to the fire include 622 fire engines, 97 hand crews, 21 helicopters, 107 dozers, and 71 water tenders for a total of 5,139 personnel.

map Camp Fire November 12 2018
The red line on the map was the perimeter of the Camp Fire at 10 p.m. PST November 12, 2018. The white line was the perimeter about 24 hours before.

CAL FIRE releases map showing status of structures affected by Camp Fire

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , 37 Comments on CAL FIRE releases map showing status of structures affected by Camp Fire

The fire has burned more than 117,000 acres at Paradise, California east of Chico.

map structures destroyed camp fire california
Example of data collected about damage to structures in the Camp Fire. Scroll down to see the interactive map.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) has released a map that shows the status of structures affected by the Camp Fire. The blaze has burned more than 117,000 acres at Paradise, California east of Chico.

(To see all articles on Wildfire Today about the Camp Fire, including the most recent, click here.)

The data is work in progress and not all areas have been surveyed for damage. The information from the field inspections is subject to change. It appears that the data is not restricted to just structures in Paradise, CA.

To see the map, click above on the “Terms” and then “OK”. After you read the Information, you may want to click on the “X” to remove the box that covers half of the screen.

If the map above fails to work, an alternative is to view it here.

The legend for the map is below:

legend map fire structures damaged

CAL FIRE reports that 6,453 residences and 260 commercial structures have been destroyed in the Camp Fire.

Congratulations to ESRI and CAL FIRE for developing and releasing this useful tool.

(To see all articles on Wildfire Today about the Camp Fire, including the most recent, click here.)

Fire officials release list of structures burned in Camp Fire

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , 57 Comments on Fire officials release list of structures burned in Camp Fire

The Butte County Sheriffs’ Office has confirmed 29 fatalities in the burned area

map Camp Fire Paradise California wildfire
Map of the Camp Fire. The red line was the perimeter at 7 p.m. PST November 11, 2018. The white line was the perimeter about 24 hours before. Intense heat is indicated by the red shaded areas. Click to enlarge.

(UPDATED at 7:35 a.m. PST November 13, 2018)

Since the article below was published the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has released a map that shows the status of structures affected by the Camp Fire. The new map is still incomplete and is a work in progress.

(Originally published at 8:48 a.m. PST November 12, 2018)

The town of Paradise, California has released a partial list of structures that have been destroyed or at least 50 percent damaged in the Camp Fire. The surveys to assess the damage are ongoing and so far the list only covers 695 structures. The official estimate is that 6,453 homes have burned.

(To see all articles on Wildfire Today about the Camp Fire, including the most recent, click here.)

As of Sunday afternoon the Butte County Sheriffs’ Office had confirmed 29 fatalities in the burned area, while 228 people are still considered missing and unaccounted for. Some of the missing could be in shelters or no longer have cell phones. More than 100 were removed from the list after they were found.

The Sheriff’s Office has set up phone lines for a Missing Persons Call Center where the public can provide and receive information about missing individuals.

The numbers are:
530-538-6570
530-538-7544
530-538-7671

The Camp Fire was very active on the east side Sunday, spreading for over two miles east of Concow and spotting across the north end of Lake Oroville. The east side was less active, but still added about 1,000 acres southwest of Magalia.

CAL FIRE is reporting that the fire has burned 113,000 acres, but the agency often intentionally under-reports the size of large fires by 10 to 15 percent.

The homes of at least 53 firefighters burned in the Camp Fire, according to the International Association of Fire Fighters. The organization set up a disaster relief center for firefighters in Chico and so far have helped more than a dozen emergency responders.

Pacific Gas & Electric disclosed to the Public Utilities Commission that one of their high voltage power lines had a disruption in service on Pulga Road near the Camp Fire at 6:15 a.m. the day it started, November 8. The fire was reported at 6:29 a.m. In the following days the stock price plunged 33 percent.

PG&E stock price plunges

Red Flag Warnings in effect for much of California

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags ,

(UPDATED at 5:30 a.m. PST November 12, 2018)

The Red Flag Warnings in Central and Northern California expire Monday morning. In Southern California south of Santa Barbara they are in effect until 5 p.m. Tuesday for 20-35 mph winds gusting to 55, and, 3 to 10% relative humidity.

(Originally published at 7:27 a.m. PST November 11, 2018)

The National Weather Service has issued Red Flag Warnings for much of California, predicting strong winds and low humidities that could spread existing wildfires and force new ignitions to grow quickly.

The warnings in the central and northern part of the state expire Sunday night or early Monday morning. The details vary a bit from location to location, but the forecasters expect north to east winds at 20 to 30 mph with gusts of 40 to 50 with 5 to 10 percent humidities.

Red Flag Warnings California wildfires
Red Flag Warnings issued November 11, 2018 for California.

In Southern California the warnings are in effect Sunday through Tuesday for northeast winds of 20 to 35 mph with gusts at 45 to 55, along with single digit relative humidities. There will be little humidity recovery during the night during this period. The strongest winds will be Sunday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.